John Sebelius
Lawrence, Kansas
My recent work is an investigation of color, texture, and movement. Abstraction is achieved by continually building up layers of paint and ground and altering those surfaces through scratching and sanding. It is in the interplay between attraction and repulsion that I want this work to live. My time spent living amongst unconventional communities influences my art. Exploring my own identity and voice within these diverse subcultures has become an essential part of my current artistic practice.
John Sebelius is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker who holds an M.F.A. in drawing and painting from the University of Kansas and a B.F.A. in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Sebelius’s work has been featured in: Harper’s, Express, DETAILS, Review, CNN, Aspen Daily News, The Washington Post, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. John has shown work in Gallery Two of Sydney, Australia, Woods-Gerry Gallery in Providence, RI, Kansas City Artists Coalition, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Vermont Studio Center and had a solo exhibition at the Gonzo Museum in Aspen, CO.
Sebelius’s short documentaries have screened at Austin Film Festival, Tallgrass Film Festival, Virginia Film Festival, Free State Film Festival, Gonzo Museum, and The American School of Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo. The citizens of Lawrence, KS voted him the Best Artist of 2014 and 2015. John is the creator of Defend Love For All Campaign and lives with his wife Allie and dog Norman in East Lawrence.
