Watercolour of Italy
John was born in Broken Hill NSW in 1947 and educated in Adelaide. He attended the South Australian School of Art, studying Fine Art and Art History and then later Industrial Design at the Institute of Technology, after graduating he pursued a career in the automotive industry initially designing automobiles in Australia and then to further his career he worked in the USA, Japan, Italy, England and Germany. He lived for extended periods in each of these countries. John now resides in Melbourne where he has his studio.
John now pursues the life of a full time artist, but he will always have an interest in most mechanical objects, boat feature in many of his paintings. He is also an accomplished oil painter having received many awards and acclaim for his aviation art.
John has held about twenty solo exhibitions, and for the past few years has held a solo exhibition at the prestigious Gallery Holly Snapp in Venice Italy. He travels to Europe most years to paint and he has traveled through Europe many times painting on location in Italy, France, England and Portugal, his most extensive travels have been around Italy, his favorite place to paint outside Australia.
"The single most important factor in my painting is the mastering of light; that is light portrayed, light reflected and light suffused. I enjoy the challenge of capturing the changing moods that light creates at different times of the day and the effects it has on the surroundings, such as buildings, the landscape and water. The atmospheric effects of light always stimulates my artistic eye. As an artist I believe that painting on location ensures that I capture the essence of the subject especially the subtleties and nuances of that time and place." John Orlando Birt.
John has won numerous awards, tutored, held workshops and lectured in Australia and overseas, including at the University of Venice Italy Architectural School. He has also undertaken extensive Commissions and his work is held in many Corporate Collections.
John Orlando Birt is an internationally acclaimed Australian Artist.