John Lennard is known for his vivid and colourful landscape paintings. Rendering his nature scenes in oil paint, the artist works to capture the effects of colour in sunlight and shadow. Lennard was born in Barrie, Ontario and now resides in the Haliburton Highlands of Central Ontario. After graduating from Leaside High School he studied at the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in Toronto and later at the Art Students League in New York City. In his 40+ year career, Lennard has exhibited his work in Canada as well as internationally. His paintings are represented in numerous collections in Canada and abroad. He is a member of A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Artists in Canada, and is an elected member of The Society of Canadian Artists. "The landscape speaks to me like no other subject matter. Working in oil paint on canvas I try to capture the elements of the larger issues that nature presents using bold colour and tonal contrasts. I feel challenged by the inherent characteristics of my surroundings and believe that it is possible to make meaningful art about these characteristics. I attempt to organize the surface where every move is related to every other by placement, direction, scale, and colour. There are descriptive elements, but I try not to lose sight of the larger issues that represent my thought and energy, not merely engage in a copying instinct or descriptive facility."