Photo is of John-Mark's wife, Susan (right) and Roy and Jennifer from Saper Galleries.

I had such a great time creating this painting! Having dealt with Hollywood several years ago, I wanted to do a piece based upon television since it’s been a big part of our lives. As I looked at some of the shows that have meant so much to me over the years, a natural progression developed from the shows of my youth to those that struck a chord with me in adulthood. Mr. Rogers was very important to me growing up, so I wanted to begin with him. His kind nature and ability to speak directly to us as youngsters left an indelible mark on me and millions of others.

M.A.S.H. was always on in our home in the evenings and the way it mixed humor and profound grief made a mark on me as well. We continue to watch it to this day, as a family. I came to know Cheers as I was entering adulthood and found there was nothing like it. The show drew me in with its witty humor and outstanding character development with an incredible ensemble cast. The portrait of Norm and Cliff simply makes me smile.

I came to be a fan of Seinfeld after syndication and found it to be genius. It’s another show I continue to watch to this day although I’ve seen each episode multiple times – to me, it’s
timeless and the cast is iconic. I adored Saturday Night Live later in high school and in college, with the cast of those years entertaining me and my friends like nothing else. Chris Farley was our favorite! He and Adam Sandler performing the Lunch Lady skit makes me smile as I think of it. Christopher Walken doing the More Cowbell scene has been something I’ve watched on YouTube time and again and it has brought me so much pleasure. Painting the soundproofed walls was challenging, but when it resonates with me and so many others like that, I know it must be in the painting.

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson is a show I’ve come to appreciate more as I’ve moved through adulthood. There was no one like him; he was born to be in that role and his guests were amazing. Including his show also allowed me to paint Betty White, whose contributions to television can’t be overstated. I couldn’t include the Golden Girls but painting her allowed me to make a nod to that show.

Next came The Sopranos in my TV experience and it was very impactful. I’d never been so deeply into a character before Tony Soprano and found the writing to be second to none. Finally, Breaking Bad was a series that captivated me. Walter White’s part was performed so well that I felt I was in the series myself but never knew what would happen next. Again, I felt the writing was genius and the cast was perfect – it will stand the test of time.

I feel these legendary shows and actors should be celebrated and commemorated. They’ve meant so much to me over my lifetime and over the lifetimes of countless others. Take Me Back is a monument to these wonderful shows, to their writers, directors, and casts.

After a wait of over 10 years, we are excited to release the Limited Editions of “Love”! This oil on canvas from 2009 portrays love in a few different ways: The “Doni Tondo”, sometimes called “The Holy Family”, by Michelangelo, the Cirque du Soleil show “Love” – which John-Mark had just enjoyed in Las Vegas - inspired by the music of the Beatles, and "Lilies" which represents John-Mark’s own love of gardening and nature.  Valentine’s Day was the perfect time to release the beautiful editions of this amazing painting – John-Mark’s second release to include sublimations on metal which are absolutely stunning!  Enjoy!

From the artist:
This is a piece that I contemplated painting for a long time.  Music is obviously an important part of my life.  One of my earliest musical memories surrounding popular music was hearing “American Pie”, by Don McLean, for the first time.  Being nine years old or so at the time, I didn’t understand what the lyrics meant, but the song was still able to touch me deep inside and left an indelible mark there.  I think the idea for “The Day the Music Died” grew organically from that song, as if the idea was always there. 

Buddy Holly was naturally to be included in the painting but he was the only one from that tragic incident that I wanted to include since there have been so many other tragedies.  I had done research for the painting over the years and I always work from lists.  Getting to #6 on the list was easy for me, but I was never clear who the seventh would be no matter who I talked to or what angle I looked at my vision for the painting from.  Interestingly, Michael Jackson was one of the six from the beginning.  I was certain that I wanted to use an image of him from the “Thriller” album.  Then, when David Bowie died earlier in 2016, I knew I had #7. 

