British sculptor who moved to Australia when he was just 3 years old, John began his artistic career in graphic design at Queensland College of Graphic Design and worked as a freelance illustrator and sculptor before turning to wood sculpting in 1996.

Surreal wood sculptures by artist John that spring from exhaustive sketching and illustration while drawing on intensive research. His subjects include imagery from fashion photography, muscular structure and skeletal bone. He skillfully uses leather, brass, and stainless steel to provide stark contrasts with the warm texture of the wood while prosthetic limbs and super-accentuated body part proportions tie the pieces together. The sculptures are certainly eye-catching and brings to mind anime imagery and the comic strip depictions of superheroes and heroines.

Australia based artist and sculptor, John striking sculptures give the viewer an insight into the human heart. John’s wooden works of art are a blend of contrasting viewpoints between darkness and light, magic and stark reality, and softness and strength.

Often, prosthetic limbs and super-accentuated body part proportions tie the pieces together, bringing to mind the surreal imagery of anime and the comic strip depictions of superheroes and heroines. He skillfully uses leather, brass, and stainless steel to provide stark contrasts with the warm texture of the wood.

His images are ‘graphic’ to say the least, revealing his training in that aspect of the visual arts and his finely carved timber works are detailed superbly, technically very refined and sophisticated curiosities.
A Brief History
The works of John spring from exhaustive sketching and illustration, drawing on intensive research. Subjects include skeletal bone, muscular structure and the imagery of fashion photography.
John studied at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University.
Exhibitions
2016
‘Edge of Reality’ Solo exhibition,Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2015
‘Art Basel Miami’, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
‘San Diego Contemporary Art Show’, Balboa Park, San Diego, USA
‘Audacious: The Fine Art of Wood from the Montalto Bohlen Collection’, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, USA
‘Figments, Fragments and Fixations’,Brisbane, QLD, Australia
‘Clayton Utz Art Award’, Clayton Utz, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Group Exhibition, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2014
‘Eye of the Beholder’, Solo Exhibition, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2013
Solo Exhibition, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
‘Next’ Group Exhibition, Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, Bungendore, NSW, Australia
‘Harmony’ Invitational Group Exhibition, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award 2013, Deakin University Gallery, Burwood, VIC, Australia
2012
Solo Exhibition, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Summer Group Show, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
‘Small Works’ Group Exhibition, Marks & Gardener Gallery, Mt Tamborine, QLD, Australia
‘Beyond Containment’ Invitational Group Exhibition, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, Minnesota & San Jose, California, USA
Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award 2012, Deakin University Gallery, Burwood, VIC, Australia
2011
Represented by Red Sea Gallery, New Farm, QLD, Australia
2010
‘Forms of Attachment’ Sculpture Exhibition, Meyer Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
‘Absence of Reason’ Print Exhibition, Meyer Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2009
‘2D + 3D’ (2 Man Exhibition) White Hill Gallery & Sculpture Park, Red Hill, Vic, Australia
2008
‘Sculpture 08’ Marks & Gardner Gallery, Mt Tamborine, QLD, Australia
2007
‘The Shape of Things’ Group Exhibition, Bungendore Woodwork Gallery, Bungendore, NSW, Australia
Cerebral Palsy League ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ Group Exhibition, Charity Auc
‘2 Man Exhibition’ Marks & Gardner Gallery, Mt Tamborine, QLD, Australia
‘Shy Boy, She Devil and Isis’ – The Art of Conceptual Craft, Selections from the Wornick Collection – Museum of Fine Arts Boston, USA
2006
‘Feline Forms’ Group Exhibition, Marks & Gardner Gallery, Mt Tamborine, QLD, Australia
Cerebral Palsy League ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ Group Exhibition, Charity Auc
‘Nature Transformed’ Touring Group Exhibition, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA
Kiln Innaugural Group Exhibition, The Substation, Paddington, QLD, Australia
2005
‘Nature Transformed’ Touring Group Exhibition – Mobile Museum of Art – Alabama, USA
‘Shoe Fetish’ Group Exhibition – Marks & Gardner Gallery – Mt Tamborine, QLD, Australia
Represented by the Art Directors Gallery – Fortitude Valley, QLD, Australia (until 2006)
Cerebral Palsy League ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ – Group Exhibition, Charity Auction
2004
‘Nature Transformed’ Touring Group Exhibition – University of Michigan Museum of Art,
Michigan, USA
Represented by Richard Martin Gallery, NSW, Australia
Represented by Maria Perides Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
‘Re:Cycle’ Tweed Wood Biennial, Tweed River Art Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia
2002
‘Surface + Form’ – International Group Exhibition
‘Crate Expectations’ Solo Exhibition Tweed Wood Biennially
Curated Group Exhibition – Tweed River Art Gallery – Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia
Group Exhibition – Space Furniture – New Farm, QLD, Australia
Australia – Korea Foundation, 10th Anniversary Group Exhibition in association with
Craftwest – Mukkumoto Craftspace – Seoul, Korea
2001
Two Man Exhibition, Fox Galleries, New Farm, QLD, Australia
Group Exhibition – Contemporary Art & Design Gallery – Mt Tamborine, QLD, Australia
Represented by Form (formerly Craftwest) – Perth, WA, Australia
1999
Two Man Exhibition
Represented by Gallerie De L‘ Art Erotic – New Farm, QLD, Australia (until 2001)
1996
Solo Exhibition
‘Dogs’ – Group Exhibition
‘Flight’ – Group Exhibition
1996 -1992
Represented by Pages Fine Art Galleries, Noosa Heads & Montville, QLD, Australia (until 2001)
Represented by Contemporary Art & Design Gallery, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia (until 1999)
Represented by Cintra Gallery – Milton, QLD, Australia (until 1996)
Tres Mode, Fine Art Gallery, Toowong, QLD, Australia (1992)
Publications & Reviews

2015
‘Audacious: The Fine Art of Wood from the Montalto Bohlen Collection’, Peabody Essex Museum/University Press of New England
2014
‘The Creative Woodturner’, Linden Publishing, 2014.
‘Next’, published by Bungendore Wood Works Gallery
2006
On The Move (property magazine) Nov 2006, ‘Form & Fantasy…in Compelling Detail’
‘Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis: The Art of Conceptual Craft, Selection from the Wornick
Collection’ MFA Publications (hard cover book)
Tweed River Art Gallery – 20 years (book)
2005
‘Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection’ (hard cover book)
University of Michigan Museum of Art in association with Hudson Hills Press
Woodwork (magazine) December 2005 ‘The Art of the Unexpected’
2002
Craft Arts # 55
The Australian Woodworker # 105
2000
Craft Arts # 50
1999
Australian Wood Review # 24
Private Collections
Tweed River Art Gallery – Murwillumbah – NSW, Australia
Bovis Australia
Dixon Johnston Property
National collections in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia
International collections in USA, Japan, South Africa and Thailand