South Australian artist John Lacey has been painting professionally since 2004. It was at this time he changed medium to oil, this was after painting impressionistic landscapes in watercolour and acrylic for the previous 20 years. The change to oil has seen him win numerous art prizes including the coveted Corporate Prize at the Victor Harbor Rotary Exhibition 2007.

Born 1947 in South Australia, John has always had a keen interest in art. Although not fortunate enough to study fine art, he worked as Motor Body Design Draftsman for many years before moving to Graphic Design, operating his own studio for around 20 years. During this period he painted most nights as a bit of a wind down from the daily pressures. Although a self taught artist, John studied colour theory and a little illustration during his Graphic Design diploma.

John’s early work saw him paint like many, in the impressionistic style, which he still enjoys today and can be often spotted painting en plein air studies. This is where the journey for his latest work often begins to develop. Having a keen interest in design and a gradual leaning toward the abstract, sees him simplify yet push the boundaries of the landscape without destroying the sense of place. This results in the viewer quite often being absorbed by the strong design, vibrancy or at times restfulness of colour, tone and texture.

John is represented in many private and corporate collections throughout Australia and internationally, and has won some twenty five awards, been a finalist in the Fleurieu Landscape Prize, Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize and the Heysen Prize. John has held over fifteen solo exhibitions and numerous group shows in SA, NSW, VIC and WA galleries.

In 2009 John and his very supportive wife purchased 3 acres and hour south of Adelaide. Followed by design, build and establishing a large garden they are now living their dream in an eco-friendly home with studio and small gallery attached, located just south of Mt Compass, South Australia.

The Landscape Beckons

“The urge to paint the landscape has been with me for over forty years. Firstly as a hobby painting in watercolour, and now, for almost twenty years painting in oil professionally. Today is vastly different from the representational paintings of my past. The desire to portray fluidly my feelings in oil has led me to expressively delineate the landscape into various degrees of expression and abstraction.

Although some scenes are recognisable there are those where the painting process takes over. I have recently been asked if the audience would be able to recognise the subject of my paintings if they were to visit the site. To which my answer is, “to various degrees”. My motive is to create a memorable artwork of feeling and expression and not photographic representation, but I’m continually lured by nature, the environment and scenery, gathering information in the way of studies and photography that I transform into work in oil in the studio.

This exhibition is exactly that, as the landscape is the motif.

Working on site generally leads me to just painting what I see, capturing realism quickly, as I find the landscape quite compelling. However, working in the studio allows me more freedom of interpretation. I can easily isolate the subject and explore design and feeling in form, tone and colour, some of which is purely from the initial experience of once being there. The landscape we see gives way to my interpretations in line, strokes and layers of oil pigment building my signature mark-making and expression of storytelling on canvas.” – John Lacey, 2022

Achievements

Heysen Prize – Finalist 2012
Waterhouse Art Prize – Finalist 2008
Finalist in the Fleurieu Biennale Landscape Art Prize – 1998 & 2004

Awards

Alexandrina Art Prize – First Prize (acquisitive)
Yaccatracks Art Prize – Yankalilla – Third Prize & Peoples Choice – (2 different paintings)
St Peters Cathedral Art Exhibition – Best interpretation of Light 2012
Yorke Peninsula Art Exhibition – Second Prize 2012
Port Adelaide Rotary Art Exhibition – First Prize – 2010
Clare Rotary Club Art Exhibition – First prize – 2009
Wooden Boat Art Exhibition Goolwa SA – 2009 – Norm Bense Memorial Prize
Blackwood Rotary Art Exhibition – First prize – 2007
Victor Harbor Rotary Club Exhibition – First prize – 2007
Rotary Club of Flagstaff Hill Art Exhibition – First Prize – 2006
St Peter’s Cathedral Art Exhibition – Peoples Choice Award – 2006
The Rotary Club of Clare (SA) Art Exhibition – Winner of Best in Exhibition – 2005
Clare Rotary Art Exhibition – Best Oil/Acrylic – 2004
Blackwood Rotary Art Exhibition – First Prize – 2004
Port Adelaide Rotary Art Exhibition – Second Prize – 2004
Barossa Fine Art Exhibition – Peoples Choice Award – 2003
Sorrento Art Exhibition (VIC) – Best Oil/Acrylic under $800 – 2003
Port Adelaide Rotary Art Exhibition – First prize – Port Adelaide Section – 2003
Port Adelaide Rotary Art Exhibition – First prize – Port Adelaide Section – 2002
Portland (VIC) Rotary Exhibition – First Prize – Painting under $800 – 2002
Mildura (VIC) Art Exhibition – First prize – Best Rural Landscape – 2002
Flagstaff Hill Rotary Art Exhibition – Third prize – 2002

Other Awards

Flagstaff Hill Rotary Art Exhibition Best Acrylic – 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Rotary Art Exhibition of Victor Harbor – Best Oil or Acrylic under $500 – 1998
Glenelg Apex Art Exhibition Best Painting – Glenelg theme – 1999
Kiwanis Art Exhibition – Marion – Best Painting – 1998