I had the Ziggy Stardust iconic image of him (with his eyes shut) solidly in mind and set to work sketching the piece.  I sketch directly on the panel for a few weeks before I begin to paint.  Once the sketch was completed, we loved the layout.  But as I began to work on the underpainting, both Susan and I were dissatisfied with the painting, though we didn’t know why.  Just then, Prince died and it seemed that supplanting Michael Jackson with him was the fix. 

As the underpainting progressed, we still weren’t satisfied with the portrait of Bowie.  Hearkening back to my high school days, I felt that Curt Cobain would be a good substitute.  His portrait turned out to be so strong, though, that it overpowered the others.  So, working with some wonderful collectors and friends of mine in Florida, we all decided the portrait of David Bowie that appears in the piece now was right for the painting.  I had the same concern that perhaps Bowie’s portrait might overpower the others, and though it is strong, I still find the composition to be harmonious. 

John-Mark was inspired to do this painting because of the importance of the subject matter in his life, and especially in his childhood.  A few art collectors and consultants had mentioned the theme to him in the past as well, but one particular collector had a big part in making sure that this genre of subject matter would be strong.

Even though it is essentially a comic book piece, it is so much more than that due to the incredible attention to detail that John-Mark gives to each individual book and character.  It is like getting seven of John-Mark's paintings in one!

The genesis of “Heroes” came as I did research for a classic comic book painting.  I had a series of some of the classic comics with the highest value – and the original Batman cover did make it in to “Heroes” – but I felt that the piece would be stronger using the more iconic elements of the comic book genre. 

The inclusion of Star Wars in the painting was partly due to what I would call a “Comic-Con influence” and partly due to my desire to do an entire painting devoted to Star Wars because of its impact on my childhood and beyond. 

I collaborated with several friends and enthusiasts much more knowledgeable about this genre than myself, and I suppose the inclusion of “The Watchmen” is due almost entirely to their thoughts.  Incredibly, I originally had Wonder Woman as the sixth book (l-r).  I’m frequently concerned about my paintings being too male dominated and “The Justice League” was one of the cartoons I watched most as a child and so she has a lot of relevance for me.  But the proponents of the inclusion of “The Watchmen” were so adamant that as I researched the subject I came to find that they were correct and that the piece would be stronger if I took their advice. 

I also have to mention the central placement of Superman, as he is so critical to the painting.  Superman and Star Wars would be in a tie for the most important elements of the painting to me.  I’ve always identified Christopher Reeve as Superman, personally, due to the fact that movies have been much more important in my life than comics have been.  But once again, those with whom I collaborated insisted that one of Alex Ross’ depictions of the Man of Steel would have the most impact and I would have to say that again, they were correct. 

I think the end result is a painting that resonates, is balanced and flows nicely.

With over 250 vineyards and 9 wine making regions, Virginia naturally inspires any artist living within it to try to capture the emotion and richness wine brings to humanity.  Before John-Mark moved to Virginia, a vineyard an hour east of where he currently resides, one in Barboursville was one of he and his wife’s favorite places to stay.

The research for this artwork was very enjoyable for John-Mark and his family. They spent their days going from vineyard to vineyard, beginning with the winery in their hometown of Staunton, Ox Eye Vineyards, then going south in the valley to Rockbridge Vineyard, east to Barren Ridge and then eventually back to Barboursville. They learned so many things about the process of making wine and the varieties that exist that they truly feel their lives have been enriched by the process. And the fact that so many lives across so many cultures are enriched by the enjoyment of wine is a feeling that John-Mark has captured with this painting.

The history of wine making is so rich, not just in Virginia, but globally, even though the painting is entitled “New Wine”, it also captures something timeless.

It is with great excitement that we are announcing the release of John-Mark's highly anticipated "The Beatles".  When John-Mark began working on “The Beatles” in the Spring of 2013, he was unaware of the fact that the 50th Anniversary of Beatlemania was approaching. Having done “Classic Rock” and “Classic Rock II” because of his love of the music, it was natural for him to do a piece solely devoted to his favorite group of all time.

