Biography
John
Maxwell, Artist
John was born and raised in the Kensington section
of Philadelphia. He was educated in the Philadelphia public school system and
graduated as an art major from Mastbaum Technical High School.
Unable to find work as an artist, he decided to pursue a career in engineering.
After finishing high school, John enlisted
in the U. S. Air Force. He served
for three years, one year of that time in Korea.
Upon his discharge from the military, he
was employed as a draftsman at Moore Products (now Siemens) in Spring House, PA.
It was in those early years at Moore Products that he met his wife-to-be
Shirley (Kilmer) of North Wales. They
were married and soon thereafter moved into Lansdale.
Although working as a designer, John
always had an interest in art. It
first manifested itself in acrylic paintings of pet animals he did for his
family and friends on sweatshirts – the first one being that of the family
pet, Merry, a Yorkshire terrier. They
were so well done and admired that he expanded his work to include pen and ink
sketches of landmarks in the North Penn area, such as the old Montgomeryville
Mart and the Gwynedd Valley train station.
As time went by, he further developed his
interest and became a member of the Lansdale Arts League, where he became and
still is, an active participant. Most
significant of his work with this group was his roll for several years as
consultant for the Lansdale Festival of the Arts.
Because of his interest in painting, John
accepted an early retirement offer from Moore Products and now works full time
as an artist.
Some of his most popular works are those
he has done and continues to do of Boathouse Row, which is situated along Kelly
Drive in the Fairmount Park section of Philadelphia.
His latest project is a series of Watercolors to compliment his Pen &
Ink drawings of every boathouse on the Schuylkill.
In addition, John specializes in home
portraits and has received commissions from parties ranging from New England to
Mexico.
His works have been on display in various
shows and businesses throughout the Delaware Valley, including Sellersville’s
Gallery in the Park, Lansdale’s Festival of the Arts, The Doylestown Art
Festival, Chestnut Hill’s Festival of the Arts and the Woodemere Art Museum.
John and his wife Shirley continue to
reside in Lansdale PA. They have
two daughters and three grandchildren.
John is an avid college basketball fan, and when he is not painting, can often be found either on a tennis court or a golf course.