John Britton - Fanad Art

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The Art of Calm

I spent three decades as performer, director and teacher, traveling the world, searching for elusive moments of stillness, magic and connection.

Now from my home in rural Donegal, I paint and write. Still I search for those same things.

I love it when someone pauses in front of a picture, and finds themselves drawn slowly deeper into its world. They connect. In my ink works, they meet the characters who recur - Monk, Pilgrim and his Dog, and others too.

I want people, through my art, to feel calmed, enriched and reconnected, with themselves and the world.

My work is mainly ink - water-based and acrylic. I prefer water-based - it’s organic which makes it unpredictable, wilful and alive.

There are strong East Asian influences in my work, all of which is rooted in nature. Different worlds recur - iconographic trees; the world of Monk (an enigmatic figure created from a single red brush stroke); Pilgrim & Dog. I also create pure abstracts.

I make original art from tiny miniatures up to large-scale signature pieces, all with a passionate commitment to genuine artisanal craft in a world of AI and mass-production. My touchstone, always, is simplicity.

Drop me an email if you’d like to be in touch: fanadart@icloud.com, or visit my website www.fanadart.com

Painting with Ink

  • Close-up of a textured, colorful abstract painting with layered, rough paint strokes.
  • Abstract textured painting with layers of paint in shades of grey, pink, red, green, and hints of blue, creating a rough, cracked surface.
  • A woman with short, wavy hair, wearing a brown scarf, gray long-sleeve shirt, brown overalls, and Vans sneakers, sitting on a white table in an art studio. She is smiling, with glasses on her head. Behind her is a framed art print of a blue butterfly, and a small painting on the shelf. The studio has light gray walls and wooden flooring.