For John
Payne, painting portraits, whether they are of people or of animals is
nothing short of an ideal vocation in life. Born in Essex in
1973, John grew up with a passion for art and
later developed a profound talent for portraits.
I've been a professional portrait artist for the last 12years but
have been painting for a lot longer . I started out by painting
nothing but seascapes and still do the odd one from time to time , I
then moved onto landscapes and wildlife paintings before I finally
decided to concentrate on portraits.
I get commissioned to paint a lot of pets , mainly dogs - but I also get
to paint a fair amount of portraits of people . And when I am not painting
commissions I normally spend my time painting copies of famous works of
art which I find helps me to refine my own painting technique . Some of
these painting are for sale on this website and on eBay.
When I am not painting I spend my time ... ....
Actually if I am to be
completely honest with you I spend all my time painting , I thought about making
some stuff up to make me sound more interesting than I really am - scuba diving
, environmental activism etc. and I briefly considered saying I was a published
poet and an author of children’s literature , but this would be complete rubbish
and I would be a complete and utter liar - that said if I am to tell you
something about myself then I should probably let you know I once starred in a
Hollywood movie alongside Robert de Niro , I have journeyed to both poles ,
climbed Everest and was 1992 Olympic gold medallist fencing champion.
My autobiography "exploits of a legendary swordsman "which deals with my
Hollywood years as well as my brief stint as the lead singer of the rolling
stones (1994 - 96 ) can be bought at any good bookshop.
I also enjoy reading , my favorite authors being Robert Rankin , Terry Pratchett
and Ian M Banks.