SPOTLIGHT ON: Painter/Visual Artist - Clinton Rost
Collected by James Michael Lawrence

MCAD graduate Clinton Rost is a painter I first became aware of when someone mentioned his art during a visit to The SpyHouse Coffee Bar. I was delighted to find that he is a member of mnartists.org and has many examples of his works posted to his online gallery. I feel that his paintings of the interiors of the coffee houses and taverns in the Whittier neighborhood and elsewhere, truly capture the mood of the locations and of the people who frequent them. I am particularly impressed with his use of light and shadow to establish this with a minimum of detail. The results are works that project a luminous essence of moments where time pauses as our public and our private lives intersect. Rost's works might reference specific locations in this area, but they could be located almost anywhere on the planet, given the commonality of the experiences they are rooted in.
The following are excerpts from personal artist statements associated with Rost's works on mnartists.org:
We trail our private lives into the public sphere on a daily basis. In cafes across the country, where we pay bills, file taxes, play videogames, and watch movies openly, unashamed by our complete exposure. The growth of portable electronics and cellular technology has eased these tasks and long-distance communications at the price of hindering conversation with those at the table next to us.
Relationships between people and the complex visual environment of the city have always fascinated me. Although exchanges between these two can be examined from a variety of vantage points, my work focuses on the landscape of the café and its inhabitants. It is here, and predominantly here, that the intrinsic motivation of the individual is to isolate him or herself in a populated space… to be alone in a crowd.
Concentrating on capturing atmosphere, I document my observations via sketchbook studies, small paintings, and jotted notations. I will later reassemble the day’s collection of tired postures and dog-eared newspapers with directly observed paintings. The recent injection of modern elements into the café (laptops, iPods, cell phones, etc.) seems to enhance an inner loneliness; each resulting space does tend to brim with an abandoned, forlorn quality.
I paint referencing a blend of Bay Area figurative work, Impressionist scenes of late 19th century social life, and film noir. I’ve found that this mixture of styles and randomly collaged elements lends an intensely honest depiction of the café’s occupants; they freely reposition themselves from one coffeehouse to another, uncertain of who might sit across the table, unaware of whom this urban isolation is being shared with. I hope to bring the viewer an awareness of our behavior in these everyday situations, to transcribe for them this lonesome discomfort while pausing in an otherwise romantic scene.

Clinton Rost
For more information about the artist and to view more examples of his art on mnartists.org

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