Five Wounds (in progress): inside the studio

John Czwartacki

Sep 12

2 min read

Updated: Oct 5

I’m not ashamed to say it: I was so deeply moved by Barnett Newman’s Stations of the Cross that its influence shows up a lot. His zips inspired me to use them in my painting, “Jailbreak.” After visiting them last spring, I began my series, Mr. Jacobson, the very next day.

It’s been a while since my last trip to the NGA (I probably need to go soon). I’m just becoming obsessed with the meditative quality in his work, and that of so many others (I’m looking at you, Mr. Rothko).

The action painting I’ve done doesn’t come close to the personal reward of surrendering to a medium that amplifies the viewer’s own spirit. A painting that doesn’t talk. This feeling is more acute today in the wake of my last project: Sheer Silence.

Over the last month, I ironically laid down an abstraction of a crowded news feed, Noisy Influencer, intending to contrast that vapid, attention-seeking crash with something more. Quiet Wisdom is the place where you can hear and listen for actual wisdom.

Spaces where you can rest your eyes, let peace whisper inside your own head, and listen for answers to your own questions—this is what I am doing here. Five canvases that I hope will become the quiet car of my studio.

The base is a golden yellow field over a gessoed white canvas where I’m planning to add markings to incubate profound thoughts. I will fail with little doubt, but it’s fun trying.

UPDATE (10/4/2026)

Well, that was a good try, but as I wrote about elsewhere, out of ship wrecks come many unplanned and unexpected ideas. See also:https://www.fives.studio/post/i-t-s-and-after-the-shipwreck-sanctuary-and-five-wounds