About me - John Carwithen

I have always painted and took to oils at aged 11 after an Xmas gift of 'Painting by numbers'!

Like many artists, it's a curse in that I have to exercise (and exorcise), sometimes have paid a heavy price for, have tried not to do and even stopped doing; but it's a necessity to give me my place in the world.
Mind you, time away from painting made me realise I can't escape it - despite Buddhist objections of attachment and addiction. It's the boss, not me.

I trained as a graphic designer 1978 - 1982, thinking it would enable me to get a 'proper job', but never took to it like painting and never did have that proper job. The curse stopped that.

Now I'm older, I accept the best of the curse, am grateful for it and have painted professionally since the early eighties.

I paint a wide variety of subjects and have diversified into many mediums, but have settled with my first love - oil paint, and also carbon pencil drawings.
I love the intensity and power of oils - I call it a 'meaty' medium - but also the subtlety of drawing too, particularly suited to nudes.

I'm no art snob, don't like arty bullshit and value a passionate expression-full abstract as much as a dog portrait. The former is about my feeling for the world I exist in, while the latter is about the beauty of nature, which I try my best to match (yeah right!).

Hopefully there is something here to please everyone.

Any questions or no-obligation quotes, please feel free to contact me, or simply to clarify any ambiguities about commissioning my work.

Email john@finest-oil-paintings.com

Commissions: my shop

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