John Doherty

Port Hope, Ontario

John Doherty, Purveyor of the Wonderful, is a skilled storyteller who uses his brush to masterfully paint the tale.

John grew up surrounded by pens, paper, paint and amazing artwork at his father’s graphic design studio in Covent Garden, London, England. He always knew that he wanted to be in the art business. A graduate of the Kingston College of Art in London, John was the advertising manager for Guinness for seven years.

John was always fascinated by all the wonderful legends and mythology of England and music has also been extremely important in his life. John typically uses stories or song lyrics to inspire his illustrations.

When John emigrated to Canada in 1982, he quickly discovered the mythology of his newly adopted country and did exhaustive research at libraries and storyteller festivals. The stories and legends of First Nations people – and their relationship to nature – has inspired him ever since.

John’s design background is evident in his use of geometric patterns, bold colour and stylized imagery. Each piece has the narrative inspiration written on the back or underside of the work.

“I have always felt that words are key to what inspires the image and for this reason I always include the text with the work.”