John Peyton Great American Outdoor Artist
by MARVIN PIRILA
www.fishingwebmaster.com
John Peyton was arguably the most versatile artist of his time. He created well over 700 masterful artworks ranging from landscapes, wildlife, nudes, to stills. His works are now grabbing the imagination and awe of viewers in galleries throughout Minnesota,. John captured both the spirit and theme of each scene through skillfully blended colors and imagery.
John grew up and lived in Duluth Minnesota his entire life. He lived to explore Minnesota's great outdoors and lock the spirit of the woods in his paintings. He daringly mixed mediums and colors to get the desired effect he wanted and the effect was incredible.
John drew and painted with many mediums that included: acrylics, black and whites, charcoal, collages, ink, oils, pastels, pencil, photoprints, and watercolors. He mixed many of the mediums to create unique works.
He used these many mediums to create works in various themes such as: landscapes, nudes, portraits, fantasies, wildlife, and stills. John especially liked painting and writing about the Lake Superior region between Duluth and Grand Marais. The several wildlife paintings include: ducks, geese, bears, rabbits, beavers, lynx, partridge, squirrel, and wolves.
John loved painting so much, he rarely took the time to show or sell his paintings. In fact, very few people had the chance to enjoy them until his granddaughter Kris Cameron, her husband Doug, and John's daughter Beryl Peyton, began showing them to galleries. John's extensive collection is now available online at http://www.paintingsprintsandarts.com. Based on the number of visitors and the pages viewed, art collectors and others wanting something unique have found what they've been looking for.
A collection of this quality and size are virtually impossible to find these days. Incredibly, almost all of the original paintings are still available for purchase. The prices of an original ranges from $150 to $4,800, making them affordable to almost everyone. An art enthusiast or museum could purchase almost every John Peyton collection of original works! This window is likely to close quickly as his work becomes more renowned.
It's hard to imagine that Mr. Peyton could've done more than paint, considering the size of his collection. However, John wrote and illustrated five books, and has one more waiting to be published. He also wrote a collection of poems that may still be published. John accomplished all this while working as a banker, and being a husband and father.
Peyton's first book, The Stone Canoe and other stories, published in 1989, received the Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. He has also written a children's book, Voices from the Ice (1990) and a novel, Faces in the Firelight (1992), both published by McDonald and Woodward.
John was always looking for more in his paintings, and was excited when the Internet came along. He saw a bright future using computer applications and the Internet. John continued to paint until he had a stroke at the age of 90 and couldn't anymore. John never quit, he didn't know how, and continued to write two more books up until his death at age 94. John's collection is a testimonial to this one amazing man's love of the outdoors and life it's beautiful, filled with wonder, and surprising turns.
John Peyton's works are also available as Giclee prints at http://www.paintingsprintsandarts.com.