I was born in 1953 in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Around age 10 we moved to the small town of Guntown, where I grew up. I graduated from Saltillo High School in 1970. In 1976 I married Deborah Hollowell and we had one son, Will. We then moved to a small town in West Tennessee. We later divorced, after which I got into a lot of trouble and wound up in prison.
It was in Leavenworth I first started painting... I was befriended by a fellow inmate that was a wonderful artist. He taught me a lot, then I began watching others, and copying what they were doing... It just seemed to come natural to me, and I loved it. I began to do more and more original stuff...
Having been raised in the south, and an avid hunter and outdoorsman, I have used my memories of the southern countryside to inspire my wildlife and animal paintings, as well as most of my landscapes and still lifes.
And being born and raised in Misissippi, the state bird (mockingbird) and the state flower (Magnolia) have been an inspiration for a lot of my paintings. The "Spirit of Mississippi" painting was one of my best works. I have had lithograph prints made of it in both 16X20 and 8X10 sizes that are available for purchase on my website.
While at Leavenworth, the prison sponsored an art show for all the artist inmates to display and sell their work. I won a number of blue ribbons and "Best of Show" awards, and sold paintings to admirers as far away as Germany and Venezuela.
I have been moved to a prison in Marion, Illinois. Here I do not have an outlet for my art, so my Mother and sister have set up websites to try to sell my paintings. Please check it out at
www.hanginggrapesfineart.com
I know that my talent is a gift from God, and I treasure it. It has become my life, and I hope you enjoy the paintings as much as I enjoyed painting them.
God bless you all...
John
