John Walsom

Inspired by painters like JMW Turner, Lucien Freud, Frederick Cuming and Ken Howard, John combines structural understanding with a deft use of light, colour and texture to evoke the atmosphere, resulting in a client list that goes well beyond architectural practices and developers to include leading publishers and global brands. He has a BA in Architecture from the University of Sheffield and has practiced as an architect, architectural photographer and illustrator, as well as a scenic artist at the Crucible Theatre.

Approach

John’s more accurate illustrations are done in watercolour, while he uses acrylics or oils for more expressive pieces. He sets up perspective views on a drawing board in the traditional way and uses a range of stencils for ellipses and curves, working with pencils, brushes and paint.

Styles

Varying his style and media, John can lean towards greater realism or expressiveness according to the brief. He spends more time on the drawing than the painting, which is fairly loose and adventurous, with a rich colour palette. He likes painting oils en plein air – working fast with the changing light.