Prints

John was born in 1956 and is a native Californian.  As a child John’s father pursued work as a ranger and in forestry. Frequent job changes took John and his family to Tanana, Alaska, then to the Southern California areas of Crystal Lake, and  Big Bear.  Because of the remote locations, John grew up  in forestry housing and cabins surrounded by trees and nature.  

 

The family settled for a time in Redlands, a bedroom community that boomed in the 1960’s because of the access to the new southland freeway system.  After high school, John remained in Southern California graduating from CSU Fullerton in 1982 with a BA in Fine Arts.  He moved on to U.C. Irvine for a MFA in Drawing and Painting with his emphasis in Neo Precisionism.  

 

From that time forward, John shifted to an urban lifestyle and lived and worked in L.A.  He found work teaching photography at various colleges and was the L.A. College Gallery Director from 1988 to 1999.  During these years John’s artwork refocused to emphasize the industrial landscapes that surrounded him. He also developed skills and an interest in portraiture, especially of the Bear Scene, a subset of the larger, thriving gay culture of L.A.  

 

John left L.A. after 2006 and his art continued to evolve.  The boy who was raised in the trees reemerged and the natural world and wilderness became his counterpoint to the industrial imagery he previously favored.  He began using infrared images as his work reflected concerns for climate change and environmental degradation.  

 

Since 2007 John has resided and worked off-grid in Tehachapi Mountains.  He retired from teaching art in 2023 and now his work emphasizes post photography field imagery with a painting influence.  He enjoys living and working in nature and his property allows him access to observe and photograph nature in the seasons.  He is honored to have photographed the elusive California Condor, our modern dinosaurs, on his porch.