Created by master impressionist John Clayton, DESTINATION FLORIDA’S Fall front cover pays tribute to Key West’s notorious 41st Annual Headdress Ball (Thursday, October 24), which takes place each year during the annual Fantasy Fest Celebration (October 18 – 27).
Like our cover art, John Clayton’s paintings are a testament to the beauty of light and color. An accomplished Plein Air painter, his approach to painting is simple: “I work with a brush or a palette knife. I start with large masses of color spots and begin relating them one to the other until they begin to express what I visually have been studying, much like the way a conductor arranges his orchestra.”
It may sound easy, but his mastery took years in the making.
After a stint at The Art Student’s League of New York, John journeyed to Provincetown, where he embarked on an intense period of study at the Cape School of Art, one of the country’s preeminent outdoor painting schools.
John painted outdoors as often as he could. Over many years, he matured into a devoted Plein Air painter and is now part of Provincetown’s historical legacy of impressionist painters.
In the summer, you can find him painting and teaching in Provincetown and throughout Cape Cod. Come winter, he heads on down to Key West, where he spends his days capturing the incomparable light, beautiful colors, topography, culture, and creativity of our little island paradise.
His vibrant depictions of his two favorite towns make him a favorite with collectors around the world.
Needless to say, we are ever so proud to have one of his original works gracing our Fall 2024 cover. You can see more of John Clayton’s amazing oils and and watercolors at the Gingerbread Gallery, 1207 Duval Street in Key West and at johnclaytonstudio.com.