About the artist:

Jon Carsman was born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania in 1944, and he grew up surrounded by the Appalachian Mountain Range with its lush woods and forests. Carsman found the source of his inspiration in the play of color and light reflected across the framed houses streets and countryside of small town America. Jon likes to be in the woods at springtime to capture its arrival. His paintings synthesize realism and fantasy. To quote the artist, "I want, with the woodland scenes, to create certain phenomena that take place in nature. I want to paint wonderful pools of water with shimmering reflections." Carsman's paintings reflect the resurgence of American realism in art. Realism is not an identifiable technique or style but an attitude, a view of the world that offers perception without artifice. Realism examines and represents the subject without isolating it from its surroundings. The everyday reality that Carsman paints is a selected experience For the layman, subjectivity is a condition of perception. Our preconceived ideas of reality have clouded our objectivity in viewing reality. The artist's vision, especially the New Realist vision, make the relationships as simple and direct as possible. Color is an important factor in Carsman's work. His pallet is vibrant and intense. Often his work is reminiscent of Roualt's brilliant stained glass church windows. Carsman isolates strong areas of color in juxtaposition with dark outline, the colors become chrystalized motifs with a sparkling jewel like quality. Color is the greatest emotional factor in painting and Carsman uses this device very successfully. Carsman paints broad areas of vivid high-key tones with a surprising effect that creates a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. Individual Exhibitions 1968 Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania 1969 Wilkes College, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania 1972 Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1973 Images Gallery, Toledo Ohio Jacob's Ladder Gallery, Washington, D.C. 1974 Tower Gallery, Southampton; L.I., NY Tennessee Fine Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee 1970-74 Graham Gallery, New York 1975 Forsythe Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Vick Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1976 Fischbach Gallery, New York Coventry Gallery, Melbourne, Australia Images Gallery, Toledo, Chic 1977 Coventry Gallery, Melbourne, Australia Peter M. David Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota Alien House Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona Fischbach Gallery, New York Van Straaten Gallery, Chicago, Illinois Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York 1978 Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York City University of New York, New York Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas 1973 Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York Collective Exhibitions 1972 Hall Galleries, Miami, Florida "Windows and Doors," Hechscher Museum, Huntington, L.I. N~Y, 1972-74 Graham Gallery, New York 1973 Forsythe Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1973-76 Tower Gallery, Southampton, L.I. N.Y. 1973 "200 Years of American Painting," Mid-American Art Alliance traveling show 1974 "Our Great American Heritage in Painting'' Tower Gallery, New York 1976 "Contemporary images in Watercolor,'' Akron Art Institute, Akron, Ohio Tower Gallery, Southampton, L.I, N.Y. "Painting and Sculpture Today: The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana "Art Works" Milwaukee Wisconsin 1977 "20th Century American Paintings and Sculpture," Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York "American Landscapes," Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York "Group Show," Galerie Jean-Pierre, Paris "Group Show," Heath Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia 1978 ''20th Century American Paintings and Sculpture," Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York Collector's Choice, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi ''Cityscape," Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Permanent Collections Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey Minneapolis Art Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama Akron Art Institute, Akron, Ohio San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York University Collection, New York Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. The Denver Art Museum Denver, Colorado