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Capturing the wild (Forward - Summer 2025)
SCI wildlife artist John Cressey, 48, from Exeter, shares how he brings animals and birds to life through his extraordinary art.
Your love of art has been a lifelong pursuit. Tell us more about that?
I started drawing when I was a kid. I was always drawing – usually dinosaurs! My mum was quite keen on art, she worked in fashion and would be asked to sketch ladies as they came down the catwalk. Her art was more flowery and abstract. My dad was pretty good at drawing too but was much more precise. I think I landed somewhere in the middle.
How did you sustain your spinal cord injury? Did art form part of your rehabilitation?
I was injured in January 1996. I was a passenger in a friend’s car which came off the road. My spine was dislocated at C6/7. After time at Southampton Hospital, I then went to Salisbury spinal unit for about nine months.
I assumed I couldn’t draw as I didn’t have great hand function. I remember getting help with writing again and I played a lot of Connect 4 to help with dexterity. To be honest, I was more interested in and determined to get back into physical activities again – I’d been into climbing and scuba diving before my injury.
I did end up going on an African safari with a friend once I’d left the spinal unit. I’d always loved wildlife but that trip was really special.
When did you revisit drawing and art again?
When I was in my 30’s I moved to Exeter. I wanted to meet people and started going to evening classes at the college. I studied drawing, portraiture, life drawing and sculpture. I loved it. That’s when I really started getting back into art.
What kind of adaptations do you have to make when you’re creating?
I still use the same equipment as anyone else, but instead of standing, I’m set up at my desk. I’ve learnt that I can lean my elbow and move the painting up and down rather than, moving my arm up and down which gives me more control. Big canvases don’t work for me as I can’t reach the top, so I tend to paint on medium or smaller canvases. My wife Liz helps with carrying canvases, getting them framed and taking them to galleries.
You’ve experimented with lots of different mediums, techniques and subjects. What did you learn about yourself as an artist during that process?
I’ve learnt that it’s not just about the physical. I’ve got this thing I can do well – it’s a bit of a joy really to know I’m not as limited as I thought. Also, it’s part of my love of wildlife. I loved that as a kid and more recently, getting into wildlife art has really awoken that.
So, when did wildlife realism take hold?
I was probably inspired by seeing wildlife art online. Some of the paintings were amazing. I saw it as a bit of a challenge and thought, I’d like to get to a point where I can paint like that.
What’s the process involved in bringing these amazing animals to life?
Eventually, I’d love to be taking photos myself but for now, I find images I love, then contact the photographers for permission to use them as reference. You don’t want to make it the same as the photos, so I’m looking at ways I can add background colour and highlight aspects which make the paintings more impactful.
I start with drawing. I use a linen canvas – they’re a bit more expensive but they’re finer so you can get more detail – other canvases can be too bumpy and I find these easy to pick up, manoeuvre and turn around. I add a grid to the image on the computer, then draw out a scale grid on the canvas to help with the accuracy of the drawing. Once the drawing is down, I start mixing paint and getting stuck in. Oil paints dry slowly so you can keep working them – there’s a fair bit of starting and stopping.
How long does it take?
I probably only work on them a couple of hours a day. Annoyingly, because I’m doing lots of intricate detail, I start getting little spasms in my hand if I overdo it. I can get neck problems too. I stretch, take a break and go outside. I can’t spend too much time before things start complaining. A painting can take two to three months.
How have you gone about promoting and selling your work – what have been some of the challenges?
Generally, you send your website to galleries, and they get in touch if they want to see the original in the flesh. I was fortunate a gallery owner saw I was in a chair and offered to come to the house to see my work.
You’re also a sci-fi author. Are you still writing?
I’ve always loved sci fi and fantasy. I’ve been a big fan of movies. I’d play plots in my head a bit like a movie and then learnt how to turn it into words. My first book – Star Splinter – took me ten years to write which I self-published on Amazon. I’ve since written a few other books in the series. I do need to get back to it!
Was writing a commercial endeavour for you?
It was a hobby until I put it online. Most self-published authors at the time sold about ten books and then the interest fizzles out so I didn’t expect it to go anywhere. But it briefly ended up being in the top ten of Amazon’s sci-fi e books in 2015.
Is there anywhere you’d still like to travel to and what animals would you love to paint?
I’m veering more towards doing British wildlife. I’d like to travel more around the UK and do more research into where I can go that’s accessible in the countryside. Getting into nature in our own country – there’s so much beautiful British wildlife.
I’m working on a kingfisher and would love to do more birds. I found some lovely photos of birds in flight – they look so dramatic! I like the idea of doing more dynamic paintings with animals in movement.
To learn more about John’s art visit: www.jgc-art.comor give him a follow on Instagram @jgcressey
This article was featured in the Summer 2025 issue of FORWARD magazine
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In other news …
As well as sharing his story with FORWARD magazine John has also been supporting SIA in other ways too. At the end of last year John took part in a day of filming for the Travel with Confidence project. He was interviewed and filmed driving, before heading across town to the spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville for a feature about wheelchair assessments. These films will be released in Summer 2025.
John also visited SIA House to drop off one of his amazing pieces that he had kindly donated to our upcoming Cornflower Ball auction. The painting sold for £1500 with all monies raised going directly to support people with spinal cord injury.
