ANDERSON, JOHN DAVID

John is an award winning painter, teaching, demonstrating and lecturing from his experiences. Haliburton School of the Arts have included him in their summer program teaching introductory and advanced plein air technique along with composition and colour theory and practice. After devoting a number of years to agribusiness, John once again focused on painting. Through private instruction and personal study, John has continued to grow and refine his personal vision as an artist.

“My work evolved from the oil painter’s perspective of brush on canvas. I use paint tonally applied with rich colour and an impressionist character. The subject does not drive the composition but the force of light, however muted or powerful, creates a path that becomes the essence of the composition for me. Movement throughout my work is directed by the interplay of warm and cool colour. Fluctuating emphasis of light and shadow along with the use of lost and found edges enhances that movement.

“Painting became very important to me in the early seventies when I came across a book containing the paintings of Andrew Wyeth. After studying his approach to landscape and portraiture I took a more careful look at the works of the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson and others. University, family and work didn’t leave much time for painting for about 15 years. However, I found photography was able to partially fill the creative need. In 1993 I began painting in earnest. Canadian and American impressionist painting ignited a whole new direction in my work. I continue to develop and grow by experimentation and exposure to enhance my skills with the language of paint.
Pulling together the elements of strong composition and the desire to engage my audience in a vision that I see is both my challenge and my joy.”