John St. John (1929 - 2000)

Self-taught American painter and sculptor John St. John was born in Dallas, Texas on February 24, 1929. He was reared in rural South Dallas and he spent his boyhood years traveling with his father on sketching trips across Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma. He discovered his gift for the arts in grade school where he made his first drawings and was encouraged by his parents to further develop his talent. He was largely self-taught except for a brief period of study at The Dallas Museum of Fine Arts School in the 1950s.

Inspired by boyhood memories of growing up around Texas oil fields and wildcatters, John St. John’s Petroleum Series captures the intensity of the early oil boom in colors and brush strokes as vivid and bold as the legendary men and events portrayed. Fiercely independent, St. John was fascinated by the entrepreneurial determination and spirit of oil and gas industry pioneers. His work offers an extraordinary glimpse into an epic chapter of Texas history, immortalizing the exploits of independent oilmen through his expressive approach to his subject. (Read More)