about me
Sketchbook drawings from favorite pieces by my favorite artist, Andrew Wyeth and one drawing of the great man himself
from a wonderful photo by Bruce Weber.
I am a graduate of:
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE, Lynchburg, Virginia B.A., Double Majors: European History and Studio Art, 1976
MEREDITH/BURDA CO., INC., and the VIRGINIA APPRENTICESHIP COUNCIL Lynchburg, Virginia -Journeyman Gravure Photo Retoucher, 1980
FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, New York, N.Y. A.A.S., Illustration 1985 Summa Cum Laude
WINDOWS ON THE WORLD WINE SCHOOL, World Trade Center, N.Y.C. Certificate, 1985
My work experience includes:
MEREDITH/BURDA CO., INC., Lynchburg, Virginia- September, 1976 - August, 1983, May, 1984 - August, 1984. Journeyman Photo Retoucher and Scanner operator responsible for analyzing four color and black and white original artwork, evaluating and producing color corrections and assisting with departmental quality control of color separations for high quality, high volume rotogravure magazine printer. Trained new apprentices in color dye retouching and scanner operation and participated in courses instructing supervisory personnel in training methods for employees. Also trained on Scitex Computer Graphics System.
LEGEND & LORE, LTD., Lynchburg, Virginia- February, 1986 - September, 1987. Partner and Art Director of company formed to design and print t-shirts and other promotional materials for fairs, festivals, schools and businesses.
THE DESIGN GROUP, Lynchburg, Virginia- October, 1987 - June, 1992. Art Director for graphic design company specializing in art services for offset printing (magazine, catalog, brochure). Software experience includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Streamline, Dimensions, PageMaker, and Quark Express.
HIGH PEAK SPORTSWEAR, Lynchburg, Virginia- July, 1992 - July, 2005. Graphic Designer/Illustrator/Art Director for silkscreen printer specializing in sportswear and other garment printing. Software experience includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, among others.
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE, Lynchburg, Virginia - September, 1989 - 1997. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art teaching Computer Graphics (using Macintosh and Adobe CS family) and Advanced Graphics to upper level Graphics majors. Assistant Coach, Men’s Soccer Team, Fall, 1993.
LYNCHBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, Lynchburg, Virginia- August, 2005- Present. Art teacher at Heritage High School teaching two Art 1 classes and one class each in Illustration, Advanced Drawing/Painting and Computer Graphics. Teacher of the Year for Heritage High School, 2009 & 2020. Varsity Girls Soccer Coach 2011.
My students have won numerous awards for their work and over the past 10 years have published three children’s books: Sandy the Starfish, An Acorn Adventure and A Mouse in the Academy Our students wrote two of the stories, they were then edited by the English department, and my art students designed and illustrated as I acted as Art Director/Publisher. In 2018 we produced an art show examining the history of Lynchburg’s African-American community containing more than 75 portraits and in 2019 another show commissioned by the Academy Center of the Arts on the theme of “Juneteenth.”
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE Member for the ART DEPARTMENT of CENTRAL VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Lynchburg, Va., 1997-2018.
PUBLISHING:
lllustrated The Last Bowl of Tea, by Robert Stewart, a collection of Chinese mysteries based on writings of a 16th century Chinese Judge. Published in March, 2009 in New York by EastBridge Books while also appearing in translation in Europe and Japan. Sequel ordered by publisher.
Art Shows:
Virginia Watercolor Society, Signature Member. Selected in 4 juried shows: 1986, '87, '88 & 2014.
2014 Hill Center Galleries Annual Regional Show Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Selected for regional juried show featuring artists from Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Juror was Phillip Kennicott, the chief Art & Architecture critic at The Washington Post. My watercolor painting, “Boarded Up” was selected
2015 Hill Center Galleries Annual Regional Show Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Selected for regional juried show featuring artists from Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Juror was Mark Leithauser, the Senior Curator for the National Gallery of Art. My egg tempera painting, “The New Van Gogh” was selected Best in Show.
2016 Academy Center of the Arts National Juried Show Lynchburg, Virginia. Selected for juried show featuring artists from all over the United States. Juror was Siobhan Byrns, Chair of the Art Department, University of Lynchburg. My egg tempera painting, “Pal’s Burgers” was selected.
2016 Hill Center Galleries Annual Regional Show Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Selected for juried show featuring artists from Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Juror was Eric Denker, the Senior Lecturer and Head of Adult Tours and Lectures, Gallery of Art. My egg tempera painting, “Pal’s Burgers” was selected.
2016 Solo Show Academy Center of the Arts Lynchburg, Virginia. July 2016. A small show of 24 pieces.
2020 Taubman Museum of Art’s juried triennial “Homeward Bound” Roanoke, Virginia. November 2020-March 2021. Show of art submitted by Virginia artists. My egg tempera paintings, “Annunciations” and “Lucky Store” were
selected. Juror was Nandini Makrandi, chief curator of the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Contact:
Use contact form below, or: phone: (434) 944-6125
e-mail: jonroarkart@gmail.com • jonroark@comcast.net
Links:
jonroarkartwords.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/jon.roark.12