John Borden Evans was born in Scotland, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and currently lives on a 150 yr- old farm near Charlottesville. Evans' work draws inspiration from experience: the differing landscapes of Scotland, New Zealand and Virginia; his close knit family; his exposure to diverse religious imagery; and his early explorations as an abstract painter. His highly expressive and tactile images of landscape, and the animals that inhabit it, are whimsical and evocative of American folk culture. But beneath the simplicity lies a more complex and provocative undercurrent.

In response to the pastoral environment that surrounds his farm, images of cows, sheep, and chickens emerge from the textured acrylic layers of his densely worked paintings. Working intuitively, Evans begins his process by painting arbitrary colors and shapes and even words, then pushing and pulling, scraping and layering until the imagery emerges from beneath the layers. Rolling hills and pastures, fence lines and fruit trees, and all manner of animals take shape within Evans' unique painting process. Bright night skies with their glittering star patterns and glowing orbs create a moment of omnipotence with the farmland and the animals placed quietly beneath.

Some of the animals in his paintings seem vested with an uncanny human emotion and stature. A symbolic spiritual presence seems evident in some of his paintings. Evans' dramatic handling of light and shadow further contributes to the vibrancy and energy of the work. His extensive visual vocabulary, simply and directly expressed, creates imagery that resonates and transports the viewer beyond simple descriptive landscape painting.

Artist Statement
"These paintings grow out of the painting process. When I begin, I have no idea what the finished painting will look like. Lately my paintings have transformed themselves into imaginary views of the world around our house in North Garden, Virginia. These paintings are like memories that I have uncovered hidden in the many layers of acrylic paint. "

Biography
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland to American parents (6/21/56)
Educated at Davidson College (A.B., 1979)

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2004 Callen McJunkin Gallery, Charleston, WV
2003 Christa Faut Gallery, Davidson, NC (also 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001)
The Studio, Middleburg, VA (also 2002)
2002 Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA (also 1996)
2000 Right Brain Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA (also 1999, 1998)
Warm Springs Gallery, Warm Springs, VA McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA (also 1998, 1993, 1992, 1991)
Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Washington, D.C. (also 1996, 1994)
1999 University of Virginia Hospital Gallery, Charlottesville
Walker Art Center, Woodberry Forest, VA (also 1981)
1997 Morris Gallery, Columbia, SC (also 1994)
1996 Wilkes Art Gallery, North Wilkesboro, NC
Mabey Gallery, Richmond, VA
1991 Carolina Union Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
Shenandoah Valley Art Center, Waynesboro, VA
1990 The Living Gallery, North Cross School, Roanoke, VA
Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
1989 Holden Fine Arts Center, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
The Soho Gallery, Nova Scotia, Canada
1988 “Paintings on Paper,” South Street Inn, Charlottesville, VA
1986 DuPont Gallery, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
Margaret Heath Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
1983 Gallery 105, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
Davidson College Art Gallery, Davidson, NC
Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
Selected Group Exhibitions

2003 “Paper”, Callen McJunkin Gallery, Charleston, WV
2002 "Fields of Vision," The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, VA
“Paintings from the Piedmont,” (Award Winner 2000, 1997, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1988)
(Also 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1989), The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA
2001 "Painting: More than the Eye Can See," Callen McJunkin Gallery, Charleston, WV
2000 "Celebration," Les Yeux du Monde Star Hill, Charlottesville, VA
"Time is Place: A Survey of Landscape Paintings Curated by Kurt Godwin," Salve Regina Gallery, Catholic University, Washington D.C.
Signal 66, Washington D.C
University of Virginia Law Library Annual Art Exhibit, Charlottesville, VA
“Southern Landscapes,” Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC
1998 “Contemporary Landscape Artists,” Elise Goodheart Fine Art, Sag Harbor, NY
1997 Two person show, Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
Group show, Ralston Fine Art, Johnson City, TN
1996 “Loving the Land: Exploring Southern Regionalism,” Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC
1994 Juried Show, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
“Select: A Jurored Regional Exhibition,” (Award Winner) (also 1991) Sawhill Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
1991 “Beyond Nature,” Gallery 10 Ltd., Washington, D.C.
“National Works on Paper,” Marsh Gallery, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
1990 “Landscape Paintings,” (3 person show) DuPont Gallery, Lexington, VA
“Coastal Exchange III,” 1708 East Main, Richmond, VA
1989 “Juried Show, Peninsula Fine Arts Center (Award Winner) (also 1987), Newport News, VA
“15th Annual Shelby National Juried Art Show,” (1988,1987, 1985), Shelby Art League, Shelby, NC
“Four Charlottesville Artists,” 2nd Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
1988 “Painting ’88,” Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
“On the Fence,” (3 person show) The Cardinal Gallery at Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
1987 “Paintings Large and Small,” The Athenaeum, Alexandria, VA
Two person show, Walker Art Center, Woodberry Forest, VA
“Southeastern Spectrum,” Henley Paper Company, Juried Show, Winston-Salem, NC
Regional Juried Exhibition, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
1986 “Current Visions II,” (Award Winner) Germanow Gallery, Jewish Community Center, Rochester, NY
1985 Group Show, 305 West Cameron, Chapel Hill, NC
“The Charlotte Connection,” The MacIntosh Gallery, Atlanta, GA
“16th National Annual Fine Arts Competition, “Greensboro Artists League, Greensboro, NC
“Recent American Works on Paper 1985,” Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA, Smithsonian Institution S.I.T.E.S. Tour
“Lynchburg Area Juried Art Show,” (Award Winner), Lynchburg, VA
1984 “Abstraction,” Main Gallery of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Winston-Salem, NC
"22 Southeastern Artists from SECCA" Frank Porter Graham Carolina Union Gallery,
Chapel Hill, NC
“20th Annual Painting and Sculpture Juried Competition,” Associated Artists of
Winston- Salem, Winston-Salem, NC
“New Paintings,” Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
1982 “Irene Leache Memorial Juried Exhibition,” (Award Winner) Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA
1980 “Virginia Painting and Sculpture 1981,” Virginia Museum, Richmond, VA
“Exhibition for Undiscovered Artists,” (Award Winner) Jewish Community Center, Richmond, VA
1979 “Undergraduate Works on Paper Competition,” Florida School of the Arts, Palatka, FL

--Biography Courtesy of McJunkingallery.com

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