“Some of our journeys take a very long time,” Jeanette says.
However, John’s stops aren’t for retail therapy. They’re essential for his creativity. Usually he has seen something in the landscape that he wants to capture in a painting. He pulls the car over, says he’ll only be a moment, and leaves the vehicle for five minutes – approximately – to capture the scene as a sketch so he can paint it later.
Sometimes he uses watercolours to record the form and colour; other times he’ll draw the outline, writing down the colours he intends to use to express what he has seen.
Born in Kent, England, in 1944, John can remember the pretty, quaint villages surrounded by neat hedgerows. He was eight years old when he arrived in New Zealand with his family, sailing in an old ship that passed through the Panama Canal on its way south.
At only eight years old John showed a level of complexity in his painting which was unusual for his age. His parents encouraged him and hired Betty Curnow to give him private lessons.
He attended Takapuna Grammar and studied at Elam School of Fine Arts in the 1960s, where his lecturers included Colin McCahon, Robert Ellis and Garth Tapper. Many of his contemporaries from those halcyon days are still prominent in the New Zealand art scene.
John then trained as a teacher and has taught art ever since. For the past 26 years he has tutored at Whitecliffe College of Art & Design, where he’s now a Senior Lecturer in Fine Arts; teaching drawing, painting, screen printing and etching.
In studying for a Masters in Fine Arts in 2001, John was required to work in a style and on a topic unfamiliar to him. He had inherited his father’s train set and had added to the collection over the years. When a colleague suggested he look at the history of railway art in New Zealand for his thesis, he embarked on a fascinating journey.
“Trains have been a popular theme in music, art and poetry for decades. They’re rich in imagery and symbolism but when I looked at the history of trains I saw there was more to them than just arrivals, departures and hissing engines,” John says. “There was the impact of colonialism, taking land and displacing locals and the Maori prophet Te Kooti described the railways in New Zealand as the whistling God of the Pakeha.”
John continues to teach, to paint and to hold exhibitions. His work hangs in private homes and corporate offices with a significant number of paintings also hired out around the country. He has been awarded high praise for his talent, including the title of paramount chief Muliagatele on the island of Savaii in Samoa in recognition of his support of Pacific art and culture in New Zealand.
Inspiration for John also comes from his students – watching their talent develop and seeing them produce good work. They keep him on his toes too, ensuring he continues to dig deep and produce exciting expressions of the world around him.
To see more of John’s work visit www.mobileart.co.nz
