John Vander

Landscape Painter Oil on Board

John paints seascapes and landscapes, but it is old country town street scenes and homesteads, which John Vander is renowned for. When John Vander paints a town he paints it as a portrait painter would paint his subject. Every building is accurate. He sketches every building in the street before he starts his final work. John says ‘My paintings are sparked by my feeling for the subject. I want others to view my work and catch the same impression of light, colour and form that inspired my original impulse!’

John’s ability to capture a nostalgic glimpse of Australia’s past, like a rusty windmill in a paddock, through a unique self-taught style has made his work keenly sought after and although he had painted in Europe, it was not until 1976 with the encouragement of his wife Frances, that painting became his professional career. John uses a palette knife to create his paintings.

John Vander was born in Belgium in 1945. He came to Australia in 1969 and began a love affair with this country. As an artist not born in Australia, he feels that he saw and still sees the Australian environment with a fresh eye, the outlook of the traveller, the pioneer, who is on a never-ending journey of discovery. John resides and paints from his studio and gallery at Stanwell Park on the picturesque NSW South Coast.