| John Kiser is an award-winning artist, whose amazing work is currently on display at the Anna Bier Gallery; however, John will tell you that never in his wildest dreams did he expect to one day see a solo exhibit of his work displayed in an art gallery. He says he just paints what he likes, and continues to be amazed by the acclaim he has received.
If you attended the Anna Bier Gallery's Holiday Show, you may remember seeing John's lovely and timeless Pink Harbor which earned a first place ribbon in the show; the workdepicts two pink rowboats docked in a harbor. John explains that while serving in the U.S. Navy, he spent three years working on a submarine support ship stationed near Sardinia, Italy-a place where he felt that he had "stepped back in time." Almost every evening when he took a ferry to the mainland for dinner, he viewed these little boats that stood out as unique amid the large modern vessels in the harbor. His painting of those little boats was selected by the Ohio Arts Council in 2016 to hang at the Riffe Gallery in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, was included in a hardback publication entitled Acrylic Works 4, and published in Plein Aire Magazine before earning a first place ribbon in the Anna Bier Gallery's Holiday Show.
John grew up in Pleasant Hill where he enjoyed going fishing in the nearby Stillwater River; his interest in wildlife continues to motivate much of his work. "Preening" delightfully depicts a young Baltimore Oriole who had alighted on the back deck of John's current home just outside of Greenville, and whose noisy presence was disturbing his daughter as she was trying to study. Another charming young bird is captured in "Spring Dove," the subject of which surprisingly allowed the artist to come quite near to take photos, which he then re-created and "edited" with his paintbrush. |
