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John Osler"Branford Marsalis" Musician at Break, Clarinet, Thoughtful, Listening, Oil2014
2014
About the Item
The paintings of John Osler are extraordinary works of art with layers of color within the white shirt of the musician. Though the instrumentalist appears to be on a break the set of his head and shoulders belies repose. You can see, but more importantly you feel the intensity of his listening. He hears music we do not and is waiting for his que to pick-up his instrument and rejoin the jazz set.
John Osler paints on board and canvas in oils. Best known for his ability to capture an emotional moment, his work shows his deep respect for his subject. He combines a fresh and free approach to color and style with a mature skill set. His work is especially admired by fellow artists for its strength and directness. John has won Gold Medals in the prestigious Scarab Club shows and is currently in collections in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Seattle, Monterey, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Europe and New Zealand.
John also writes a blog for the "Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe" one of the best jazz clubs in the U.S. hosting all the jazz greats. The club is owned by Gretchen Valade heir to the Carhart Clothing Company. Four of John's jazz paintings have been used as posters for the Montreux Jazz Festival. An original oil painting for one of those poster's is part of the TCF Convention Center's art collection in Detroit, Michigan.
John, as the son of an illustrator and an art teacher, grew up in Detroit surrounded by art.
He worked for 30 years in national advertising photography before turning to painting. During this time, he founded Mid-coast Studios and Spike Osler Photography. In 1992 he walked away from a successful career to return to painting. He traveled and painted. He met extraordinary people many of whom had modest means and fragile futures. They were, however, free with their friendship and rich in spirit. They revealed to John their joy, pain, and hopes. John has tried to capture their time together with the dignity they deserve. He spends his time painting in Detroit, France and New Orleans.
Osler got his start in Detroit as an illustrator back in the late 1950s and 1960s. Detroit, he says, was home to some of the greatest illustrators of the time, including Bernie Fuchs and Mark English, all flocking here to work for the auto industry, illustrating cars and people with them. As time went on, photography took over from illustration, so Osler started working with photography studios, eventually starting his own. Then, 24 years ago, against a backdrop of an emptying, criminal, deteriorating city, he quit, because, he says, "there was no satisfaction."
Osler then began a journey, one that took him to Jonestown, Mississippi, which was an all-black town. He went there for the blues, but found something deeper in the churches, where he would paint, and the people took him in. "It was an emotional time for me, because I was so used to business where you look at somebody and the honesty wasn't there — everybody was in business." In Jonestown, says Osler, "It wasn't about money; it was about who they were."
Osler continued his travels, exploring the South of France and New Orleans, but says he's never left Detroit. "I'm a Detroiter. There's something about Detroit that gets into you, so I'll always be a Detroiter."
The first thing that struck us about Osler's work is that it is almost entirely comprised of African Americans. We ask Osler, an older white man, about this, and he laughs and comments "Well, they're the ones with color! They're colorful! It wasn't deliberate; it was just that they're more full of life. They were the people who got me into painting, the richness of their spirit inside. I see a lot here now; that's why I want to do large things of the people who are the real heroes of Detroit: the grandmas, the mothers who are so solid and strong. I'm white, so everybody asks me that question and people don't buy my art because it's African Americans. African Americans like my art, but I'm not black and they buy black art. It wasn't intentional; I've done others, but it's just the people who influence me. I've never painted my family, which is interesting. I've done little sculptures and things, but I've never painted them. I guess they've never wanted me to.
"Growing up in Birmingham in the '50s, it was an extremely racist community, anti-Semitic," he continues. "I think we're better today than the '50s. I saw a certain appeal in the other that I didn't know anything about or was not allowed to know anything about. When I finally got more involved with the people and how open they were, they taught me lessons. When I went into churches, I was the white guy in the back of the church, like I was at jazz places in Detroit, but they were also so nice to me. They'd say, 'We know what it is not to be loved, so we're going to love.' So, that's why I'm trying to paint, I guess. That was my story."
- Creator:John Osler (1935)
- Creation Year:2014
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Detroit, MI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU128616004952
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