JOHN KRAUS
GREENBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
Artist John Kraus worked as a decorative painter specializing in historic restoration of 18th and early 19th-century American interiors for thirty-five years. A truly itinerant painter he was privileged in working for some of America’s premier homes and museums. Retiring from life on the road more recently has afforded him unfettered hours in his studio to explore his cumulative learned experience and pursue unfiltered creative curiosity full-time.
Throughout my painting career, I have utilized cut-painted paper and collage as a valuable alternative to the more staid tradition of sketching. This ongoing series of paper cuttings began as a simple exercise of reinterpreting an old painting of mine. Residual negative or unintended shapes and scraps of colored paper multiplied. As I observed the kaleidoscopic tabletop dance of paper unfold, novel images and color combinations continually presented new challenges. My hope is that these small distillations or sketches impart a modicum of the magic and temporal qualities inherent in their creation.
