I began drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon. In my youth, I spent many summers on Nantucket Island, Mass., where I became enamored with the artist community. There, I began painting copies of local art, but soon found my own voice, painting wildlife and the environments they inhabited.
After years of working and painting in several areas of the country, my wife, Elaine (an amazing potter), and I settled in the North Lake Tahoe area. We’ve been here going on 16 years, absorbed with the wonder of grandchildren and the beautiful flora and fauna the mountains, lake, and surrounding forests offer.
My mediums vary, although I mostly paint in oil and acrylic. Lately, I’ve been drawn to sculpture, with help from Elaine, who creates the ceramic armatures upon which I build. Whatever medium I’m using, I attempt to capture a brief moment in the cycle of life — a cycle that repeats but is unique unto itself.
The sky as a storm approaches. The way the sun strikes a patch of snow on a frosty morning. The moon shining on snow-covered mountains. The sun reflecting off the waves of the lake at day’s end. These are the images that conjure the joy I feel and attempt to convey in my art.
My work, along with Elaine’s pottery, can be found at Chickadee Art Collective in Kings Beach, Mountain Arts Collective in Truckee, and Handmade At the Lake in Incline Village.
See their work on Facebook at “John Randall” and “John and Elaine Randall: Painter and Potter,” and on Instagram @johnandelainerandall.