One of John-Mark’s first thoughts about doing the piece was the inclusion of Yellow Submarine.  Not only has he loved the song since he was a boy, but he later discovered the Yellow Submarine movie which he also loved. The idea of doing a George Harrison book came about because George’s song “When we was Fab” is one of John-Mark’s favorite songs, across all genres. He also liked that the portrait of the younger Harrison is a reference to the Revolver album. John-Mark knew Sgt. Peppers had to be included in some way, and the opportunity to also include a reference to George Martin presented itself with the inclusion of the book authored by the famed music producer. Abbey Road became the central book in the piece, not only because it’s John-Mark’s favorite Beatles album, but also because the album is so adored by other Beatles fans. A Hard Day’s night was included as a reference to the movies The Beatles did and The Beatles Anthology book rounded out John-Mark’s selections because he loved the many references the image of the collage contained.

To date, “The Beatles” is John-Mark’s favorite painting in his Bibliotheque series and the one he has enjoyed working on the most.

We are proud to announce John-Mark's new release which was commissioned by Thomas Sorensen, a Danish football player who plays in the English Premier League.  Thomas and his wife chose books and topics that mean a great deal to them.  

An intriguing assortment of popular topics were selected for this piece.  From "Master Images", which is a very good representation of the life's work of photographer Irving Penn, best known for his efforts in the fashion industry, to Robert Parker's, "The Wine Advocate", the limited editions of this piece reflect an affinity for some of the finer things in life. 

As the subject matter of the painting is specific to the Sorensen's and is of their choosing, John-Mark has chosen to make the edition sizes considerably smaller than his normal releases.

With 2 dogs of their own, John-Mark and his wife Susan's lives are heavily influenced  by their furry companions. Bliss, their Jack Russell Terrier - who appeared in John-Mark's  painting, "Dali's Bliss" - and Abby, a Border Collie mix the family ironically adopted  while John-Mark was working on this piece, bring a lot of love and activity into  the home.

Susan is a dog trainer and has been involved with dogs professionally for two decades. John-Mark enjoys hiking with the dogs in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains of Virginia, while Susan is involved in agility with them.   The Story of Rose book was suggested by Susan, not only because John Katz is one of her  favorite authors, but because Border Collies are her favorite breed and the dog pictured at  the bottom of the book bears a strong resemblance to “Belle”, the family’s Border Collie  which they had to let go one year prior.

Editing “Classic Rock” down to the 8 subjects John-Mark chose to depict in the piece was
one of the hardest things he has had to do in his Bibliotheque Series. The topic is so
broad and rich and of such interest to John-Mark, there was much more he wanted to do
with it – and so “Classic Rock II” was born.

Choosing just 8 more subjects proved to be a difficult challenge again. The Beatles were his first choice for the piece and so they were placed in the prominent middle/top position. Jimi Hendrix had appeared in the original sketch for “Classic Rock”  so John-Mark had to find a place for him in this piece. David Bowie is one of John-Mark’s favorites, as is Queen: the images he found for both worked best if placed to the extreme left and right. Eric Clapton and Elton John both occupy prominent places in John-Mark’s own personal music collection and so place was found for them as well.

One interesting tidbit is that John-Mark altered the picture of Elton John, placing his trademark flag behind Elton so that collectors and admirers of John-Mark’s work have had a more difficult time locating that familiar symbol in this piece. John-Mark felt that The Who had to be included due to their importance, and Aerosmith was the final piece that fell in to place. John-Mark still laments that Janis Joplin – who, like Jimi Hendrix – appeared in his first draft of “Classic Rock”, failed to make it into this piece simply due to the fact that he “just wasn’t able to make it work.” Fans of hers need not lament, though – John-Mark has plans for her for a future piece in which she would be central. We can’t wait to find out what he has in store!

