John Walker’s (American, b. England 1939) oeuvre, spanning across over sixty years, has included a variety of abstract approaches bound together by a careful balance between raw and spontaneous movement, and mindfully structured space. Originally from Birmingham, England, Walker attended the Mosely School of Art and later the Birmingham School of Art and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. Walker has been inspired at different times by the art of Oceania, European masters Goya, Manet, and Matisse, and the work
of American Abstract Expressionists. Throughout his career he has utilized different shape and pattern motifs: in the 1980s, a time when his work was heavily influenced by the art of Oceania, his “Alba” shape (a loose reference to Goya) was a focus of most paintings; in the ’90s, polka-dots and egg-like orbs prevailed; and his 21st century work has included a variety of repeating amorphous shapes and zig-zag lines.
Much of Walker’s work of the last 20 years is based on the coast of Maine, where the artist lives. These abstract landscapes oscillate between spontaneity, and a decidedly conscientious approach to shaping the architecture of the canvas. In a palette which ranges from crisp whites and primary and secondary colors to muddied, rusty browns, greys, and black, alongside gritty surfaces and carefully manipulated linear movement, Walker evokes the character of the New England coastal landscape.
The artist’s many teaching appointments throughout his lengthy career have included Cooper Union, Yale University, the Victoria College of the Arts in Melbourne, and the Royal College in London. He retired in 2015 from his position as the head of the graduate department in painting at Boston University.
Clock + Shell II, 2023, oil on canvas, 72 x 60 inches
Riverview II, 2023, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Black Pond II, 2023, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Catch I, 2022, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
For Harvey, 2022, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Catch II, 2022, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Solitude, 2021, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Resurrection III, 2022, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
The Gut, Bristol no. I, 2018, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Place, 2018, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Nomad I, 2018, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Luna + Point, 2018, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Tidal Change, 2017, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Looking In, 2017, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Stern View, 2017, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Hush, 2017, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Swept In, 2017, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Passage, 2015, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Tidal Touch VI (Coastal Touch I), 2014, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Wake, 2014, oil on canvas, 84 x 66 inches
Black Tidal Pool, 2010, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Untitled, 2008-2009, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Fall, Maine, 2003-2008, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Untitled, 2005, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Sea Cake II (Winter 04), 2004, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Ice Cakes and Fog, Blue Winter, 2004, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Reflections, Low Tide, 2003-2004, oil and mixed media on linen, 84 x 66 inches
Dawn - July 01, 2001, oil on linen, 84 x 66 inches