Go Furness

Abstract Acrylic Artist

John’s opening line was “My art tutor escaped through the Berlin Wall”. Having looked at his work, this came as no surprise. It is bold, courageous and defies all the rules.

He has spent years perfecting a technique of stretching canvas around non-symmetrical frames so that the shape of his work is part of the art. They are 3 D brightly coloured, sometimes geometrical and always accessible interpretations of the world around him. He has a brilliant sense of humour, almost mischief that is reflected in the names and content of some of his pieces. Mostly this humour is directed at the pretentiousness frequently present in the art world.

He has had an eclectic employment history since completing his art degree. John has had ‘proper jobs’ teaching art, driving double-decker busses, doing something dodgy in Azerbaijan ( a few hairy, scary tales from this experience) and finally he returned back to Furness where he grew up.

Although he has had other jobs, he has always continued with his painting and exhibitions. Eventually he knew he had to take his work to the next level and appeal to wider audiences. A website was the obvious solution. At first, he created his own site, but when it didn’t go anywhere, he approached Artemis Media who spent time with him building his current site. He now manages it himself and it has been well viewed all over the world.

The result? He has pieces of his work in The Ukraine, Japan, Paris and North and South America. He has been approached by a consortium who has taken a great interest in his work and is working towards getting him a bit of wall space in a big exhibition in South America…He has also had other interest from a collector in Chile. Somehow, despite his adamant protests that his work is not flamboyant and spontaneous it is certainly appealing to the people with in Latin cultures! At last, after 40 odd years, thanks to the www, he has achieved ‘overnight success!’

Now he eats, sleeps, breathes, thinks and dreams his work. Paintings feed off paintings. There is almost an urgency about his work. Each painting has an initial WOW impact, has additional depth and it is work that people don’t tire of. There is always something new to see in the same piece. He is a perfectionist and his own biggest critic.

He is very disciplined about his work. Everything is ordered and in its place and although he doesn’t like the ‘business’ side of being an artist, it is easy to see why his work has made him successful.

He asked the consortium in South America “Why Me?”

The answer was: “I had butterflies in my stomach for the first time in 20 years when I found your website”.

His advice to young would-be artists?

If you don’t believe in yourself don’t do it. You’ve got to have an itch to scratch.
If you do believe in yourself, do it with tenacity!
Intrigued?
You can view John’s work at Bleach House, The Gallery in Ulverston. Bleach House is Ulverston’s new, exciting gallery at LMB Design. His exhibition opens on the 1st of April and no, I’m not fooling!

Posted by Kay Hebbourn on 3rd March.