This is the catalogue raisonné of paintings by John Milanos Jr. (1948 — 2012). Born in New York City and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, he graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1972. Living in Englewood, New Jersey, he was a life time member of The Art Students League of New York since 1987. Under Oldrich Teply, he was the monitor and built a deep respect and connection to the class. The intensity of painting with other artists at the Art Student League he referred to as 'a two and a half hour jazz jam session'.

This catalog of 389 paintings is the result of scanning 680 slides of the early works John documented, and taking photos of the 240 works in storage and in private collections. On behalf of his family, please contact me for or with any information about John's life and work. Cris Bartels (crisbartels@gmail.com).

Note from the artist

I always like to paint from life, if possible, alla prima. It opens up all my painting options. Starting out is the hardest task. It is as if I were a boxer and fighting my rounds with a flat white canvas. It is staring at me. I punch it out by mapping my composition. I'm always fighting that flat white surface, keeping in mind an image that has depth and dimensions.

In painting portraits, I enjoy having a live model. I try to know my model and make the sitter feel at ease so I can portray the inner essence. Before I paint, I observe the model's stance. Is there an animated smile from time to time? I seize the opportunity to paint a hint of a smile. This helps me to portray the personality within the portrait. The fight begins.

I map out the structural features with the right values of light color hues; place them along the facial planes. I look at the colors that are reflected onto my model's face and determine their origins. They may be from the background or the clothing. This adds excitement to the painting. I never want to belabor my portrait and lose the freshness of the pose. The painting session is two and half hours.

In choosing the subject for my landscape painting I look for repetitive movement within a composition. I find street scenes or pathways, give a composition drama and a greater depth of field. Painting on location plein air is invigorating. The biggest challenge is the sunlight; it moves. Shadows and color hues change too. There are so many colors in nature; finding the right hue can be an adventure in creativity. I must put it all down before I lose it or come back the following day at the same time to finish it. I can not just paint what is in front of me. I would paint things that I can't see, like how I feel about the smell of the air or the outside dampness. I feel like I am part of the landscape.