John Pace

Born in Gateshead, England in 1958 and raised in Lusaka, Zambia, Pace discovered a natural talent for drawing from an early age.

He studied Graphic Design at Durban Technikon and spent many years in advertising before founding AtPace, a graphic design studio that continues today after 24 years.

In 2015, I entered the Sanlam Portrait Award with After The Match, a portrait of my son, and was fortunate enough to win. This led to a solo exhibition featuring 12 large-scale portraits exploring human endeavour.

In 2020, I continued my portrait studies at the Florence Art Studio. My current work remains focused on the human form, particularly swimmers at the Dale Brook Tidal Pool.

After years of painting realism, I wanted to move beyond simply painting what I saw and explore a more personal style.

Inspired by the contrasting sensations of cold water and warm bodies, I began painting figures in vivid blues and warm tones. 
Overlapping figures with towels, costumes, bags, skies and other objects creates layers of intrigue and encourages the viewer to look a little longer.

For me, the most important thing in art is honesty — to paint what you love, for yourself.