Born in Syracuse in 1941, and raised on Long Island, John’s life has been an ongoing exploration of creativity, connection, and quiet vision. A lacrosse scholarship took him to Rutgers, where he studied English and found community among artists and poets. His journey west to UC Berkeley in the 1960s, with close friend Robert Pinsky, marked the beginning of a lifelong immersion in Romantic literature, the teachings of William Blake, and Buddhist philosophy.

Blake’s radical embrace of imagination inspired John’s own artistic path — one that would unfold decades later through line drawings and vibrant acrylics filled with wit, wonder, and story. He began drawing during a quiet recovery after gum surgery, nudged into action by artist Joe Bernard and a gifted set of rapidograph pens. From doodles on his desk to a sold-out first show in New Haven, John’s work now spans decades, colors, and continents.

Themes in his work often highlight candid human interaction — scenes caught in motion, like laughter spilling from a café or a dog disappearing with the punchline. His paintings include poetry and haiku, flashes of humor, and bright primary color palettes with little mixing, reflecting influence from Van Gogh, Picasso, CoBrA artists like Appel and Klee, and early New Yorker illustrators such as Steinberg and Steig.

A lifelong vegetarian and former runner, he quietly continues his Buddhist practice in Virginia, where he lives with his wife Nancy, and 2 dogs, Milo and Jordy.  He plays the flute, reads mystery novels, and paints daily — drawing not from models or references, but from a private interior world where imagination reigns. “They just come,” he says of his images. And they do — each one, a moment stepped into, a story told without asking permission.