John Blockley was born in Radnorshire. He
died on Jan 16th 2002.John had little formal art training but painted from an
early age - mostly direct from the landscape. He worked mainly in his studio near Stow on
the Wold from sketches and notes - made outdoors on location. Working this way enabled him
to make his own interpretations and to register his personal feelings about a subject. He
was interested in the sense and mood of a place and not with making a literal copy. He
aimed for a critical balance of abstraction and reality.John's paintings were slways
vigorous in treatment showing his love for the manipulation of the paints to create
passages of energy and textured balance alongside areas of quiet. This attitude developed
from his years of working in and understanding the nature of landscape - in all weathers!
John exhibited widely in this country and abroad. John Blockley was a member of the Royal
Institute of Painters in Watercolour, the Royal West of England Academy and the New
English Art Club. He was also a Past President of the Pastel Society.. You can read John's Obituary from The Times here.
Some of John's
paintings previously sold in the gallery. Most of them
were featured in our May 2002 exhibition "John Blockley & Friends".
