W L
JOHN CHARLES
ART WORLD DOMINATION BECKONS
A Merseyside dad who overcame a decade of drug and alcohol addiction is now known for painting some of Liverpool ’ s most iconic buildings and figures .
John Charles , 37 , from Kirkby , had a passion for art from a young age and as a child would spend hours covering blank pages back to back in drawings and colour . But after he left school as a teenager , he found himself consumed by a life of drinking and drug abuse , which left him feeling “ depressed ” and at times with worries that he was “ going to die young ”. The dad-of-one said everything changed when he began seeking support for his addiction - and that this led him back onto the path of turning his childhood hobby into a dream career . Wirral Life caught up with him .
Tell us about yourself , who is John Charles ? I used to answer that with ' I ’ m just a fat kid from Kirkby ' but I ’ m learning to love and respect myself more these days so I think I ' d answer it as ' I ’ m a full time professional artist who is trying to make a difference and bring a whole new image into the Art world . I am not your typical artist , and never want to be . I am fun though , I love to have a laugh , oh and I love getting my nails painted !
What jobs have you done in the past ? A paper boy , engineer , civil servant and night club doorman / bouncer .
Where do you get inspiration for your work ? The list is endless , I could be watching a movie and see colours in a scene and have to piece it together into a painting , lyrics from a song , how I feel in any given moment , my past and also my present day emotions , I ' d say my feelings are the main part of my inspiration . Quite often I ' ll be sitting with my wife Jen and daughter Emmy and something will come into my head , I ' ll just jump up and say I need to go and paint ... they tend to be pretty powerful pieces !
Is there anything you won ' t or don ’ t like to paint ? No , not really , I ’ d hate to be one of those artists who pigeon hole themselves into one specific area . I would try my hand at anything , from abstract , animals , portraits , landscapes to architecture ! But I guarantee each one will have my own signature style , so people will instantly know it ’ s a John Charles painting . It always helps if I have some sort of connection with the subject I ’ m painting , even if it ’ s a total stranger I like to know a little about them before I start the process .
Which other artists do you admire ? The main artists for me are Van Gogh , Rembrandt and Jackson Pollock .
I feel I can relate emotionally to Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock . With Rembrandt , I ’ m just in awe of his use of light , they ’ re my three go-to artists .
What do you do when you ’ re not painting ? I like to go to the gym and lift heavy . Yoga is a new found love , but most of all I just love spending time with my family . When I ’ m not in my studio or with them , I work with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities children doing art classes . The feedback I ’ ve had from the children ’ s parents about my classes has been incredible . Some of the children don ’ t like going out of their house but their parents find them sat with their shoes on ready of a Saturday morning waiting to leave for my art classes . The power of art !
What memorable response have you had to your art work ? I recently sold a painting of Stephen Graham called “ Wandering Star ”. This was part of my Liverpool icons virtual exhibition . The painting was bought as a gift for Stephen by one of his friends . The morning the painting was delivered - Stephen ’ s wife sent me a photograph of him with the painting , this blew me away , only a few moments later my phone rang and it was Stephen Graham himself , it literally blew my mind ! I had a great chat with him about the painting and my art in general , he was especially impressed with how I ' d managed to capture the emotion in his eyes . That ’ s one moment I ' ll never forget .
Describe Liverpool City region in 3 words . Boss . Kind . Funny .
What have you got planned for 2021 ? I have been commissioned by CoreSport as the official artist for Eddie Hall vs Hafthor Bjornsson in the heaviest boxing match in history , which is taking place in Vegas next year . I ’ m also excited to announce here and now for the first time that I will have my second solo exhibition in February 2021 . It will be held at St Helens World of Glass , they have a new , larger gallery . My exhibition will be the first to be held there , and this one will be bigger and better than ever before !
Professionally what is your goal ? Art world domination ! To be the best and leave a legacy that my daughter can be proud of !
For more information on a bespoke portrait or to purchase a print , contact John mentioning ' Wirral Life ' on 07752 188488 or email johncharles @ artistjohncharles . com .
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