I am an expressionist artist Based in Sheffield. I am originally from London but have been living in Sheffield for 9 years. I only started painting a few years ago - in 2016 - having been inspired by the works of the German expressionist and their use of bold complementary colours. 

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I am particularly interested in painting the built landscape – taking some liberties with colour – to produce bold but harmonious cityscapes. Where possible I look at the relationship between the built landscape and the natural landscape – starting with a series of paintings of Sheffield’s rivers and moving towards my current project of coastscapes. 

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Since starting painting, my career has moved at a fairly rapid pace. Starting with some small exhibitions in Sheffield and Rotherham, my real break was when I was selected as the featured artist in the October 2017 edition of Now Then magazine. It was a great honour and was followed by a feature in Sheffield’s City Mag in December. 

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In 2018 I was featured in the Sheffield Star after I painted the two football grounds in Sheffield - which was followed by an interview on BBC radio Sheffield with Rony Robinson. I also had a solo exhibition at the Montgomery Theatre in the summer. 

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2018 also saw me run a series of art sessions in Derbyshire for people living with dementia, which used art and some reminiscence elements to create different mediums of art. I learnt so much from the sessions and hope to start them back up later in the year. Please contact me if you are interested in finding out more about these sessions. Or head over to the Dementia art sessions page of my website. 

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2018 was also the year I became a professional artist, leaving my job as a library assistant. You quickly realise it’s not just painting but you need to be a businessman too! It has been a sharp learning curve and very daunting but a fun experience. 

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This year, my Painting of Sheffield MEP, and former Lord Mayor Magid Magid was added to Museums Sheffield's permanent collection and is due to go on display in the new year. At Art in the Gardens in the summer, my portrait of BBC Radio's Paulette Edwards won 1st prize in the Portrait of distinction competition - chosen by Paulette herself. 

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As we approach the end of this year, I look forward to seeing where 2020 takes me!

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Bryan John - November 2019