Artist’s Profile

John Pothecary is an artist living and working in Winchester.

He worked in engineering machine shops and factories in the 1970’s as a skilled toolmaker.

He was schooled in art at the Portsmouth college of Art and Design in 1981. He was taught by artist John Mynott and studied technical illustration in the first two years before qualifying for his final two years in graphic design.

While at college he successfully set up a design company to sell his stationary designs to major retailers such as ‘Rymans’, ‘Paperchase’, ‘Expressions’, and ‘Scribbler’ in Covent Garden.

In 1983 he won a National Design award for postcard art which was marketed by the National Council For Civil Liberties and exhibited at Brixton.

Meeting artist Philip Sutton inspired John into working in brave bold colour, to pose an interesting fusion with abstract and semi abstract images, and to aim for an achievement of atmosphere and intrigue on the canvas.

In his capacity as an R.S.A. Art and Design Assessor and Lecturer in the 1980’s, John featured for two years in a BBC2 documentary called ‘Seventeen’.

In the late eighties John bought a house in the South of France after an invite from artist Neville Paine to view some property.

In 1992 John had a residency at The Granary in Bishops Waltham and the following year he had a residency at Horse Racing Stables in Morestead. He also painted works of the Tour De France passing through Winchester and portraits for Portsmouth Football Club during the later nineties.

He is now working on a new exhibition from his studio in Winchester whilst receiving commissions.