John Gehri

John Gehri’s art career has led him through a multitude of mediums. His journey began during childhood. “We were a military family living in Lebanon, Illinois,” he says. There, John developed an affinity for drawing. “I had my own sanctuary in our basement,” he continues. “I called it my ‘drawing place’. I would mostly draw cartoons and action figures there.” John carried his passion into elementary school where he excelled in art class. “It was one of the few subjects I got ‘A’s in,” he says. In high school, John’s family moved to Orlando, Florida. With his interests evolving towards fishing, hunting, and surfing, John stepped away from art for a time. After graduating from FSU, John worked for Retail Credit Company. “I was living alone in a trailer in the middle of the Ocala National Forest,” he says. “I could only get two channels on a black and white television.” During this time, John’s interest in art was rekindled. “I began playing around with oils and doing landscapes,” he explains, “but I found them to be too messy. So, I went to acrylics.” After discovering a propensity for wildlife art, John settled on pen and ink as a modality, and eventually found himself painting with watercolors. Now retired from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, John works primarily in mixed media, combining colored pencil, ink, and prisma markers with a continued focus on wildlife. With his work featured in galleries throughout the country, John is also a cherished member of High Tide Gallery. “I am self taught mainly through trial and error,” he admits. “I will never stop learning.”