Timothy J. Clark: California Missions

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Scenes from 1998 Mission Outdoor Painting Festival, photos by John Hazeltine

San Juan Capistrano, CA

949.248.2048

www.missionsjc.com

Timothy J. Clark: California Missions

(above: Timothy J. Clark. Photo courtesy of Timothy J. Clark)

Mission San Juan Capistrano will host an exhibition of watercolor and oil paintings of the California missions, from Sonoma to San Diego, by internationally acclaimed artist Timothy J. Clark, March 3 - April 3, 1999. The exhibition was inspired in part by the architecture of Granada, Spain -- from locations suggested to Clark by officials of the Spanish Government -- which Clark terms "the roots of Mission San Juan Capistrano." Clark has devoted the last three years of his life to traveling through California and Spain to paint the 35-piece exhibition.

The artist has painted the Capistrano Mission for over 20 years, and is also known for his portraits, interior studies and landscapes of romantic scenes from locations throughout the world. A Capistrano Beach resident, he is widely known for his PBS-TV series Focus on Watercolor (he is the author of a companion book by the same name) and for more than a decade has taught painting seminars.

Clark returns to the Mission for his third show. His March 4 - March 27, 1996 exhibition of 34 paintings sold out, actually resulting in the sale of 36 paintings as visitors requested he paint additional works. "We're delighted to have Timothy Clark coming back for a third exhibition," remarked Jerry Miller, Administrator of the Mission. "He is a local artist whose reputation is international. His exhibition at the Mission is a major project by one of the country's best known and most capable artists. It reflects not only his vision, but the beauty of the old Mission he came to love."

Growing up in colorful, sunny Southern California, Clark tuned his perception of color to see much more than the untrained eye. He was educated at all four of the major Los Angeles art schools -- Chouinard, Art Center, Otis and the California Institute for the Arts -- which helped him develop the skill to match his vision. Today, not only is his art in demand, but he is a popular lecturer at museums and art schools across the country, including the Worcester Art Museum near Boston and the famous Art Students League on West 57th Street in Manhattan. Last year, his painting "Chapel Glow" (see left) was exhibited at the National Academy Museum on 5th Avenue in New York as part of a national juried show, one of the country's most elite.

Clark has studios in Capistrano Beach and Maine, but does much of his work on location. While he prefers the privacy and protected environment of his studio, Clark has learned to concentrate while tourists peer over his shoulder and at the whim of sun, rain and clouds. He notes, "I really think the last few years the Mission has been my studio. There's no place where architecture, texture, color and light blend so dramatically."

Of his colorful, unique style, Clark comments, "My art says that we are still here and the world doesn't look so bad after all." He says that at first glance his work looks conservative, but with further study the viewer will discover the color, composition and drawing can only be late 20th century, "a spirited realism with a positive vision born of its Southern California roots."

Renowned artist Millard Sheets once said of Clark: "Every time I see one of his works, I am immediately attracted, not only by his great ability as a draftsman and designer, but by the personal qualities of expression and insight he possesses." (right: Timothy J. Clark. Photo courtesy of Timothy J. Clark)

There is no extra charge for this exhibition beyond normal admissions fees.

Editor's note:

For further biographical information on Millard Sheets and other historic artists, please see America's Distinguished Artists, a national registry of historic artists.

Click on above images to enlarge them.

Read more articles and essays concerning this source by visiting the sub-index page for Mission San Juan Capistrano in Resource Library.

rev. 9/20/10

Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.

This page was originally published in 1999 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.