John Connell

John's craggy sculptures are influenced by “wabi-sabi” (a Buddhist view centered on the acceptance of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete). Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, simplicity, modesty, intimacy and the suggestion of natural processes.

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Initially, he used plaster-of-Paris for his creations, and later turned to tar, paper and wax in large figurative sculptures.  He also used bronze, cement, wood and chicken wire.

John was a contemporary American artist whose works included sculpture, painting, drawing and writing.  He attended Brown University, RI; the Art Students League, NY; and New York University.  In the 1970s to the 1990s he worked primarily in the Southwest, creating extremely large painted murals and charcoal drawings. 

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Born in Atlanta, GA in 1940, John died in Mariaville, ME in 2009.

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