John
Weecks

John was born on a farm in Austria, and at the age of seven his family relocated to France, where he spent his most formative years immersed in the culture of Paris. Regular visits to the galleries and museums of Paris and Versailles planted an early, deep-rooted conviction that art was not merely a vocation but a way of life.

During his military service with the U.S. Navy, John was assigned to a construction battalion (Seabees) and received orders to Vietnam, later redirected to McMurdo Station in Antarctica in support of scientific research. It was during this service that he began his formal artistic education through a correspondence course with the Famous Artists School — then led by Norman Rockwell — based in Westport, Connecticut.

Following his discharge, John attended Paier College of Art in New Haven for four years, studying Book Illustration, Advertising, Photography, and Design. During his final year, he received an Honorable Mention in the prestigious DeBeers Diamond Jewelry Competition for Men in New York City. After graduating, he joined NBC as an Art Director, where he produced, directed, and hosted "The Art Corner" for the station's midday entertainment program, while also designing sets, wall graphics, and displays for broadcast and advertising needs.

His career later brought him to Texas, where he was represented by the Texas Art Gallery in Dallas, taught art classes at the Temple Cultural Activities Center, served as President of the Bell Fine Arts Group in Belton, and worked as a freelance courtroom sketch artist for TV news stations throughout central Texas.

John eventually settled in and around New York City, where he illustrated books and carved jewelry wax models for Michael Anthony Jewelry Co., Seiden-Gang, and the Joan Boyce Jewelry Boutique. He also restored antique toys, collectibles, and museum-quality furniture for galleries in Manhattan and Connecticut.

Among his many honors, John is a three-time First Place recipient in the Circa da Vinci Outdoor Landscape Plein-Air Painting Competition in Westchester, New York, and Co-recipient of the New Jersey Art Director’s Club Award for two works in a ten-painting series: Red Badge of Courage and A Tale of Two Cities. He has earned multiple awards in miniature painting and received special recognition for his historical-building paintings of Peoria, Arizona. His commercial illustrations have appeared in publications including Collier’s, MacMillan, Riverside Publishing, Dutton, and Random House.

Today, John is based in the Phoenix, Arizona area, exhibiting original carvings and paintings at The Finer Arts Gallery in Cave Creek and the Fountain Hills Artists Gallery. He has also participated in past annual exhibitions at the Shemer Art Center in Phoenix. A multiple-award winner at the Desert Woodcarvers Annual Show — including two first-place finishes and a Best of Open designation — John was also honored with Timeless Visions, his own month-long solo feature exhibition showcasing five decades of original work. His studio practice, documented through the Pigeon Roost Studio on YouTube, continues to reflect an unbroken commitment to originality, craftsmanship, and the belief that a sharp tool in a skilled hand is all you need.