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Biography You are at artfromnz.com Art by John Sargeant
John has been painting in watercolour from 2002 and oil paint from 2005. He is based in Hawera in South Taranaki, New Zealand where he works full time in local government enjoying Taranaki’s great outdoors with Mt Taranaki in the 'back yard' and the coast just down the road. John is largely self-taught and his style is intentionally eclectic ranging from highly detailed watercolour covering subjects from figurative, to old character buildings, to nature and various abstracts along the way. John transfers from watercolour to oils to maintain a sense of eclecticism in his style as well as subject matter. He enjoys the ‘forgiveness’ of oil paint but when he has had enough of the turpentine and high energy necessary to paint in oils he moves back to the containment and cleanliness of watercolour where he can ‘come and go’ as time dictates. With intent to move more into figurative work John is experimenting with charcoal and pastel which he enjoys because of it immediacy and ability to put on and take off to accentuate the tonal values required for figurative work. Reluctant to take on commissions, John’s focuses on what he likes to paint with varied subject matter from around New Zealand . Equally as reticent to be pushed into having a 'favourite' style and artist he admits to being continually drawn to German Expressionism listing Otto Mueller as one of his favoured artists with 'Two Sisters' as the one painting he would like to own. Also on John's 'most viewed' artists is Amedeo Modigliani simply because the works have the warm tones he enjoys and looks into the lives of the subjects which John finds most interesting. John believes that when looking at a painting, it is not a matter of whether you like it or not but what it does to you and whether it changes the way you look at the world. He will also argue that is not important as to whether you understand the intent of the artist as much as how the work affects you and that if you do not like a work, it will still alter you as you will form an opinion which you did not have prior, so therefore you are changed to a greater or lesser degree. Having held several exhibitions in Taranaki, John has accepted invitations to exhibit in the lower north island during 2009/10 When not painting, John is making fruit wines producing only ten to fifteen cases a year. John is able to be contacted by email or telephone on +64 00 06 278 1267. For New Zealand time click here. For international time zones, click here. His complete work is offered on this site for your interest and John welcomes any comments. |
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