John Davis Held

As a young child, John Davis Held had no idea that he and his two sisters were well behaved.  As a consequence, his parents frequently took them to some of New York City’s finest restaurants, after spending the afternoons perusing the world class art that the city had to offer.

“I have vivid memories of eating the first éclair of my life at the age of eight in the member’s cafeteria of the Museum of Modern Art.  We had just seen a Magritte exhibition.  It was really something,” he reports.  

When he was thirteen, he was accepted into the Science Honors Program of Columbia University, and spent his weekends taking Psychology, Computer and Astrophysics courses.  But his fascination with art soon led him in other directions.

“I remember spending a lot of afternoons visiting Art Galleries in the Village when I was supposed to be doing my homework in the library,” he recalls.  

During his college days at the California Institute of the Arts, John lived in an African hut that he helped build during a course in African Hut Building and Sorcery.  He then moved his studies up to Washington State where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Art from the Evergreen State College.

Since then, the award winning artist has become known for his luminous skies painted in both pastel and oil. He is represented by galleries in Maryland and New Jersey.  Much of his work is done without reference photos, and conveys a sense of light and peace which is quite unique.

“After I finish a painting,” the artist says when describing his process, “I feel like a traveler returning with magical mementos from an extraordinary journey.”

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