Levittown Artist Featured at C.W. Post Gallery

Levittown native Jonathan Bartlett debuted a solo 12-day art exhibition Nov. 15, showcasing his work depicting athletic role models who have been put in a negative spotlight by the media and their fans.

"In fine art you can't just paint sports and get away with it," said Bartlett. "Just as I was about to start was when Michael Vick got in trouble with the dogs. I painted that one, and then I thought of O.J., and the whole idea started."

Bartlett is a 2007 graduate of Island Trees High School, where he excelled in both arts and sports. Since his high school graduation, he has been studying visual arts at C.W. Post and will graduate this December with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Bartlett hopes to complete his masters degree and move on to become a high school art teacher.

The exhibit included 11 detailed oil paintings and one life-size clay sculpture. Some of the portrayed athletes included Mike Tyson, Michael Vick, Roger Clemens, Michael Phelps and O.J. Simpson. Bartlett used a diverse range of sports players from football, swimming, golf, boxing, baseball and basketball.

"I first thought of how athletes get away with stuff," Bartlett said. "But when I go along and look I see it's more about role models in general. Everybody still likes these people."

Each painting was 36'' by 60'' with the depicted role model(s) taking up a majority of the canvas.  The sculpture was made of clay, then plaster cased and poured in cement. Aside from just the athletic figures, Bartlett added details pertaining to each case to channel his message clearly. Michael Vick's illustration included vicious animal teeth and blood splatter. O.J. Simpson's was painted on top of old newspaper clippings about his trial.

"People know that the paintings took a while; they're big and they're detailed," said Bartlett. "What they don't know is the amount of research that went into each piece."

Overall, the exhibit took a year and a half to fully construct. Bartlett began the sculpture in February and just recently completed it one week before his artwork entered the gallery. Most students share the gallery time with one other artist, but due to the extensive amount of work and number of pieces, Bartlett was given the full time to himself.

His exhibit will end this Saturday, Nov. 27. It is located in the Hillwood Commons S.A.L Gallery on the C.W. Post campus.