Jon Tarleton

jon tarleton

Jon Tarleton was born in 1968 to John and Grace Tarleton in Raleigh, North Carolina. Charlotte has been his home since 1990. He is married to Kristin Dodd-Tarleton and has a daughter, Eliza Ruth.

Jon attended Davidson College, graduating with a degree in anthropology in 1990. He later enrolled at UNC Charlotte to study art, earning a BFA with a concentration in printmaking.

Among memorable places he has visited are the Tate Museums in London, the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Gallery, Jane Austen’s home and Cashel Cathedral in Ireland. He has touched an el Lissitzky lithograph signed in pencil (with permission) and has laid his hand on the desk Jane Austen used to write much of her work.

“I have found that I derive much joy in making art by focusing on color and composition while using the simplest of marks- the stripe. I tend to appreciate art that says much while using little verbiage; unnecessary complication can be interesting but often wears thin quickly. I believe Donald Judd is the artist from whom I learned this lesson most directly through observing his work in museums. Barnett Newman is another who comes to mind. While the meaning of the stripes I paint or draw can vary over time and from piece to piece, I never suffer to render significance. Considering the multitude of decisions I must make when painting with even this simple gesture I would have to work hard not to create something meaningful. I suppose that is why I find making art truly pleas-urable.”