John Arana was born in Los Angeles in 1940. As a young man, Arana aspired to be a professional racer, spending time building, fixing and racing motorcycles and cars. His dreams were interrupted when he was drafted into the US Air Force. It was at the start of his Vietnam military service that he was tested for aptitude and told he was an artist, and his reaction was a bit of shock and agreement that if being an artist would keep him out of combat, then okay. Ironically, his extraordinary artistic talent may well have saved his life. Upon leaving the Air Force, Arana settled in New York City where he studied painting and drawing at the acclaimed Art Students' League with prominent instructors William Draper, Everett Raymond Kinstler, David A. Leffel and Burton Silverman. In the 1970's he began working summers in Provincetown, MA at the old Whalers' Wharf and other street shops doing quick portraits of tourists. There he had the opportunity also to explore color theory with other artists and the painter Henry Hensche. He was awarded the prestigious McDowall Travelling Scholarship in the early 70's, which allowed him to travel and paint in Europe and South Africa. He also was awarded The William C. McNulty Memorial Scholarship, The Salmagundi Club Award, The Dr. Stephen Gould Award and The Carl P. Schwab Award. Upon returning to Provincetown from South Africa in the summer of 1976, Arana reunited with his close friend and fellow artist, Simie Maryles, and the two decided to open their own portrait shop. This was a tiny studio in an alley downtown that folded up at night into a box. Arana and Maryles were extremely close and spent at least as much time sharing laughs and hilarious times as they spent doing portraits. John Arana passed away in February of this year, 2026. He leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary sensitivity and enormous talent in the form of landscapes, figure studies and portraits. His subtle touch is on display in his dexterous and delicate draftsmanship, the warm glow of sun and soft violets of fog in his landscape skies and the power of his emotional reactions to his subjects in his portraiture. John Arana's huge talent and perfectionistic approach to the study of his subjects was rivaled only by his generosity of spirit, his humility and his ability to laugh at everything, including himself. For Simie, 'it is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a great painter. John was both'.