John Andro Avendano

John was born into an artistic family in Arleta, California in 1959. His Mother painted and his brothers drew, and so from an early age he has been a focused artist. He did not settle on just one artistic medium but developed many forms of expressing art by always doing something, always looking for something better than himself, and ever-changing.

John learned many trades and talents by just pushing forward with all his power to learn and succeed. He learned to be a finish carpenter then put together a partnership and developed a construction company; however, he continued to work on his art every chance he got. John’s philosophy is “There are no half measures and you never quit.”

In the late 1970’s, John gave up ownership in the construction company to become a full-time artist. These were lean times and he would often give away art for food. For several years he worked under Hal Reed. Hal learned his techniques by studying under Nicolai Fechen and by working at Walt Disney Studios in Las Angeles. John was Hal Reed’s assistant for five years at the Art League of Las Angeles while perfecting his skill of color theory, composition, and anatomy. John later taught art at the Art League and at several elementary schools in the L.A. area.

In 1983 John sold everything he had and left for Paris to study art. He often sold or gave away his art in exchange for food. He painted, studied and traveled as much as he could while working part-time. He wound up staying in France for three years before returning home.

On his return to California, he was introduced to John Kerr, who, among other things, was a photographer and collector of art. John Ker owned a large piece of property previously owned by Cecil de Mille that was quite rundown. John Ker, being so impressed by John and his artistic creations, gave him a place to stay on his property in exchange for pieces of art. John paid rent with his art and earned money for food by working to fix up the property. He worked one day a week and spent the rest of the time studying or creating art. This went on for six years, seven days a week and it was during this time that John learned to be by himself. This was a pivotal time in terms of John developing his own personal style. John started out copying as many artists as he could. He calls this “deliberate practice.” You copy to learn, you copy what you like and you continue until more of yourself comes out. Deliberate practice absorbs you and gives direction to your work. He also refers to this technique as “synthetic and artistic,” meaning you take a concept that exists and make it into something new which then becomes an artistic original. It was also during this time that John began to read a lot. He read everything he could get his hands on. If he wasn’t working or painting he was reading. This period of time solidified his direction in life as an artist. His circle of friends changed to new friends who were involved in some type of art medium. He now knew he was willing to pay whatever price it took to continue in art. This meant having no automobile, no house, few personal belongings, and no wife and kids. John made a conscious decision to embrace art and let the art experience take him where it may