John Preston has painted the dramatic skies and rolling fields of the Midwest since 1984. Originally from suburban Maryland, he was struck by the openness of the countryside when he came to Fairfield, Iowa, to study fine art. Decades later, Preston asserts that the expansive Iowa horizon continues to hold his attention and shape his approach to painting. Regarding what he calls his “grittier” compositions such as Fat Man and Little Boy (Washington, IA), Preston writes, “It’s not particularly beautiful subject matter but hopefully I’ve seen it beautifully. Light redeems the ugliest subject and in the spirit of those earlier practitioners of Realism, perhaps I can make the viewer examine their idea of ‘beautiful.’”
