ALTHOUGH HE WAS INTERESTED IN ART as a boy, John Fawcett initially pursued a career in veterinary medicine. However, the desire to paint was always there, so in 1996, after practicing for twenty years, he sold his hospital and began to paint full-time. A self-taught artist, Fawcett works in both watercolor and oil. “It depends on the subject matter,” he notes. “There is a certain softness and fluidity with watercolors, while oils provide rich color and textures and a buttery feeling.”
Fawcett pursues his passion in the mountains of Colorado and the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with his wife, Elizabeth, and their horses and dogs. After decades spent studying and being inspired by his subjects, he focuses on the relationships between animals and people. “I want the viewer to be able to smell the horse, hear the hoofbeats—to have all their senses taken in by in the painting.” Fawcett’s work is included in a number of museum collections including the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia; Cheyenne Frontier Days Museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming; James Museum of Western Art in St. Petersburg, Florida; Scottsdale Museum of Art in Scottsdale, Arizona; Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, Arizona; and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Notable Awards and Achievements
2023 Autry Museum of the American West, Masters of the American West, Gene Autry Memorial Award
2021 Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Quest for the West, Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award
2015 Autry Museum of the American West, Masters of the American West, Autry Museum Award for Watercolor (also 2014, 2010, 2006)
2009 Friends of Western Art, Artist of the Year Award
2006 Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Western Spirit Art Show and Sale, Museum Purchase Award
1997 National Park Service, Arts for the Parks, U.S. Art Award of Merit
1996 Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Artists’ Choice Award
Selected Publications
Art of the West
Cowboys & Indians
Equine Image
InformArt
The River Flows: Watercolors of the American West, published 2020
Southwest Art
U.S. Art
Western Art Collector
Western Horseman
Memberships
American Association of Equine Artists, Signature Member
Mountain Oyster Club, Honorary Lifetime Artist Member
Gallery Representation
InSight Gallery, Fredericksburg, Texas
The Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, Arizona
Wildhorse Gallery, Steamboat Springs, Colorado