Oil Painting
John Graham
John Graham lives and paints in Melbourne, Victoria and has been exhibiting his paintings and sculpture for over 20 years.
Artist Profile
John Graham was born in Perth, Western Australia, and now lives and paints in Melbourne, Victoria.
John has been exhibiting his paintings and sculpture for over 20 years and held numerous group and solo exhibitions in established “bricks and mortar” galleries and, in the digital age, is a best seller on Bluethumb online gallery.
John’s style is primarily that of an expressionist and his subject has remained the landscape, animals and figure. A ‘born’ artist, John has mastered working in many different themes and styles in every media. His themes include Portraits, Landscapes, Seascapes, Animals, Birds, Nudes. Inspired by Expressionism, Surrealism, Impressionism and Pop Art.
A keen traveler John ‘s series ‘Paintings from the Road”, an ongoing series of work produced during and based on his travels to such exotic destinations as Africa, India and Southeast Asia.
A self admitted “obsessive collector” John has amassed a considerable collection of “world art” from his travels. His passion inspires his own work and themes.
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
Oil Paint on Canvas – Luminosity, durability and intensity. Layering and overpainting. Acrylic on Canvas – Drying time. Ease of mixing with other media. Layering with other media. Mixed Media on Paper – Texture and effect of different media combinations. Speed of application. Fast drying time.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
Working from an existing work to create a series. Sketching out a rough outline and filling the shapes and returning to rework the areas until the image is resolved. Searching for and instigating "happy mistakes" that give new insights and angles to add spark to a painting.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
I live in an old shop and dwelling in the Northern suburbs. The large glass window of which has been frosted. This creates a warm illuminated environment of natural light in which to work. I generally work on the ground, tackling a work from all four angles, this also allows for wetter paint applications and does not result in dripping.
Career Highlights
- Finalist Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, and the Maritime Art Prize
- Painting selected by as cover of Antarctica (2023 Edition) by Claire Keegan, Faber and Faber Publishing, Cartoonist for The Big Issue and Independent Australia, Postcards published for Avant Cards
- Artwork and animation sequences conception for short film Vanatis 2024 – Premiered SBS 2024||PARAGRAPH_BREAK||
