John blockley artist biography

Artist Biography .
G John Blockley was a visionary painter known for his books and ground- breaking approach to watercolour.
PERSONAL: Born November 1, 1921, in Knighton, England; died January 16, 2002; married 1949; wife's name Margaret; children: Ann, one other daughter.

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John Blockley was one of Britain's most outstanding watercolour and pastel painters of the late 20th century, and has exhibited at the Royal Academy. Self taught, he produced work that has always been experimental and progressive. His highly textured style was well ahead of his time and still hugely influential now.

The quality of his work is even more staggering given that he never trained at any art college, and spent most of his working life as an engineer. He only started painting full time at the age of 52. His obsession for drawing and painting, even while a successful engineer, was driven by his search for the essence of his subjects. The power of his paintings reveal that passion.

This beautiful retrospective of his work, including drawings, watercolours, pastels and also acrylics, brings together the best of his work. The illuminating commentary on his work is from his daughter, Ann Blockley, who is also an acclaimed painter in her own right. She understands completely where John Blockley was coming from in his artistic vision and also explains the techniques he used. Br

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G. John Blockley

John Blockley – A Retrospective

Compiled by Ann Blockley

Hardback book – (144 pages) Published by Batsford July 5, 2018

John Blockley was an internationally known artist whose work helped change the face of British watercolour. This beautiful retrospective of his work, which includes drawings, watercolours, pastels, acrylics and mixed media is a unique record of his artistic legacy and, for the first time, considers the whole spectrum of development in his painting, showing his progression and inspiration. Subjects range from his iconic landscapes of the wild corners of UK, cityscapes, farm buildings, flowers and still life, figures, marine paintings and more. Artist Ann Blockley offers a perceptive narrative about her father’s painting life, which was always driven by his obsessive search for the essence of his subjects.

John Blockley – A Retrospective is available to buy for £25 plus postage. Click here to order: www.annblockley.com

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Blockley, John 1921-2002

PERSONAL: Born November 1, 1921, in Knighton, England; died January 16, 2002; married 1949; wife's name Margaret; children: Ann, one other daughter.

CAREER: Atomic energy authority, engineering draughtsman, designer, and head of design studio, 1952-74; painter, 1974-2002; painting instructor, 1967-2001. Held several engineering positions in northern England.

WRITINGS:

The Challenge of Watercolour, Pitman, 1979.

Creative Watercolour Techniques, Taplinger (New York, NY), 1980.

Country Landscapes in Watercolor, Watson-Guptill (New York, NY), 1982.

How to Paint with Pastels, HP Books (Tucson, AZ), 1982.

Getting Started in Watercolor, North Light (Cincinnati, OH), 1986.

Watercolour Interpretations, Collins (London, England), 1987.

Pastels, HarperCollins (London, England), 1998.

Author of A Personal Record.

SIDELIGHTS: John Blockley was trained as an engineer and worked for much of his adult life in that profession. He became increasingly dissatisfied with the engineering profession. It was not until 1974, at the age of fifty-t