Self-taught artist finds solace in sketching heritage buildings

While some skills are learned, some come naturally, as in the case of this self-taught grey lead guru, who says he draws mainly for therapy.

John’s drawings of heritage buildings — his subject matter of choice these days — took out first and second place in the Open Art section at this year’s Shepparton Agricultural Show.

A drawing of ‘The Aussie’ (Hotel Australia), circa 1900 and complete with horse hitchracks, drinking troughs and its original outer staircase where Jack’s Bar is now, while it was still named the Union Hotel, took out the top award.

While a drawing of Dhurringile Mansion he created using a 1967 photograph for reference took the second prize.

“I choose heritage buildings to draw because nothing new has any character,” he said.

“I was born in the wrong era.”

The artist, who’s in his 50s, said he’d been drawing since he was a kid, but it wasn’t always architecturally inspired content.

He dabbled in abstract themes and bird portraits, before his art took a dark turn when he traversed a particularly tough time in his life, battling alcohol addiction, losing his mum and being consumed by deep depression and debilitating anxiety.

But when he picked up his pencil to start a new artwork around 12 years ago, an old bank in Kyabram gradually appeared with every stroke he etched on his canvas.

His dad noted his knack for the style and told him these were the things he should be drawing.

With his father’s encouragement, he entered a drawing of the Kyabram Town Hall in the same town’s annual show, not expecting to gain any accolades.

He was floored to discover the drawing had earned a best-in-show title.

“It triggered an anxiety attack and I took off,” John said.

“I was not prepared for that at all.”

Since then, drawing heritage buildings has been his thing.

He has drawn too many to count, but notable pieces include the ‘Follies’, a historic house in Knight St, Shepparton’s Butter Factory, Kyabram Post Office, Shepparton’s original post office, Thornebridge at Murchison and the Shepparton Heritage Centre.

In his drawing of The Pines Mansion, which many believe was haunted, John said viewers had reported seeing ghosts even in the artwork.

The many technicalities that come with sketching symmetrical bricks, wrought iron feature balconies and corrugated roofs ensure his mathematical skills are kept as sharp as his creativity as he calculates size, depth and ratios.

Because John stays largely anonymous and only draws as a hobby, not for notoriety or commission, he said not many people saw his drawings after they’d been displayed at the Shepparton Show each year.

“Kristy (Rudd) has some prints on display at the Shepparton Heritage Centre though,” he said.

Many other prints adorn the walls of his house, which, aside from a single picture that was one of his mum’s favourites from when she was a child, are all reserved for John’s art.

“Mum would be proud,” he said.

Despite each drawing taking a time-consuming ‘good few months’ to complete, John has no plans to stop any time soon, as he said the outlet had helped greatly with his mental health.

However, if his cat, Decaf, had her way, he’d probably never draw again.

“As soon as she sees the drawing board come out, she jumps on my lap,” John said.

It’s her subtle attempt to stop him before his pencil can even be put to paper.

Luckily for an art appreciator’s eyes, John is talented enough to sketch around the cat with the coffee namesake.