Jon MacGregor
Jon MacGregor is a New York City-based artist born and raised in Georgia. His paintings investigate the linkage between the sublime and the melancholy born out of the Southern Gothic legacies. The paintings align themselves with Art Historical references and self-aware parables of life. MacGregor borrows from traditional painting techniques and fuses them with his love of contemporary imagery. Each brush stroke is a step towards actualizing the stories he has longed to tell from his life and those around him. Paintings yearning for a brighter day, somewhere, beyond this life.
Collect Bean: What does growth mean to you?
Jon MacGregor: Growth is something that I usually am not aware of until I notice how it ripples through my paintings and the influences from which I pull. When I look at my previous paintings, I can clearly see the roadmap to all my ideas from when I was young. Growth has been something that I have learned to look forward to each and every day, the possibility to reflect more on life.
Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?
Jon MacGregor: I still find Georgia a source of much of my inspiration. The many books and stories written about where I grew up, the birthplace of the Southern Gothic, are seen as remnants within my paintings. There is a melancholy that I feel when I think about that place. I always look forward to seeing the way the sun shines on the side of a house or a horizon that seems to reach infinity.
Collect Bean: What role does color play in your practice?
Jon MacGregor: My palette for painting and the work I admire is crucial for the perception of the work. I typically start my paintings with a vibrant pink or yellow, then continue to find the forms and figures throughout the painting. The brightness of colors juxtaposed with a more melancholic concept helps me stay in an ambiguous realm within art, which is my favorite place to be as a painter
Collect Bean: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Jon MacGregor: I would tell my younger self to continue to gather and collect the things I loved when I was younger. I find that as an artist, currently, I am in search of the small details that make life interesting. As I grow up, even now, I realize that my paintings are a record of the moments of my life. Never be ashamed of indulging in frivolous things; it just makes life fascinating!
Collect Bean: How do you decide on the subject matter for a painting?
Jon MacGregor: I often look towards the overlooked moments in my life. Sometimes, it will be an intriguing memory or a story I never told. Sometimes it will be a gesture of a loved one or a glance from a stranger; everything can be art if you look long enough.
