I turned to art after years of software development. I prefer the simpler, more primitive act of drawing by hand. I'm a restless thinker, my mind in constant motion. I use structure and constraint to focus my thoughts – for example, my drawings are all single interconnected lines – and I use aesthetic balance to harmonize my artwork. And imperfection is my way of saying that computers are not our masters … yet!
My drawings are all single lines. Carefully structured, balanced and connected, constructed over hours or even days. The abstracts are studies in movement and contrast, ink-embroidered symbols—calligraphic glyphs—which let every viewer find their own meaning. And the portraits are exercises in stillness, and channeling the potent power of the gaze.
Born 1968, upstate New York. Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Master's in Computer Science (specializing in Artificial Intelligence). Over a decade as CTO of a cutting-edge small early internet software company. Full-time artist in 2012. Aside from spending time with my two amazing grade-school daughters, I love to relax at the piano, especially with the suites of Handel and Bach.
"John Hovig's abstract work, with all its linear fluidity, takes on the quality of organic, biomorphic forms floating in an undefined space. Notice how the line undulates and twists round and round, how following its pattern mediates a meditative act of vision."
Joseph Staley IV
Curator, Glade Gallery