JOHN BREAKEY BIO:
Happily working in a varied and interlocking career that has spanned over forty years as a designer,
art director and illustrator, John earned a Masters degree in Studio Arts in 2016 from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.
John maintains Studio 2 S at The Delaware Contemporary, a collection of artists' studios at the Museum on Wilmington's Riverfront.
As a recipient of awards and honors from Graphis, Print, the New York ADDYs and The Art Directors Club of Delaware, John Breakey is a member in good standing with the following professional organizations: the Type Directors Club of New York, and the AIGA, the professional organization for design; Philadelphia Chapter.
John served as the
Program Chair of Graphic Design at the Delaware College
of Art and Design in Wilmington from 2003 to 2022. In addition to teaching a full load for those 20-some years, he performed a variety of administrative duties associated with student outcomes and assessment, alumni associations from the Graphic Design program and collaborative design projects involving DCAD students and small business, the City of Wilmington and the State of Delaware as clients needing creative solutions.
As graduate of Ringling School of Art in Commercial Art in 1978, he began his career in Atlanta, working at the infamous and award-winning Whole Hog Studios and as an editorial artist for the Atlanta Constitution. A move to New York City in 1983 brought new challenges and opportunities.
In late 1997, he and his wife relocated to Wilmington, Delaware.
JOHN BREAKEY RESUME
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Simple, sustained acts of observation aid me in subduing the pervasive influence of modern day screen culture. By taking time to slow down, viewing reveals the inherent potential of what is on display; short moments become longer periods of cataloged observation.
My painted expressions are born from the simple act of pausing to look up and out into
the distant sky. I present these observed events of nature as simple, dense and reductive compositions that serve as a respite or pause for the viewer.
the distant sky. I present these observed events of nature as simple, dense and reductive compositions that serve as a respite or pause for the viewer.
The space above the horizon line, so familiar to us all, provides conditions that empower my vision. The powerful brevity of Minimalism and the lasting voices of the Abstract Expressionists
motivate me to treat the pure instance of looking out not as an act of passive observance but
as a call to action.
As the amount of time living through screens increasingly dominates our lives, key details of observed life go missing. These luminescent paintings of the sky represent a search for my
own sublime–to capture a small slice of time–a visual property that is untended and give it the
attention it needs, as well as offer it up as a haven.
own sublime–to capture a small slice of time–a visual property that is untended and give it the
attention it needs, as well as offer it up as a haven.
Wilmington, Delaware / 2024
JOHN BREAKEY CV
