John was born in the coastal plain of North Carolina in the small town of St. Pauls. He received a BS in wildlife biology from N.C. State University. John got his love of birds from his Aunt Della who had an abundant interest in all of creation. His father, a talented watercolor artist and an able naturalist, gave him instruction and encouraged him in his career.

John has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator since 1971. His art has been exhibited in highly acclaimed shows and appeared in a number of books and magazines. John was the illustrator for the Bird Identification Calendar published by the Massachusetts Audubon Society from its beginning in 1980 until 2007. He has given workshops on field sketching for the American Birding Association and other venues. While the subjects of most of John’s work have been birds (both real and imagined), his illustrations for his wife Cathryn’s much awarded “About” series of natural history books for children have expanded his art to include other wildlife.