John Lancashire (also known as Monday Painter) is a full-time artist based in Hawke’s Bay whose practice is grounded in observation, instinct, and emotional response. Working primarily in oils and mixed media, he constructs still life and symbolic imagery drawn from a deeply personal visual lexicon—one that has evolved over decades. Motifs such as rabbits, flowers, frogs, and vessels emerge through subconscious association rather than deliberate metaphor, acting as emotional markers rather than narrative symbols.

His process often begins without intention, akin to automatic writing. Imagery surfaces organically, shaped by memory, ambiguity, and intuition. Lancashire invites viewers into a liminal space between knowing and sensing—where the familiar becomes tender, strange, and unresolved. His work privileges presence over clarity, and exchange over explanation.

John began his formal art training at the National Art School in Darlinghurst in the 1990s, later studying at Meadowbank TAFE and the University of Western Sydney. Alongside his early creative pursuits, he maintained a parallel career in hairdressing and design before relocating to New Zealand in 2001. Since 2014, he has dedicated himself fully to his painting practice, exhibiting regularly in both solo and group shows across the country.