Artist: John Waterhouse
Title: The Beauty of Nature
Size: 28½" x 27¾"
Edition Size: Artist Hand Signed and Numbered Limited Edition to 150
Medium: Canvas on board
About the Artist: HISTORY & BACKGROUND

From an early age I had always been interested in art, gaining inspiration and encouragement from my parents, especially my mother, who had drawn and painted a little herself as a hobby.

Growing up in a rural Staffordshire village helped me to understand the beauty of the countryside, which I still feel so important in order to portray its true character. Being close to the subject matter is of great advantage to me for the constant reference I need to support my work.

In 1983 at the age of sixteen, I left school gaining a grade A in ‘O’ level art and winning the overall school prize for best art pupil. Upon leaving school, I worked as a storekeeper in a local warehouse, painting only as a hobby in my spare time. In order to give me more time to develop my artistic skills I decided to give up my full-time job in 1994 and take up a part-time position instead.

I gave up the part-time position in 2000 in order to teach painting two days a week to young offenders in a local youth prison. I then reduced this to one day a week as the demand for my work was increasing. I have found working with these young people very rewarding, as there is so much talent that would normally be unrecognised. I have tried to encourage them to see this as a new adventure, and knowing that I may have contributed something towards turning people’s lives around has made the job worthwhile for me.

Although I was initially concerned about giving up my so-called ‘proper’ jobs, I finally got the confidence to turn to painting as a full-time position after seeing the quality and value of my work rise through doing various commissions for art collectors.

Once painting full-time I started showing my works by exhibiting my paintings in one of Washington Green’s Partnership Galleries. This gave me a steady flow of commissions and an increased following for my work. It also introduced my work to Glyn Washington of Washington Green and has since led to them publishing my work. Teaching myself how to draw and paint has taken many long hard hours in the studio to perfect, and it is now that I am finally starting to feel the benefit from it.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

I start the day at around 7.30am with a walk with my faithful friend Sally, a 14-year-old Border Collie. I feel that this walk at the beginning of the day is very important, not only for the physical side of things, but mentally I can prepare myself for the days work ahead of me, sorting out what I need to achieve by the end of the day.

Upon my return home I have some breakfast and at around 8:30am I enter my studio, which fortunately for me, is at my home. The studio is very minimalist with plain cream walls and a bare wooden floor. I don’t like lots of clutter around me. I would find it very irritating, as I like to have space to move freely. I do like to stay isolated as much as possible when I am working, as I tend to work best this way. However, I am occasionally tempted away from my easel, by the sound of Mel and Niamh - my beautiful wife and daughter - playing and laughing and I simply can’t resist joining them for ten minutes or so.

Like many artists I listen to music while I work. I feel at my most creative when I am in an emotional mood and the music helps me to achieve the results I need.

At the end of the day I normally sit down and watch the television and chat to Mel about her day, usually about the little tricks Niamh has been up to (it is also at this point where Mel brings me back down to earth by informing me that I have absent mindedly forgotten to do the washing up!!). It’s a rewarding feeling leaving my studio at night, knowing that I have achieved my day’s goal.