The Fairmont Orchid Resort and the Pacific Island Printmakers invite the public to the opening of John McCaskill’s “Look Into My Eyes” featuring portraits in paint and print.
The Fairmont Orchid Resort and the Pacific Island Printmakers invite the public to the opening of John McCaskill’s “Look Into My Eyes” featuring portraits in paint and print.
The opening reception is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the resort’s Luana Gallery and Lounge. The exhibit runs until Dec. 9.
For “Look Into My Eyes,” McCaskill assembled a collection of new and retrospective paintings and prints that attempt to reduce the complexity of form and structure found in nature. What is left is a graphic representation of the original image. His finished pieces are simple, bold and powerful. “I’m striving to strip away everything but what is essential — it’s that point just this side of abstraction,” McCaskill said.
Like many of the artists that spawned the Pop Art movement in the 1950s and early ’60s, McCaskill spent his formative years in the advertising and commercial graphics industry. For more than 30 years, he produced advertising displays for high profile clients like Gap, Nike and Apple computer. The importance of advertising and pop culture is evident in many of his portraits and artwork.
Although influenced by artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, he prefers to feature noncelebrities. “What’s most important to me is a person’s expression and the look in a person’s eyes. The eyes tell a story,” he said.
McCaskill’s artwork is collected by individuals worldwide. Locally, his work can be seen at Studio Jomac in Kailua-Kona, Volcano Art Center and Living Arts Gallery in Hawi.
For more information, call 345-6200 or visit johnmccaskill.com.