John Holub

About the Artist

For those of you who enjoy the tradition of open-air impressionist paintings, John Holub's art holds great appeal. John's paintings are distinguished by their varied brush strokes and rich color. To John the essence of the painting begins on the scene. "I will use either oil, watercolor, gouache, or pencil, as long as I record what excited me about the scene, he says. "I like to focus on surprises, the unexpected, an object of beauty that has been overlooked. Sometimes it's common place,sometimes the unusual."

John travels to a number of different places throughout the year to paint on-location, spending most of his time painting in the Caribbean and Italy. Commission work also takes him to other various locations. John's permanent studio is in central Maine where he further develops many of his on-location paintings.

Born on Long Island, New York, John was always interested in art. Even as a child, he spent much of his time painting and drawing. Years later, after a tour in the United States Air Force and a move to Maine, he finally decided to pursue his childhood fascination. He began with pen-and-ink renderings. Later on, he developed his skill as a watercolor painter. He has since gone on to gouache and oil.

Self-taught for the most part, John took a number of workshops when he first started painting in watercolor. Now he works mostly in oil. At first he attended outdoor art shows, displaying his pen-and-ink renderings and watercolor paintings. For a short he was a sketch artist, drawing quick portraits at various art shows. To promote his pen-and-ink illustrations, he illustrated a book and wrote an outdoor column about Maine's woods and waters. At one point, he co-owned an art gallery. His work is represented in various galleries throughout the United States and in the Caribbean. John's paintings have won numerous awards and appear in private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad.