About

John Morfett was born in London 1946. He spent his formative years growing up in the Essex countryside and was educated at Thurrock High School. The family re-located to London in 1963 where he continued his studies specialising in mathematics, applied mathematics, physics and statistics.

A self-taught artist, John first exhibited in his late teens afterwhich his energies increasingly went into photography. In 1967 he travelled through Europe and North Africa.

In 1972 John became a director of a jewellery business with manufacturing and retail outlets. During this time he studied jewellery design at the Sir John Cass College in Whitechapel, and later took a part-time degree course in photography at the Central London Polytechnic.

John went on a round the world trip in 1973, travelling through Thailand, Australia, Hawaii and the East and West Coasts of the USA.

The jewellery business was sold in 1976 so that John could concentrate on a career in professional photography, working in publishing, publicity, advertising and corporate re-branding.

In 1979 he spent six months working in San Francisco where he met the avant-garde musicians and filmmakers the Residents, photographing their prodigy Snakefinger for publicity.

John gave up photography in 1984 and moved to the Essex/Sussex border to concentrate fulltime on painting. During this time he studied a part-time course in Art History at Essex University.

John visited Australia for 6 months in 1989 where he spent his time painting.

He moved to Brighton in 1994 and continued his studies in Art History at Sussex University. John continues to live and work in Brighton.

Exhibitions

1986   Essex University. solo show

1988   Fay Mansions San Francisco. solo show

1993   Wetzler Germany, International Arts Festival  "Six Essex Artists"

1995   Gardner Art Centre, Sussex University, group show “The Way we Live Now”

1995   University of Brighton Gallery. group show “Brighton Alive”

1996   Hans Price Gallery, Weston-Super Mare. solo show

2000   Gallery 100. Brighton group show.

John has exhibited in various open exhibitions including the The Laing Open in 1994 and the Sunday Times, Singer Friedlander in 1994 and 2000. The Discerning Eye in 1995, at the Mall Galleries, London.

Public Collections

Wetzler Germany