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Fine Art Originals And Giclées |
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Fine Art Originals And Giclées |
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John A Bradley was born in Sydney, on the 4th September 1945. From his early childhood he showed all the signs of a talented and gifted draughtsman and painter. He recalls with relish, that at aged nine, he used these talents to win movie tickets. Going to the movies was a rare treat for John and his brother. Many summer holidays were spent on the properties of relatives in Narrabri, Glenn Innes, Kurrajong and the Mid North Coast. John's appreciation and connection to the beauty and serenity of nature lay dormant whilst he pursued a much-varied career.
Prior to becoming a professional Artist/Teacher in 1982, he became a soldier, Avionics Technician, Aircraft Inspector and National Marketing Manager for a large electronics company. The diversity of these occupations provided John with the opportunity of travel, both overseas and extensively throughout Australia. The involvement with avionics and electronics taught him the value of precision, a skill he uses admirably in his paintings.
Largely self-taught, John has not been influenced by any past Australian painter, nor does he follow anyone else's style. He admits, however to have a high regard for the late Sir Hans Heysen, with whom he shares a deep feeling for the rugged Australian landscape.
John now lives on a farm in the upper Hunter Valley. From the studio he has expansive views of the farmlands of the Paterson and Allyn Valleys with the Barrington ranges forming a magnificent, ever changing, backdrop.
At the beginning of his career as an artist, John acted as an art teacher with his own school and staff. For fifteen years he assisted his many students while at the same time enjoyed the opportunity to discuss, share, demonstrate and enrich his own unique style of painting. He still includes in his busy life, seminars, painting demonstrations for interested groups and art societies, writing art critiques and judging art shows.
John's early engineering training, his capacity for precision and eye for detail are clearly evident in his rendering of steam locomotives, paddle steamers, historic townships and traditional landscape perspectives.
His subject matter ranges from the harsh outback regions to the verdant coastal scenery of the eastern states of Australia. John's treatment of light on the trees and foliage is unique. The subtlety of colour in his majestic panoramic vistas of the Blue Mountains is awe inspiring.
Most viewers, when introduced to John Bradley's work are pleasantly surprised and taken in by his treatment of light, attention to detail and the depth of his canvasses. His ability to capture an enormous variety of subject matter seems to be never ending.
John's work has been acknowledged worldwide and his works are represented in many private and corporate collections here in Australia and abroad.
During the evolution of my paintings I found that I could see far more colour and subtleties in common subjects than I had ever suspected existed. Almost every shadow contained reflected light and a multitude of colours. A single leaf reflects a myriad of colours and values. Foliage and grass were not simply combinations of ochre's and green. There were brilliant reds, oranges and purples in the new growth of many eucalypts and bushes, incredible variety of natural and reflected colours in the smooth trunks and branches, all of which changed with varying light, weather and season.
In recent years I have found that one can "push the limits" of colour, by carefully balancing highly saturated areas of colour with their opposites loosely mingled together. This retains the brilliance and sparkle of a green for example which has red marbled through it to reduce its apparent rawness at a distance. Pointillism utilizes this principle, but it can look contrived, even if the effect is bright and fresh.
Favorite times of the day for me are early morning and late afternoon where the elements of a landscape are strongly modeled with low light and are more atmospheric and emotive to the viewer. These times are often fleeting, so apart from a quick colour sketch on location, I often have to use a variety of photographic or video equipment to "catch the moment" which may otherwise have altered dramatically in five minutes, particularly towards evening when the light moves and changes so fast.
I enjoy painting scenes with a great deal of depth as I can then employ a full range of tonal values and experiment with perspectives and atmospheres. My favorite subjects include, mountains, rivers, outback areas, old weathered buildings, street scenes, turn of the century transport, night scenes, buildings and people. I am not greatly enthused by ultra-modern paintings, I like to see reality in aPainting. One of the pleasures of doing a commissioned painting is including the family in the painting whenever possible. If the family is keen on fishing, I will paint them fishing, camping or boating in a landscape, or include the old family car, dogs, horses and other details that are personal to the purchaser.
I believe that the role of the landscape artist is to take nature's creations and interpret and render them with all the skill and insight he or she possesses so that the viewer might feel the love and inspiration the painter experienced during the creation of the work.
John's work is sought after by customers throughout Australia, in Japan, the U.K and U.S.A., with several of his larger works commissioned and purchased by local business organizations including, James Hardie, Aquila Steel, Borg Warner, Mercedes Benz and Tandy.
John Bradley is one of Australia's most published artists. His works appear on limited and open edition lithograph prints. Also on Giclee printed, archival quality, paper and canvas prints. These are mostly available in limited editions, although there are a small number of Giclee open editions available.
Fine Art by John Bradley Studios
Commissions taken
Originals and prints for sale or rent
Workshops conducted
