A New Definition of Artistic Success

Thanks to my position with the Cultural Affairs Department of a major U.S. City, I get a peek into the art-world that has become overwhelmingly telling: Every day, my Email box is filled with messages from all over the world from artists...desperately looking for work.

I don't mean the normal kind of job-hunting that we all must do, but the new kind of hunting. The kind we must do when many galleries can no longer stay afloat and when grants are no longer being offered. The kind when many collectors-as supportive and enthusiastic as they may be- have altered their buying habits. Yes, the successes are still there. The money is still there, and the sales still occur. Yet, all I have to do is open my Email to see that the world is not as it once was. There is a new kind of under-laying tone to these artist's pleas: It is fear.

Now, the issues of money and making a living are as vital as ever, and the inner apprehension we feel as artists is still as natural as rain. But the fear that I sense from these artists is coming from a different place. It is not "fear of the blank canvas" or "fear of creativity" or "fear of not getting accepted into a gallery". it is far more human; much more compelling. It seems that many of us are being challenged with questions of identity. We are hungry for a new definition of meaning.

In many of our minds, there exists a beautiful image of the artist as a passive, poetic being and for a generation now, we have had this image enhanced by a proliferation of art-business savvy. Thus, we may now be poetic and business-wise.
So what happens when the poetry is replaced by unemployment and the business of selling art becomes harder and harder? We think: "This was not supposed to happen to us."

The thing that we must remember is that we are part of a long lineage of artists who overcame this fear. The part of us that we need to reconnect with is the recollection that artists in all cultures throughout history were faced with circumstances just as challenging, or more challenging- than our own.

Art is our essence- not our job. We must begin to redefine what art represents in our lives. Artists are risk-takers and players in a larger game. We are in this for the long haul. Over the next few weeks I will outline the possibilities, and share examples of what our peers are doing to reshape their careers and redefine their own self-image.

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John Paul Thornton is a painter and the author of "Art And Courage: Stories to Inspire the Artist-Warrior Within." Published by Fire Opal, and distributed through Atlas Books.

Notre-Dame de Paris

While in Paris, I was able to spend time admiring the legendary and iconic Cathedral of Notre-Dame in detail. Being fascinated with places of worship in all cultures, I was particularly seeing the design and artworks as a complete delivery-system. The message: Awe, beauty and terror. The history of this inspiring structure is vast and reflects a thousand years of political upheaval, architectural fashion, neglect, desecration, and renewal. It stands today, almost totally restored and magnificent, as the greatest example of French Gothic architecture. A visit to Notre-Dame is essential.

To view these images enlarged, simply click on them. The details are stunning.


[The famed South "Rose Window"]








[The Statue to honor Joan de Arc.]


The interior is one of the simplest, yet perfect in all of the world. Moments of intimacy are accentuated by the vast darkness and stark weight of the environment.







The exterior, showing Saint Dennis, who was decapitated by the Romans. According to legend, he simply got up, grabbed his head and strolled over to the site where the cathedral now stands.





[Notre-Dame viewed from the rear, by boat on the Seine.]

Missing Children, A Gathering of Portraits by John Paul Thornton

Here are photos of my recent exhibition of paintings depicting the faces of America's Missing Children. Created in numerous styles, the paintings fill the walls at Los Angeles' ArtShare Gallery. Special thanks to curator Martha De Perez who also oversaw the overwhelming installation of two hundred paintings.


















[John Paul Thornton's installation of Missing Children Portraits at L.A. ArtShare Gallery]

Art And Courage: Stories to Inspire the Artist Warrior Within

[Cover of my new book,"Art And Courage"]

This book is about us.
I mean, it's about how we all have this ability to be powerful.

I wrote it because I became fed up with the old story that artists are incapable of affecting the real world. I wrote "Art And Courage" not just for when we are feeling strong and grand, but also when life unfolds with it's whole heavy agenda and we question why we are alive.

I wrote it for you, for today. And I wrote it for you, for your life ten years from now.

I wrote it for me, to slap myself silly.

The book is filled with true stories about artists who overcame challenges and stood up to fear.
I have to tell you, interviewing many of the artists for the book blew me away. Their stories are so amazing.

I am excited to share this with you, because so many of you have been an inspiration to me.

The book is scheduled to be available in June.

A Funeral in India

"The promise" by John Paul Thornton

Dedicated to the light that shines in India.

This large painting depicting a Hindu cremation ceremony is all I can offer.