John Chamberlain
John Chamberlain is an artist and illustrator based in Lowestoft, Suffolk, originally from West Yorkshire. He holds an MA in Illustration and Book Arts from Cambridge School of Art. His work is hand drawn or painted, and centres on figures, portraits, buildings and places, both real and imagined.
Alongside his own drawing he has created album art, illustrated a children's book and written online articles, and he often writes alongside drawing. His project work includes North Lanarkshire Stories, a series of figures set in an ancient Scottish landscape; drawings made for a mining museum; and Sea Songs, a book of drawings and digital collage drawing on objects, photographs, anecdotes and memoirs connected to Sheringham. His work has been shortlisted three times for the FIDA Fashion Illustration Awards.
He has taught on a BA Fine Art course, runs independent drawing workshops and has painted theatre sets.
Artist Statement
My work is hand drawn or painted, usually focusing on figures, portraits, buildings and places. It doesn't matter if these people and places are real or fictional, current or historical. I'm interested in how a portrait can tell a story.
I love literature, film, museums, history and mythology. Narrative forms, such as poems, novels and theatre, can inform my work. It all starts with a pen and paper.
