john haycraft

Biography

Trained as a perspective artist, John Haycraft has built a distinguished career in architectural illustration, nurturing a professional art practice alongside university lecturing and teaching. His technical skill and insight into spatial composition underpin his work, with his interest in watercolour developing over the years as his preferred medium for his artworks.

John likes to create when inspiration strikes, adopting a practice filled with sketches and watercolor paintings that support his need for immediacy in capturing a moment in time. Working en plein air allows John to reflect the atmosphere and light into his artworks. By immersing himself into the landscapes he can study all the details, features that he might otherwise miss when working from a photograph. 

John's paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally with exhibitions in Australia and New Zealand. His work has been recognised by the British, American and Japanese societies for architectural illustration, and he served as President of the Australian Association of Architectural Illustrators from 1995 to 2000. A collection of his architectural drawings is held in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.

Since 1979 he has lectured in architectural drawing and design at the University of New South Wales, the University of Newcastle and other institutions, where his teaching has inspired generations of architects and designers. He has participated in numerous workshops across Europe, Asia and Australia, and has been a guest lecturer and instructor in watercolour technique for over four decades. He was formerly the Watercolour Tutor at The Royal Art Society in Sydney. His publications include Just Looking (1982), Where Was I? (2006) and The Paddington Pictures (2007).

A seasoned traveller with a reputable academic background and a lifelong commitment to the visual arts, John brings to his tours an artist’s eye for architecture and a deep appreciation of place, culture and design.