Biography

John was born in Christchurch in Dorset, England in 1933 and has enjoyed drawing and painting sailing ships in watercolour since his childhood. At the age of sixteen he joined the British Merchant Navy sailing in every type of ship from small coasters to large liners. During this time John was shipwrecked on an American tanker 'Esso Rochester' which broke in half during a blizzard in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1950. Between 1955 and 1959 John joined the R.A.F- F.E.A.F. 205/209 Sunderland Squadron and in 1960, unable to break away from his love of ships and the sea he joined the Australian Merchant Navy. In 1961 John became skipper of Coastal vessels trading out of Rabaul, New Britian, The Territory of Papua New Guinea, Queensland and the Northern Territory often being the only contact with civilization for many of the plantations in the outlying islands his ships traded in copra, cocoa, trochus & pearl shells.

In 1975 John finally left the sea to pursue the subject he felt he knew best, the sea and sailing ships, and became a professional artist. He wanted to share with others the beauty and power of the sea, the elements and the grace and beauty of the sailing ships that plied their trade around the world. 1978 saw the return of John and his family to England. In 1989 he made his home on Green Island in Poole Harbour where Diana followed her love of pottery and John produced beautiful, atmospheric paintings of the harbour and it's sailing ships.