Over the last decade John has taken part in several sea voyages and island residencies. As well as exploring a diverse range of materials and techniques he has sought to collaborate with other artists including cabinetmaker Cecil Tait and poet James Mainland. The exhibition includes sketchbooks, collographic prints, silverpoint drawings and relief stone carvings.
Since 2007 John has been engaged in an ongoing series of projects relating to the ocean, island environments and climate change. In the summer of that year he spent a week aboard Song of the Whale on the Minch, accompanied by oceanographers, film makers, poets, architects and playwrights. Subsequent trips aboard the Swan around the North Isles were followed by a residency at the Bressay Lighthouse.
The research done on these trips has developed into a substantial body of work which has been shown in Orkney, Edinburgh, Lerwick and Dortmund. In 2015, as part of a collaborative venture, John co-edited and illustrated Working The Map, an anthology of scientific writing, essays, recorded voices and poetry on the subject of islanders and environmental change.
FLOW is under Shetland Arts’ new Beyond Bonhoga brand, which will present a programme of visual art exhibitions in new and exciting locations around Shetland.
