John was born in Nova Scotia in the early fifties and raised in the Maritime Provinces and Quebec. Although never formally trained in visual arts he has always painted or sketched and has had many parallel careers. 

His formal education has included studies in botany and Horticultural science at the undergraduate (McGill) and post graduate (Guelph) level. Botanical science has enabled him to be comfortable in recognizing hundreds of species of vegetation and their accompanying ecosystem. The first oil painting he completed was at age 7. He is largely self-taught and relishes the act of experimentation with materials. This is a natural reflection of his science background. John’s first intimate connections with the landscape came from fishing and camping trips with his dad.

He is a keen observer of the Canadian landscape and he paints “plein air” most days of the week. Winter sessions are usually limited by temperature extremes and squall activity. You definitely have to pick your days to avoid getting frozen out. Some of the most dramatic moods in the landscape come from unstable weather conditions. The transition seasons are his favourites. Late winter and early spring on warmer days yield some wonderful contrasts where there’s just enough snow left and the angle of the sun changes on a daily basis. The fall in the East provides another of nature’s secret charms. In summer you have to look for the colour. It’s there in the flora and fauna, in the sky, on the meadows and valley floors.

 In the fall of 2016 John and his wife Paula stumbled onto a site in Algonquin Park that looked like a good place to do a “plein air painting”. This site turned out to be familiar in so many ways. After a careful study of what he saw, John proposed that this site in the west end of the Park was indeed where Tom Thomson got his inspiration for the painting we know as “Northern River”. In the process, a 100 year old mystery surrounding the location of where this painting was done was solved. After meeting with some 3rd party historians and researchers including Jim and Sue Waddington authors of “In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven” the proposal was tested, accepted and validated. Read the whole story at www.inthemomentarts.com. Follow John on Facebook.

John lives and works out of his studio in London, Ontario. He has been showing his work during the summer months at Stratford’s Art in the Park and is available for studio visits by appointment.