American
"John Pike Paints Watercolors," first published in 1978, is the title of the classic watercolor instruction book by artist John Pike. The book is filled with skilled step by step watercolor demonstrations that show his command of painting landscape and urban scenes with an eye for dramatic lighting and spontaneity. Mr. Pike's artistic career included stints working for the Jamaican Rum industry, creating advertising art and designing nightclubs in 1933. By 1945 he was in Korea documenting the U.S. occupation, resulting in a large body of work that can be found in military art archives and museums. In the proceeding years he created paintings in Japan, Greenland, Ecuador, Columbia and Formosa for the United States Air Force (USAF) These works are held in the collection of the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs. John Pike painted cover art and illustrations for major magazines like Life, Readers Digest, Collier's, and Fortune, and worked on commissions for corporations such as Alcoa, General Tire, and Standard Oil. He established the John Pike Watercolor School in Woodstock, New York in 1960 and in 1966 he became an instructor for "Painting Holidays" teaching watercolor workshops worldwide. John Pike was a member of the National Academy of Design, the Society of Illustrators, The American Watercolor Society, the Philadelphia Watercolor Club, and the Air Force Historical Foundation among other associations. — Watercolor Masters: John Pike © 2010 Greg Conley —
