John Patchett is regarded as one of the country's leading exponents in the art of pastel painting and his love for the vibrancy and freshness of the pastels is a feature of his work. He believes it is necessary to paint as much as possible on location, which has resulted in his work having immediacy and a strong sense of light and warmth.
After attending Grimsby School of Art, Kingston-upon-Thames College of Art and Brighton College of Art he settled in Adelaide, Australia where he lived for 19 years. During this period he returned to England regularly to paint and exhibit his work.
In 1994, John returned permanently to this country, settling in East Anglia where he has easy access to some of his favourite landscape, garden, city, Broadland and marine locations.
Besides holding 30 successful solo shows in Australia and England, John's pastel paintings have been exhibited in Japan, New Zealand and with the 'Pastel Society', 'The Royal Society of Marine Artists' and in 1997 at the 'Laing Exhibition' Mall Galleries, London, where his work was awarded the 'Guest Choice' Prize.
In recent years, John Patchett's pastel paintings have become a regular feature in articles in the 'Leisure Painter' magazine.
John feels that the hand can never achieve anything higher than the heart can command; therefore, he chooses inspirational locations, where he can be enthusiastic about his subject and situation.