John Coyne Paintings and Sculpture

I am both a sculptor and painter. My sculpting medium is cast bronze and aluminum, and I have completed numerous large-scale sculptural installations throughout Alaska under the municipal and state Percent for Art programs. My most recent commission, “Spen”, is a cast bronze/mixed media installation for Anchorage’s Spenard Corridor Plan. In these commissions I strive to reflect the character and uniqueness of where the piece will reside. I make it a point to spend time in each location and get feel for the sensibilities and the spirit of that place. My exterior sculptures are juxtaposed with Alaska’s expansive and majestic landscapes; therefore, I incorporate bold, emblematic imagery that stands out yet fits within its surroundings. My influences for these works are eclectic. They range from Greek and Roman pediment sculpture to Art Deco, from West African and Papua New Guinea mask-making to Rodin.

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As a two-dimensional artist I work with oils on canvas and my focus is Alaska. I am currently involved in painting a series of oils interpreting the Alaskan environment and man’s place within it. When I paint, my influences include turn of the century Impressionists, Canada’s Group of Seven, and classic Alaskan landscape painters. I explore land and cityscapes, from melt-water along a trail to the sweeping vistas of Lake Eklutna. I find inspiration in the way, for instance, a street lamp’s reflected glow plays with the shadows of an Anchorage back alley, or in the way the sun breaks through clouds over a northern mountain range.

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I love the immediacy and directness of painting, but I also I find a meditative satisfaction in the slow, step-by-step process of mold making and metal casting. The dimensionality of sculpture finds its way into the composition of my paintings, while, the fluidity of painting influences my modeling for cast metal. This cross-disciplinary practice of sculpting and painting informs my approach to both art forms.