A stand out athlete in high school, John-Mark had long contemplated doing a sports piece. The final nudge to get him to finally do one came when a collector, who had purchased John-Mark’s original, “Once Upon a Time”, asked John-Mark to consider doing a sports piece for him. 

When John-Mark  heard his ideas, he lept at the opportunity. The collector supplied John-Mark with many lists of the  greatest sports movies of all time and John-Mark did his own research as well, looking not only at the  movies themselves but what is most important to him – the images that accompany those titles with a view towards how they would all work together.

After many months of consultation with a special emphasis on The Natural book, the Rocky book and the book heights, the two men reached a consensus and work began. Being John-Mark’s favorite movie of the lot, and one which he suggested be in the piece, Chariots of Fire also proved to be the most challenging due to the number of portraits the one book spine contains.

The Chariots of Fire book which John-Mark created also proved to provide some suspense for the collector and John-Mark after the piece was delivered. After it was hung in his home, the man who commissioned the piece called the gallery through which he was provided with John-Mark’s services in a panic – there was a hole in the piece! The consultant contacted John-Mark and explained to him what the problem was. As he looked back at his personal photos of the progression of the piece, John-Mark got a good chuckle. Relieved, he explained to the art consultant that the original had not been pierced as the collector had feared – John-Mark had painted the dust jacket of the book to be old an worn, as he often does, and part of that damage was that there was a small hole in the dust jacket on the “o” in Chariots. Everyone was relieved & amazed that even upon the closest inspection, John-Mark’s abilities blur the line between reality and the images he creates.

Born of his love of movies and the fact it’s a great theme that John-Mark wanted to explore,
“Hollywood” captures the feel of the Golden Age of the Silver Screen. Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor were two icons that John-Mark wanted to stand alone in the piece because of the power they possess in and of themselves. John-Mark felt the piece would be incomplete without Casablanca and his love for and childhood memories of the Wizard of Oz led to its inclusion.

Love Story was included due to John-Mark’s wife Susan’s own love of the movie. James Dean’s iconic status led to his inclusion, but John-Mark hadn’t seen “Rebel Without a Cause.” So, before he finalized the painting’s line up, he watched the movie and decided that both he and it would fit the piece perfectly.

John-Mark had grown to appreciate the Sound of Music over time, and the talent of Julie Andrews as well. The well known scene of Ms. Andrews in the field of flowers was a perfect choice. Interestingly, it was this section of the painting that John-Mark was working on in his original studio in his parent’s home the week before he, his wife and son moved to Virginia. As he was painting Ms. Andrews’ left arm, he felt his chair move slightly forward, then ever so slightly back, before the entire house began to violently shake. It was the earthquake that struck the East Coast in August of 2011.

The theme for this piece came to John-Mark as an obvious choice – the love of enjoying fine food and drink is universal! This painting is atypical for John-Mark in that it only contains one portrait, but his skills as a photo-realist are definitely on display as he depicts the bottle of Patron and plate of chocolates. The viewer is certain that he can reach out and touch the cocoa dust atop one of the candies!

John-Mark was pleased that his own enjoyment of cigars played so well with the theme and that he could include a book devoted  to them at the far right, as if to say, “What could be better after a gourmet meal than sitting down & enjoying good conversation with friends and family over a cocktail and fine cigar?”

“Paradise” began with a desire to capture the feel of the islands and the human desire to  escape. Nothing captured the feel of what John-Mark was going for more than Jimmy Buffett and so his portrait came to be the centerpiece of the painting.

The life of Bob Marley and his music also captured that feeling – John-Mark also wanted to incorporate Marley because of his appreciation for his music. John-Mark’s love of snorkeling prompted the inclusion of “Dive in Style.” Sailing seemed an obvious theme to include and water is one of John-Mark’s favorite subjects to paint. The surfing culture is something that compliments the painting’s theme perfectly, as does the idea of relaxing and enjoying the perfect cocktail while your feet are in the sand!  

