John’s art education started in the 1960s when, from the age of 11, he attended Moseley School of Art, a specialist Grammar School for children with exceptional artistic talent. He went on to the linked Bourneville College of Art. After working in design at ATV Television Studios, he moved to London, where over a long career he built a successful communications business. Outside business, he continued to paint and became involved in sculpture. He played a role in the transformation of the Royal Society of Sculptors into an international force in contemporary sculpture, acting as an advisor to the Society and serving as one of its first independent board members. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Society.

A few years ago, John moved to a hilltop home, studio and sculpture workshop in the Scottish Highlands to concentrate on art and writing, inspired by the landscape and the spirit of the Highland community. He now paints from his studio on the Cowal Peninsular on the West Coast of Scotland, where the maritime life of the Firth of Clyde and the Atlantic coast have given him new subjects.