John Virtue

John Virtue is an English, abstract artist who specialises in monochrome landscapes. Virtue was born in Accrington, Lancashire 1947. He trained at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1965 to 1969. In 1971 he moved to Green Haworth, where he painted landscapes for two years before abandoning painting in favour of pen and ink drawings comprising dense networks of lines like Samuel Palmer. In 1978 he worked as a postman up to 1985, then he worked as a full-time artist.

Ever since he was a child he painted townscapes and extremely well for his age. His father prompted him to forget the life of an artist, in fear that he would fail in such a career. Thus he became a post man. He used to work on 3 inch canvas's, then expanded to 14 feet paintings.

Virtue now creates artwork (usually 14 feet) for the National Gallery in London. Creating tessellated and  monochrome townscapes with acrylic, spray, gawsh, garden spray, pallet knives, spatulas, all sorts of brushes and sponges. He used to work with oil paints until it started to effect his health and he got into acrylics.  I like the composition of this piece, monochrome, mood and atmosphere. It is extremely intense and dramatic, just like Virtue's personality.