JOHN RAYNES  A.R.C.A., R.I.

Born in Australia 1929 but resident in England since the thirties John Raynes
studied painting at St Albans School of Art and The Royal College of Art
1951-57.  Over the next 35 years pursued a successful national and international
illustration practice, commissioned to draw and paint by a huge number and
variety of clients including Pentagram Design, Readers Digest, David
Pocknell Design, Marks & Spencer, The Guardian, Sir Clive Sinclair, Penguin
Books, Norman Foster Associates, Gourmet Magazine (N.Y) and many others.
An interesting diversion in 1996 was the commission to supply drawings for
the best selling book The New Joy of Sex!

In combination with this practice, there was, for 30 years an involvement
with teaching art.

During this period of commissioned work there was little need for or
interest in exhibiting, but drawing, predominantly the figure, continued
without cessation. Drawing from life has always been the source.  In the nineties a return was made to painting full-time, with special interest in portraiture, the human figure and landscape.  He contributed to mixed shows in London, Brighton, Edinburgh and various venues in the west of England.

He has held solo exhibitions in Sherbourne, Bridgwater, Falmouth and Uzes (France).
Works regularly exhibited and sold at the Galeria Internacional de Arts in
Faro, Portugal.  He exhibited 1997 in Abu Dahbi and Dubai as one of the New Orientalist group and continuing to exhibit and paint for private clients in Dubai.
John exhibited at the Royal Portrait Society 1998, 2002 & 2004, and is represented for portraiture at the Mall Galleries, London.
He was elected to membership of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour
after showing five paintings in the annual exhibition 2003 at the Mall
Galleries London one of which won the St Cuthberts Paper Mill prize.

John Raynes has written sixteen book on painting and contributed to others.  He has appeared on television, painting a portrait of actress Meera Syal and is currently working on two large family portrait commissions and preparing paintings for the RI spring exhibition.