Work by Jeff Horton
October 15 - November 14
Opening Reception October 16, 5-7pm
Since 2012, Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) has invited one artist each year to take part in its Artist-in-Residence program, a unique undertaking made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor. This year, painter, sculptor and architect, Jeff Horton has been tapped to participate, featuring his solo exhibition, Release: Moving Forward, Oct. 15–Nov. 14 at the Art Center, while working from a temporary studio during his stay in Rockport.
“The Artist-in-Residence program is a cultural and humanities benefit to the communities of Rockport and Fulton, bringing fresh perspectives and art forms from other parts of the country,” said Elena Rodriguez, curator of exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “One of the goals of the program is to allow artists to enjoy and utilize time and space away from their typical environment, practice and obligations, and to provide them a venue for presentation, production, reflection, and research. It’s one of our favorite programs.”
Paintings and sculptures featured in Release: Moving Forward exhibition will be available for purchase. The month-long event is free and open to the public beginning Oct. 15. On Saturday, Oct. 16, there will be a public reception with Horton from 5–7 p.m. The event will be part of the Rockport Art Loop, a free, alfresco, walkable art experience from 5–7 p.m. featuring RCA and other galleries located in the downtown Rockport.
While in residence, the Art Center will arrange studio tours so patrons can meet Horton and discuss his artistic process and vision. Horton will be creating work inspired by the construction of the new Art Center complex and will also lead and engage the community and students at Rockport-Fulton High School in a series of workshops.
A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design, Horton has transitioned over the years from painting as a sideline to pursuing dual careers, complete with a studio above his architecture office in Little Rock, Arkansas. He now creatively unites his passion for both art and design with a style he calls “architectural abstraction,” noting that while architecture is creative, it is so in a very restrictive way. By using a technique incorporating oil paint in a wax medium, Horton is able to create three-dimensional spaces within the canvas, allowing the viewer to envision themselves immersed in the painting and viewing it from that perspective.
“My work often is defined by lines, a result of architecture’s influence,” said Horton. “The lines create a framework in my paintings and sculptures that inform all my other moves. Layers and lines are painted using oil paints suspended in a wax medium. The wax medium allows me to work forwards and backwards, constantly removing and adding layers to the painting. I don’t use many orthogonal lines in my paintings or sculptures, preferring angle lines to create spatial perspectives. For me, these sometimes chaotic perspectives create a sense of disorder which allows the viewer to become an active participant in my work.”
Horton began his architectural career and study of art in San Francisco Bay Area, as is evidenced by his work’s stylistic connection to pieces by Richard Diebenkorn and other Bay Area artists. Over the years he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions and his work also appears in private collections throughout Arkansas, including the Arkansas Heart Hospital Encore Medical Center (Bryant), Citizens Bank Headquarters (Batesville), Baptist Health Medical Center (Little Rock), and Milam Library, Central Arkansas Library System (Perryville).
Artists previously participating in the Artist in Residence program are Evelyn Contreras (2020–California), Tyler Vouros (2019–Massachusetts), Rabecca Signoriello (2018–Pennsylvania), Ellen Heck (2016–North Carolina), Bob Lockhart (2015–Kentucky), Diane Pike (2014–North Carolina), the team of Judith Selby and Richard Lang (2013–California) and Ewoud de Groot (2012–Holland).
Artist Statement
I create architectural abstract paintings and sculptures. My work often is defined by lines, a result of architecture’s influence. The lines create a framework in my paintings and sculptures that inform all my other moves. Layers and lines are painted using oil paints suspended in a wax medium. The wax medium allows me to work forwards and backwards, constantly removing and adding layers to the painting. I don’t use many orthogonal lines in my paintings or sculptures, preferring angle lines to create spatial perspectives. For me, these sometimes chaotic perspectives create a sense of disorder which allows the viewer to become an active participant in my work.