Artist Jon Howlett

“My journey with the art world stems back to my roots. I hail from a family of creatives and have built on their knowledge and experience whether it be painting on canvas, sculpting an object, illustration which my eldest sister trained in, or even building our own family home.

Throughout school I was passionate about art class and at the age of 18 I was awarded the Art Trophy in my Senior School for highest effort and achievement. I studied Graphic Design at University as part of my further education and then spent a year travelling to broaden my experiences and outlook on life. On my return to the United Kingdom, I set up a small sculpting business from my family’s garage and successfully sold sculptures in sandstone through a local Garden Centre, selling five pieces within six months.

Living in Canada has created a love of the outdoors, nature and wild animals, which has inspired me to paint local landscapes and the animals that inhabit this vast country. There are also many artists that have inspired me, in particular Rembrandt with his beautiful use of light and Peter Paul Rubens for his complex compositions. Recently the work of Robert Bateman, Francoise Neilly and Vincent Fantauzzo have greatly impressed me. My artistic style started from the inspiration that the great views of Canadian landscapes gave me and then developed onto the resident wildlife. The more paintings I do, the more I try to portray the personality of the subject or area.”