John Thornton

John Thornton was born in York in 1944. At the age of 22 he moved to Cornwall as part of the hippy movement and lived in the sand dunes for the summers of ’67 and ’68. In 1969 he moved to London for a further 5 years. On leaving London he moved back to Cornwall for 2 years then returned to Yorkshire where he has been ever since.

Having always had a great interest in art, he decided to pursue it more intently. Working with wood for a living, which involved carving rocking horses, and repairing and making oak furniture, there was constantly an opportunity to create, and so painting seemed a natural progression.

Possessing a love of the sea this appeared the perfect subject, constantly changing in nature and mood providing an endless template with which to work. More recently he has been drawn to the textures, shapes and colours of the surrounding landscapes, fields and hedgerows along the coast, rivers and streams.

Painting in mixed media he often uses acrylic, watercolour, gouache and ink within the same painting, allowing the materials to run and bleed into each other, with the addition of collage, materials collected whilst walking or beach combing, to create the added texture. He uses photos that have been taken, although never copied exactly, but used as a reference, particularly, to observe the effects of light on water with regard to his landscapes. John says that painting is not only a pleasure but a challenge to create a piece that reflects and encapsulates the essence of a subject. If people can sense and appreciate these aspects of his work he feels he has, in part, achieved his intentions.