Artist John Holladay moved to Martha's Vineyard in 1995 from Davenport, Iowa, where he had been a successful illustrator of children's books and sports scenes. "I wanted to get back to painting landscapes," he says. "I am always looking for a challenge in art.
"Using primarily watercolors, Holladay works in a plant-filled corner of his living room furnished with a leather couch, an old swivel desk chair, and a well-lit drafting table. "There are two things that are important in my life: painting and teaching," says Holladay, whose position as a computer graphics teacher at Falmouth High School, requires him to commute almost daily during the school year. When time allows, he teaches watercolor, drawing and painting at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs.
"Painting Farm Neck was a great lesson, not just in painting, but in life," says Holladay. "My favorite hole changed every time I came out there. The biggest challenge is that there's just too much to paint at Farm Neck."
John Holladay's work can be seen at Shaw-Cramer Gallery in Vineyard Haven, and is available from John himself at the weekly summer Artisan Shows at the West Tisbury Grange.