John Walsom ROI RSMA

Statement

When I paint, I'm working towards an honest statement about what I see, and searching for ways to express the fascination which first drew me to a subject.  I find painting hard and often frustrating work, but I love it.  Sometimes the beauty of a scene is clear, sometimes it needs to be teased out over a period of time.  Technically, the whole process of converting three dimensions into two, and reflected light into a solid surface of coloured paint, is constantly exciting to me.

I think of myself as a tonal painter, in that I'm usually trying to maintain the tonal values I see as accurately as possible, while I feel more free to be adventurous with colour.  Most of my oil painting is done "en plein air", in front of the subject, and my style is generally representational in terms of the physical elements of a scene.  I hope to convey a delight in the visual world which might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Bio

Biographical Details

• 1956  Born in Leicestershire
• 1974 - 1980  Studied Architecture at Sheffield University, awarded BA(hons), Dip Arch.
• 1977  Sold paintings from the railings of the Bayswater Road, London
• 1980 - 1981  Worked as Scenic Artist at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
• 1981  Moved to London, qualified as an Architect
• 1981 - 1984  Worked as a Theatre Design Consultant on projects in the UK, Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, for Theatre Projects Consultants.
• 1984 - 1986  Worked as an architect for RHWL in Covent Garden
• 1986 - 1987  Sold all posessions and travelled the world for a year
• 1987 - 2000  Worked as a freelance architectural photographer and illustrator
• 2000   Became full-time freelance artist and illustrator
• 2017  Elected a member of the Wapping Group of Artists
• 2017  Presented "The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace" to HM The Queen
• 2018  Elected a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and Chelsea Art Society
• 2019  Elected an associate of the Royal Society of Marine Artists

 

Memberships

• The Wapping Group of Artists
• Chelsea Art Society