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John Arana was born in Los Angeles, CA, and grew up in Seattle, WA. He spent a great deal of time in his youth racing cars and motorcycles and hoped to be a professional racer. It was not until he was drafted at the age of 23 and joined the United States Air Force that he became aware that he had artistic talent. In the air force, after taking an aptitude test, he was assigned to be an illustrator and the art world opened to him. After serving four years in the air force, John Arana went to New York City to study painting and drawing at The Art Students' League of New York. He was a star student in the ateliers of notable portrait painters William Draper and Everett Raymond Kinstler, chiaroscuro master David A. Leffel, and painter and illustrator Burton Silverman. John Arana employed his portrait training to paint portraits in Provincetown in the 1970's, where he also trained with colorist Henry Hensche. Arana was the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards in New York City, notably The William C. McNulty Memorial Scholarship, The Salmagundi Club Award, The Dr. Stephen Gould Award, The Carl P. Schwab Award, and the prestigious McDowall Travelling Scholarship, which allowed him to travel and paint in Europe and South Africa. John Arana is equally comfortable working in oil, watercolor, pastel or graphite. His work is most notable for its extaordinary sensitivity, masterful draftsmanship and subtle use of color. His landscapes are characterized by beautiful color relationships and wonderfully complex surfaces. His figurative work is unique not only for the virtuosity of the drawing, but also for the romantic sensuality. His work stands apart because of his ability to evoke emotion. The feelings summoned by a painting or drawing are what he has always believed to be the most important part of a work of art. John Arana currently lives in Seattle where he maintains a studio not far from the Puget Sound. His work is widely collected in the United States and abroad. |
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