This was such a fun piece for John-Mark to paint and he absolutely loves the color combinations. He’s very satisfied that he has captured the feeling of paradise!

What a fun piece! Obviously, if one is going to paint books spines, he must do a children’s books piece: “Once Upon A Time” is the result. Beginning with an extensive list, John-Mark was able to whittle it down to an iconic, classic, beloved mix. Growing up, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Engine That Could, Peter Pan, The Three Little Pigs and Winnie the Pooh were John-Mark’s favorites.

John-Mark’s appreciation for Dr. Seuss came about after he had grown and the inclusion of Harry Potter was due to the frequent suggestions he would receive regarding the inclusion of something from the series.

Little Golden Books hold a special place for John-Mark from his childhood and his wife Susan lobbied him strongly that Pokey Little Puppy be featured on the spine of the book.  Lastly, Curious George was included due to his popularity and also for aesthetic reasons: John-Mark felt the painting needed the red of the book to help balance the composition.

As John-Mark began brainstorming for his next painting following “Classic Rock”, his  mind went to the iconic image of the sailor kissing the nurse as the US and its allies emerged victorious from WWII. He then thought of the patriotism evoked by that image and decided it would be an obvious theme to depict. What was not obvious was what to include and what to leave out of a painting dealing with such a broad and important theme.

John-Mark definitely wanted to touch the nation’s rich history, achievements and its great  natural beauty. Certain images John-Mark was able to work in to the painting included the American flag, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty and the bald eagle. Interestingly, this is the first appearance of John-Mark’s secret symbol, or flag. He decided to hide it in the center of the king card on the American’s at Play book.

During a presentation he was giving at a gallery in South Lake Tahoe, Gleadow revealed to the art consultants and staff there that he wanted to break out a little bit and do a piece based on something he loved – Classic Rock – specifically that he wanted to do something with Led Zeppelin in it, but had felt that it was a little too edgy compared to the more conservative paintings he had been doing. The staff strongly encouraged him to do the piece saying that even children were listening to Led Zeppelin these days. 

Buoyed by their confidence in his idea, John-Mark set out to design a piece that captured an entire era of American Rock music. The task was daunting, to say the least. How was he to whittle the genre down to just 8 examples? He agonized over the task for weeks.  Initial iterations of the piece had Janis Joplin occupying the first position (l-r) with Jimmy Hendrix next to her.

The owner of the original has two drawings that John-Mark did of Jimmy Hendrix as studies for Classic Rock. His final touch, having designed the piece and laid out the ideas, was to place the logo of the gallery that had encouraged him to do what he truly wanted to do in the lower left corner of the piece, just below The Eagles logo. What an awesome piece it turned out to be!

“Reflections of Europe” was born out of John-Mark’s feeling that Europe was something very important & rich that needed to be explored. Though he has been to the continent since doing the piece for solo shows in UK galleries, at the time he completed “Reflections of Europe”, he hadn’t yet been there.

This piece was heavily influence by hours upon hours of research, combing through endless important cultural events, places and people. John-Mark’s ancestors were from Great Britain, perhaps explaining why 2 of the 7 books involve the nation. The Eiffel Tower seemed an obvious choice for John-Mark and remains the only book he has painted leaning to-date.

The choice of Picasso relates not only to the significance of Spanish culture, but also to John-Mark’s own schooling as an artist and the art history courses he took. So many people, when viewing the piece in person remark about the fact that the pores on Picasso’s face are clearly visible – indeed a master’s depiction of a master! Greece was chosen, strangely enough due to John-Mark’s own love of the color blue (or his own interpretation of the color) used in the architecture in Santorini. In fact, John-Mark had to order a specialized tube of blue paint in order to get the color correct. The choice of Venice was due to how iconic it is and the  Matterhorn as a symbol of how important the Swiss Alps are to the continent.

John-Mark Gleadow