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The best thing that ever happened to Jonathan Gladding was being
sent to the Caribbean. He had been living in New York City,
working as a computer artist for Sesame Street while trying to
squeeze in his own art on weekends and evenings. Feeling the need
to expand his horizons, Jonathan applied to be a volunteer in the
Peace Corps and had the great fortune to be sent to the island of
St. Lucia in July of 1999. Serving as a woodwork instructor in
the southern coastal village of Laborie, Jonathan found an
unending supply of rich subject matter in the faces and postures
of the school children and the people going about their daily
lives. The pride in heritage and Kweyol culture combined with a
sense of community and responsibility toward one another deeply
impressed Jonathan and gave direction to his work.
Although Jonathan had been painting
for years in a cubist style, he felt that realism was best suited
to communicate the feelings and ideas that he wanted to share.
Jonathon has exhibited annually
since 2001 in both individual and joint exhibitions. In January
2003 Jonathan was chosen as the artist of the month by The
Artist’s Magazine, the world’s leading magazine for serious active
artists with a circulation of over 200,000. In November 2005 he
was awarded the Windsor Award and Newton Award of Excellence from
the Best of America 2005 National Association of Oil and Acrylic
Painters Society Bolivar, Missouri. And in 2005 was awarded first
place at the New England Exhibition cape Cod Art Association
Barnstable, Massachusetts. |
