Johnathon Hayes

I think if I were to focus on what most inspires my watercolour paintings, it would be the vast irregularities and infinite changes that nature provides. Whether it's the patterns and striations that time and the elements have etched into a rock formation, or a stand of dormant trees whose branches like fingerprints are no two alike, or even the ever changing reflections in a body of water brought about by wind, wave or flow, these intricate details are what capture my intrigue.

I like to set myself a challenge that may take months to solve, but I cannot compromise my work. The brush I prefer to use is a double zero, and that is why there are sometimes in excess of one million brushstrokes in a painting by Jonathon Hayes.

I was born in 1962 in St. Thomas, Ontario and have resided in nearby Port Stanley for the past several years. Recalling back to early grade school I enjoyed art classes and carried this interest into post secondary education at Ontario College of Art and the University of Western Ontario. However I would have to describe my painting style as self-taught. With hard work and painstaking attention to detail the sense of accomplishment from a finished painting is truly the greatest reward.