Jonathan Bishop, , Gloucester
Member Since August 2017
Artist Statement When Jonathan Bishop picks up a paintbrush his world comes out.
Over40 years of applying his skills at carpentry, stage set design construction, and photography all materializes into paintings that reflect his real and true-to-life perspective on the world around him .
“I love pushing paint around my compositions, Like thoughts going through one’s brain, they shift. I try to make my paintings do that,” he says. “ It’s a process of discovery,I start out with an idea, sketch it out on board or canvas,yet. I never know exactly how it will come out.”The goal is to create Rorschach charts where each individual that views the piece has a unique visual(visionary) experience
And then you have a piece of art.,like birth
But Jonathan’s artistic talents took an exciting direction recently. A history graduate from Gordon College, he has spent the last 40 years on Cape Ann working in carpentry, stage design, photography and music.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, he designed and built sets for Mystic Scenic Studios and the Gordon College Theatre. Countless background facades and props were constructed to support such productions as “Our Town,” “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” and “Lettice and Lovage.” While also at Gordon, he also taught set design to undergraduate drama students.
Jonathan also spent much of the last 20 years providing carpentry and construction services to commercial and homebuilders throughout Boston’s North Shore region. More recently, he has focused his craft on residential woodworking and remodeling.
It has become a source of his perspective.
“When I’m out in daily existence I’m always looking for compositions, either in human activity or nature. I’m always checking that out,” he says. “All those ideas are constantly in my head as a result of all that time I’ve spent being a tradesman. And then I’ll get obsessed with them and try to get them out. I come home thinking about what I see, what people see, or what the world sees. Soft vs. hard; long vs. short; animal vs. mineral. It all builds up. And then it comes out.”
As a musician, Jonathan has loved a wide range of styles and has honed his musical talent through guitar playing, writing and performance. He has written many songs and plays his six-string guitar, sometimes sitting in with the Gloucester-based band, Batsu.
His wife Colleen is a constant source of inspiration and support and helps a lot as a sounding board and anchor We have a very full schedule
Like everything in his life, it all becomes an inspiration for his art.
“I’ll sit there and play my music while I’m thinking about what I’m going to paint next,” he says. “And then I’ll listen to music while I paint. Or even listen sometimes to Ted Talks – The science and physics, biology and history and the process of success stories and business. The people that discovered a new twist on history and any innovations they do. It really makes you better understand how life works.”
But the process is never-ending.
“I come up with a starting point and see what falls where. If it starts to work for me, I’ll go for it. If not, I’ll paint over it and start again,” he says.
“I have the hand that’s been dealt me: A huge canvas, loads of experience –both good and bad. And that’s the fun part. I’m harnessing inner space and the only way I can bring that out is through the process of using my eyes and imagination. That’s the role I play as an artist. It’s bigger than you or me. “
Click to save as artist's preferred kit 
