About – John Washington

NOTE:

My Images are no longer updated here and therefore they are all available on Instagram by clicking here: https://www.instagram.com/washy21/

Former Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design.

I have drawn and produced art since childhood, and back in the late 70s I studied Foundation Art and Design and HND in Graphic Design before working in several design firms. In later years (after a long stint in law enforcement) I studied for BA Hons Graphic Design, PGCE (FE/HE) and MA Digital Image (graphic design) I ran a successful graphic design studio with Leanda Ryan before embarking on an academic career as a senior lecturer in graphic design. Sadly, that career was cut short through illness.

This website contains a selection of personal photographs, digital and analogue graphic based art made from past to present. I have a large archive of photographs but will only post a very limited selection because currently I am interested in art. The photos will be added over time but some of them are available to view on Flickr Link. This work exists as a separate entity from the commercial graphic design produced for buisness: it is my space to create for pure enjoyment.

Thanks to Leanda Ryan, my ex business partner, for the effort made in creating the superb WordPress portfolio theme: INXHIBIT. Inxhibit was inspired by the Indexhibit system: it is a clean and easy to use image based template and can be purchased from Leanda’s inxhibit site.

Pictorial Play

The work in this section is the result of what I call pictorial play. Again, drawing on many influences from artists and designers, I allow myself to create with total freedom. Some of the work is very experimental and others have been created with prints in mind. There are recurring themes as I develop the work so there may be some repetition or development of ideas. The work is almost exclusively graphic based art – its what I enjoy.

The collages are produced digitally and again they provide a great opportunity for play. I wrote a paper regarding digital collage which can be read here.

Portraits

The portraits began as a personal reaction to the illness of depression and anxiety. I suppose the work could fall under the banner of ‘art therapy’ but because I have always engaged in artistic activities it is best thought of as an ongoing project that keeps the demons at bay. Additionally, I have practiced ‘mindful drawing’ having attended several courses in meditation and maintain a daily meditation practice which is now in its seventh year.

The portraits are eclectic in style because I decided to refrain from setting stylistic barriers. That said, they are graphic in nature because of my design background and there will inevitably be some evidence of ‘my style’ emerging.

I have made a firm decision to refrain from aligning the images with academic theory in the form of lengthy supporting texts, but my academic interest is rooted in visual literacy, language and the principles of visual perception. In essence, I continue to study but the actual art work has to come first.