I’ve had a lot of great Mother’s Days but this one hit different. @dashouck and I had just taken our first trip to Paris since becoming parents and on our last day we saw this painting by deChavannes at @museecarnavalet which felt auspicious to everyone in the family, each for different reasons. I was incredibly touched last Sunday when opening my Mother’s Day gifts to see that @dashouck had painted me an homage, both to commemorate the trip and as a protective talisman. My daughter made me a pillow she upcycled from two dresses she’s outgrown which unbeknownst to her was reminiscent of a photograph John made of me while pregnant with her that was shown at his solo show at the @dallascontemporary . I’m so lucky to share my life with these two artists. #parisinspiration #dechavanne #upcycled #mothersday❤️
Happy Mother’s Day @andthetidewaswayout
! 🕊️
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An homage to both a wonderful mother and a French Symbolist. This piece is a study after “Le Pigeon” by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, inspired by the incredible paintings we saw while wandering through Paris last month.
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#MothersDay #ParisInspiration #LePigeon #FineArt #deChavannes
Episode 19! John Houck. He wrote the code that produced it, he photographed it, he painted it. These seem like disparate practices, yet the parts form a whole. The works over his career share color, materials, and the subject of one continues in the next. The process iterates, makes the jump, then iterates again. The result is a fluid transition from binary code to painted canvases. Somewhere in the middle is photography.
As part of his process, John Houck @dashouck makes small color studies to work out ideas for larger paintings. These pieces have always had a playful energy of their own, and for the first time, he is making a selection of them available to those on his mailing list. Sign up at johnhouck.com/contact or the link in his bio @dashouck
Every object holds the memory of the light it has caught and the touch it has known. Painting mirrors this, and adds new layers to these stories.
@candicemadey_gallery #johnhouck
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve taken from learning to paint in the atelier tradition is the importance of the poster study. Before detail, before texture, before color — it’s all about value.
They’re quick exercises, but foundational ones. And over time, they’ve become more than just prep work — they’re anchors in my process.
🍒 oil on linen
@candicemadey_gallery #johnhouck
This little brass bell is a family heirloom — our daughter used to ring it to call everyone to dinner when she was younger. I painted it on clear-primed linen to evoke the feeling of a swinging bell, weightless and suspended in space. Finding the right value for the shadow on raw linen was a satisfying challenge. The last image includes a quick study of an ear from a Sargent portrait. I hope I can make it to the Met while the Sargent show is still up to see the original.
@candicemadey_gallery #johnhouck
Here’s a new painting with figures caught in that push-pull between support and control. Click through to the second image to see the full piece. The light is violet and hazy, like a projector or a film set pretending to be night. It’s also a nod to an Animal Collective song I hadn’t thought of in a long time—something about its weird tenderness has stuck with me.
The Purple Bottle
Oil on linen, 18 × 24 in.
Lately my mornings begin with a walk through the LA Flower Market (perk of the parking situation). It’s lively, vivid, and smells amazing. This piece tries to catch that half-awake feeling—when you’re jolted into the day by a rush of color.
Shadow Passage
Oil on linen, 12 x 16 in.
@candicemadey_gallery #johnhouck
