John Howard RE

Born July 1958 in Birmingham, England, John worked in industry in the Midlands for ten years before studying at University of Central England. He graduated from there in 1989 with a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art. John was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) in 1995 and a Member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) in 1996. He moved to Cornwall in August 1995 for greater professional and personal fulfilment. He has taught as a visiting lecturer at University of Central England, University of Warwick, University of Coventry and Birmingham Print Workshop and is a regular contributor to courses at King Edward’s School, Birmingham and University College Falmouth.

John’s early work drew heavily on his experiences in industry, with a series of prints and drawings based on his work in Birmingham and Black Country foundries, evoking the dramatic lighting effects created by blast furnaces in the dark and sombre interiors. His work then focused on architectural themes, considering the relationships between space, structure and light, both internal and external.

Since moving to Cornwall John has been able to develop his interest in discovering unusual and different perspectives on the natural environment. His particular expertise is in exploring the qualities of light and experimenting with form and structure, both natural and man-made. Although known primarily as a printmaker, John also paints and considers it important to draw regularly to improve visual awareness and gain new insight, but his passion is to inspire other artists to develop their practice through the diverse approaches to printmaking: “Printmaking is a very misunderstood medium, with many people equating it to mass reproduction of images. Fine art printmaking is very hands-on, where the artist uses a range of processes to explore and develop new ways of creating images”.

John has exhibited nation wide and his work is held by many city galleries such as Manchester and  Birmingham and  The Victoria and Albert Museum, House of Commons and Ashmolean Museum, among others, hold his work in their collections.

Paintings