Exhibitions
2006 Solo Exhibition Constant InconstantSEA 30 acrylic/mixed media on canvas (Selling 15 paintings at the opening,) Venue: The Goulburn Club, NSW
Extract from the article Saxton Art makes Waves published in Goulburn Post 15 November 2006 by David Cole:
Local artist John Saxton's colourful exhibition entitled 'Constant InconstantSEA' opened at the Goulburn Club on Saturday, November 4. About 40 friends and family friends gathered for the opening, some travelling considerable distances to view this collection of work.
In performing the official opening ceremony, Tamworth visitor Richard Manning commented on the humour in Mr Saxton's work which reflects the artist's character.
Mr Saxton's paintings (all acrylic on canvas) are his impressions of an ever-changing sea that seeks to express his interpretation of nature's mysterious and wonderfully unique phenomenon.
"The sea has been of constant appeal and fascination to me all of my life," Saxton said. "The liquidity of the sea fascinates but the land changes too, more subtly."
Saxton grew up on the Northern Beaches and started out in advertising as art/creative director.
He was one of the designers of our original decimal coins introduced from 14 February, 1966. He was also head of design at Charles Sturt University for 10 years during the 80s. Saxton was also the Inaugural People's Choice Award of the Goulburn Art Award at the Goulburn Regional Gallery.
His work has been exhibited numerous times including at the Goulburn Regional Gallery, Wagga Wagga Regional Gallery, Solander Gallery Canberra ACT and Beaver Gallery Canberra, ACT.
2004 Invited to exhibit a number of pieces (Sea Creatures) Black and white ink drawings with colour, a series of works on paper in group exhibition at Forest Gallery at Durras, on the South Coast, NSW.
1994
Solo Exhibition Fruitful Fantasies a series of paintings in mixed media at Benton's Cafe, Goulburn, NSW.
The exhibition was initiated by Chip and Jan Benton. At the opening an auction was held early on and all art works were for sale that night with good response.
1993 Goulburn Regional Art Gallery / Exhibition Program
Extract from the annual program 16 Oct-13 November 1993
John Saxton - People's Choice Exhibition.
With his pastel works on paper, John Saxton was a clear winner of the People's Choice Award in the 1992 Lilac City Festival Exhibition and this solo exhibition is his prize. He has a well established reputation as both a practising artist and as an art teacher and the exhibition presents a selection of his latest work.
1992 Winner of the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery People's Choice Award
... with a series of 4 pastels titled Spring ... Summer ... Autumn ... Winter these images represented the seasons in a metamorphosis manner which included the suggestion of flowers/plants and the female human form in part.
Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (Jennifer Lamb, Director.)
To quote extracts of the Essay by Jennifer Lamb (awarded OA in 2008), of the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery:
At the Lilac City Festival Exhibition held at this gallery last year John Saxton won the Inaugeral People's Choice Award a popular vote for the best work in an open exhibition of 120 works by some fifty artists and craftspeople of the Goulburn Region. This exhibition is the prize for that award.
In 1992, as well as exhibiting in the Lilac City Festival Exhibition, Saxton was also an invited participant, his work was about metamorphosis, this being a strong element in his work.
Perhaps his work is a pun on the tradition of still life in which fruit and vegetables are depicted to look so
lusciously delectable that the viewer feels tempted to pick out a fruit to eat it. Saxton's fruits, however are
luscious in other ways that have little to do with eating. They may suggest precious stones of voluptuousness.
In discussing these works, Saxton also refers to surrealism. His images are not planned, nor does he work from life; each image is from his imagination and its form evolves as he works, his subconscious creating the images as much as his consciousness designs it.
And of course a touch of whimsical humour is rarely out of the picture.
Also to quote Sydney Morning Herald extract from Short Black John Newton's food & wine column on 26 October 1993:
Sweet Talking / Fruit and Veg as Art GOULBURN readers should feast their eyes on the People's Choice Exhibition by the local artist and lecturer, John Saxton at GRAG / Civic Center corner of Bourke and Church Streets, before November 13. John's pastels of pears, lemons, berries and oubergine do for art and food what the film Like Water for Chocolate is doing for literature and food: They're sexy, whimsical and voluptuous.
1992 Initiated and invited by GRAG Director, Jennifer Lamb, as one of 15 artists selected to exhibit a series of 10 artworks on the Tree-Theme to celebrate the International Year Of The Tree '94 at the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery NSW.
1987 Group Show Lecturers' Exhibition, representing The Centre for the Arts Charles Sturt University, Riverina Campus, at the Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery, NSW (Director: Judy Le Lievre, who also commissioned John to design the poster and other promo pieces for this one off exposure.)
1983 Beaver Gallery, Canberra ACT. Australian Native Birds Works on Paper / mixed media. Total space shared with two other artists with similar topics.
1982 Joint exhibition at Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery. Invited by its director, Judy Le Lievre, to hold an exhibition by three artists:
A retrospective exhibition by John Saxton: Drawings and Paintings to cover a 20 year period from 1962 to 1982.
Total gallery space shared with wife: Penny Saxton: Ceramics ... also embracing the well known visiting artist/lecturer, Akio Maciwayeo:
Japanese Sculpture drawings and sculpture.
1977/87 Annual Group show: Lecturers' Exhibition Venue: Centre for the Arts at Riverina Campus, Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga NSW. (Being current head of graphics John was asked to design/print the poster, invitations and other promo material for all 10 annual exhibitions.)
1981 Solander Gallery, Canberra ACT (Director: Joy Warren)
Solo exhibition displayed in upper level space: John Saxton: Surrealism at Solander. Watercolours, drawings and mixed media on Archers paper.
An extract from Sonja Kaleski Canberra Times 14 September, 1981:
John Saxton's pictures are peopled by cats and definite personalities. 'The morning rise' is about a sneaky feline stalking several fish, its body a skeletal version of its prey. 'The evening rise' shows cats sitting on chairs watching another skeletal fish being rolled back like a sardine can ... Initially I thought that John Saxton was somewhat sexist in his treatment of women, but I have since amended that view. He delights in the sensuality of women but I don't think he turns his images into exploited sex objects.
John Saxton plucks his fantasies from the subconscious and garnishes them with between the eyeballs humour and joie de vivre. Rock into Solander and pluck out a few of your own fantasies.
Exhibition outcome successful with many pictures being sold at the opening, and at that weekend many more pictures were given the red dot.
Private Collections / Commissions
Many artworks sold over nearly a 40 year period, and private commissions completed in: Canberra; Sydney and its Northern Beaches; the South Coast area of NSW; other regional areas particularly in Wagga Wagga and Goulburn; some overseas areas, mainly in the UK, Scotland and Scandinavia. The artworks included a range of media in the many and varied forms of image making and photography.