Below is the article that was featured in southern distinction

Passion and Soul

Story: Tiffany King

A blank canvas. Splashes of color. Swirls with long, extending dirt roads emerging, showing the long journey home to Southeast Georgia. A little hand in the corner, marks John Gholson’s first painting. A promising beginning for the successful 27-year-old artist.

Gholson holds a special gift, a gift of self-expression through the arts to depict ideas, visions and surroundings in a visually unique way. This young artist possesses an exceptional style that incorporates lots of bright, exciting colors into his paintings. He describes himself as an intense painter, who attacks the canvas with all passion and soul, turning the bland into the beautiful. Once at the canvas, this visionary doesn’t move until it manifests into reality.

Gholson grew to be an artist. At a very young age, he and his mother shared paint supplies. With an artist for a mother, Gholson was not only encouraged to paint but was surrounded by art. His mother painted a special mural for Gholson in his room; aTransformers mural, which not only gave him comic book inspiration but stirred his creative juices. With her instruction and support, Gholson submitted his first painting for exhibition at the young age of six. His first exhibited painting depicted the cityscape of Atlanta in honor of his Southern roots.

Since his first exhibition, Gholson’s talent is continually recognized. At 15-years-old, Gholson worked making the cover of a Georgia Agricultural magazine and was featured as a “Rising Star” for his pen and ink drawings that depicted historical places in Oconee County. Art class was a time to shine in high school, and Gholson continued to shine in creating a painting for the Eagle Tavern, in which a print was made to celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the Fall Festival. After graduating with honors from Oconee County High School, this promising star went on to study one year at the Savannah College of Art and Design and four years at the University of Georgia. Gholson’s distinct style gained much recognition from 2001-2003 in the Lyndon House juried exhibition and the Southworks juried exhibition in 2002, 2004 and 2008. His work is displayed at Dory’s Home and Hearth, located in Watkinsville, Ga., and previously collected by notable people and establishments such as, Coach and Mrs. Mark Richt, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, St. Mary’s Hospital, Dr. William Allen and the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce.

For Gholson, painting is like being a movie director.

“It’s like a director creating a new world, new reality or fantasy that never existed before. It allows creativity,” Gholson says. Colors with depths and layers that strike emotions can become escapes from the everyday monotony. Painting is the equivalent to freedom; it is a boundless zone for creativity, innovation and greatness.

One of Gholson’s greatest joys is the satisfaction that he has made someone else happy with his paintings and that the work will outlive both him and his patrons. Gholson wants his art to reach a wide range of people, from the most notable to the most humble.

“An artist needs to reach a wide variety of people and get new fans that are different. It indicates an artist’s growth,” Gholson explains.

What keeps Gholson inspired is the atmosphere in which he surrounds himself. In his studio, where he spends most of his time, one can find different objects, paintings and pictures on the wall that keeps him stimulated.

“A creative atmosphere is conducive to being creative. Finding out what works best for you is a self-discovery process. You become the best creative person that you need to be,” Gholson states.

Gholson’s creativity and passion extends and leaps across other genres where expression runs rampant. He defines a real artist, as one who is involved in various forms of art, and Gholson does as much of it as possible. His interests include writing, drawing, photography, web site production, creating electronic music, DVD production and producing short films.

As founder of Redhubcap Production Company, he produces films and instructional painting DVDs entitled “PaintingwithJohn.com.” So far he has used his improvisation and theatrical skills to film two movies, a war film and a gangster film that features him. Gholson enjoys dramas that possess good monologues, great conflict, and invokes strong emotions and challenges the audience to think differently.

In his eyes, movies are an outlet for people; it is what holds society together. Movies accept all forms of expression and it is through this medium that people are kept balanced. In the future, he plans to get other freelance artists on board the production company for collaborations. Gholson is also a self taught video editor and computer programmer. He works with PHP, flash web and is currently maintaining several websites.

When it comes to photography, abstract photos are his niche. Close-up photos of weird junkyard pieces and abstruse angles of light hitting the dirt are images he takes pleasure in capturing. Thought-provoking photographs, with hints of obscurity, are what one can find on his roll. He also has a great talent for drawing comic book characters. He recently has completed a comic book series that is now being formatted for print publication, and he already has more comic books in the works. Gholson creates dramatic scenes with visual appeal and intrigue.

Most people expect that an artists’ ultimate goal is to own an art gallery to display whimsical works of art, abstract statues made of soda cans and mechanical mobiles mounted from the ceiling. However, Gholson’s goal in life is to make an important and large impact in as many genres of art as he can. What is most dear to his heart is the satisfaction of doing something that he enjoys. Nowadays people are often stuck in careers for which they have no zeal or passion. Gholson is walking a career path in the arts that not only is his passion but is his life’s work. He finds fulfillment in knowing that what he has created is long-lasting and important to others.

Gholson states, “My ultimate dream is to find balance in my life, work and adventures outside of the studio. My future plans will focus on this vision, along with the people who would like to see my dream become a reality.”

For more information on the work of John Gholson, please visit his website at www.johngholson.com or call 706.202.7316.