John McAllister was born in Slidell, Louisiana in 1973. He lives and works in Northampton, Massachusetts.

John McAllister, deeply drawn to the enigmatic play of light, immersed himself in its exploration through the medium of painting. His journey from California to New York proved pivotal, especially his encounter with Post-Impressionist masters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The works of Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse drew him into the tradition of twentieth-century artists who strive to capture the immemorial elements of light.

In his landscapes, instead of sketching specific scenes and points of view in the natural world, McAllister creates imagined vistas inspired by the sense of the sublime experienced in the beauty of nature. The artist engages in an ever-evolving dialogue with his environment; formed as close by as the flowers planted in his garden beyond his studio door, to riding his bike for miles through the wilderness in his surrounding Massachusetts. Back in the studio he creates scenes that possess the kind of harmonious beauty only possible with a considerate understanding of the delicate balance between the oppositional forces in nature and its constant state of flux: the fleetingness of a single ray of light against the ubiquitous being of the sun: the endless cycle of creative growth into hibernation and decay.

McAllister's almost electric tonalities paint vivid and blooming scenes that embody the essence of pleasure and delight that coexist in painting and nature. His canvases defy conventional perspective, merging flat surfaces with illusions of depth set against intricate backdrops reminiscent of textiles and wallpapers. Each painting - whether a still life, landscape, or detailed interior - offers a poetic glimpse into a world where naïvety flirts with decadence.

John McAllister was born in Slidell, Louisiana, USA in 1973 and lives and works in Northampton, Massachusetts.

John McAllister was deeply fascinated by the mysterious behavior of light and devoted himself to exploring it through painting. His journey from California to New York City marked an important turning point in his art. In particular, the works of the late Impressionist masters he encountered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art had a profound impact. The works of Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse drew him into the tradition of 20th-century artists striving to capture the primordial element of light.

When McAllister paints landscapes, he creates imaginary landscapes inspired by the sublimity he experiences in natural beauty, rather than faithfully reproducing a specific scene or point in time in nature. His work is shaped by a constant dialog with his environment, from the flowers in the garden outside his studio door to the nature he experiences while biking through the wilderness around Massachusetts. Back in the studio, he creates harmonious beauty that can only come from a deep understanding of nature's opposing forces and the delicate balance of constant change. The fleeting transience of a ray of light and the eternal presence of the sun, the endless cycle of creative growth, dormancy, and decay, are reflected in his work.

McAllister captures the essence of the pleasure and joy that coexist in painting and nature with intense, vibrant colors. His canvases transcend traditional perspective, with elaborate backgrounds reminiscent of wallpaper or textiles, in a space that combines the illusion of flatness and depth. His still lifes, landscapes, and detailed interior scenes all offer a glimpse into a poetic world where purity and decadence intermingle.