Many Lenses: Artworks by John McAlpine
Based in Everett, Washington, John McAlpine is an artist of many trades. Working in media including paint, drawing, pastels, pencils, and photography, John captures the world around him through many lenses.
I enjoy looking through John’s photo galleries, at all of the artist’s photographs of the local wildlife, especially birds. It’s rather impressive how close to his subjects John is able to get, and this proximity makes for some images that are fascinating from both an aesthetic and a scientific viewpoint. John also photographs architectural moments, and landscape.
The artist’s traditional portfolio includes abstractions, still-life works and portraits. John seems to celebrate the texture and necessary imperfections of pastel and other traditional media, choosing heavy, deliberate lines and bright colors to leave evidence of his own hand and presence. In some cases, such as in his gallery “Drawings… of a sort,” John gets quite experimental, creating cartoonish, half-abstractions that showcase a genuine enjoyment of the artistic process.
