John Coffey

Mercer County

Painting

Art major - Concord College

Website

I work almost exclusively with watercolor, creating a pencil or pen and ink drawing occasionally. I began painting in watercolors in the evenings, working almost exclusively from photographs. I work only from my own photographs, with the exception of an occasional commissioned piece that will not be publicly exhibited. My main influences are the landscapes of West Virginia and the central Appalachian Mountains, although I occasionally paint from photographs taken during my travels to other parts of the world. I never attempt to copy a photograph and almost all of my original work is on 140 pound cold pressed paper.

Biography

I am a watercolorist specializing in landscapes and buildings, primarily in and around southern West Virginia but also other parts of the world. I grew up in Monroe and McDowell Counties, WV and currently live in Mercer County, WV. I majored in art at Concord College in the 1960s, where I took only one watercolor course and decided the medium wasn’t for me. In the late 1980s I had a change of heart and decided to teach myself to paint with watercolor, and when I made the all important connection between drawing and watercolor have achieved some small degree of success. I am currently a member of the West Virginia Watercolor Society as well as being a Tamarack juried artisan and a past member of the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society, the Appapachian Artist Association and the Beckley Art Group. I have held one-man shows at I have held one-man shows at the Chuck Mathena Center, Princeton, WV; Sister’s Coffeehouse, Princeton, WV; Carrington’s Cofffeehouse, Bluefield, WV; Neighbors Arts and Crafts, Princeton, WV and the Payne Gallery, Bluefield, WV. My awards include Tamarack’s Best of West Virginia show 2011 – Award of Merit; Beckley Art Group / Cynthia Bickey Gallery, West Virginia Memories Show – Best of Show, and various awards at other Beckley Art Group shows; Various first, second, third, honorable mention and best of show awards from Appalachian Artist Association and Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society shows.