About the artist:

Texas artist John St. John was born in Dallas, Texas on February 24, 1929. Inspired by boyhood memories of growing up around Texas oil fields and wildcatters, John St. John’s Petroleum Series captures the intensity of the early oil boom in colors and brush strokes as vivid and bold as the legendary men and events portrayed. Fiercely independent, St. John was fascinated by the entrepreneurial determination and spirit of oil and gas industry pioneers. His work offers an extraordinary glimpse into an epic chapter of Texas history, immortalizing the exploits of independent oilmen through his expressive approach to his subject. St. John was a gifted and prolific painter and sculptor who began drawing at age seven. His innate talent was encouraged throughout his early childhood during sketching trips with his father across Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma. Largely self-taught except for a brief period of study, St. John developed a unique style that he adapted to the mood and subject of his work. He believed his experience as a sculptor gave depth to his painting. After serving in the United States Marines from 1946 to 1950, St. John returned to Dallas where he enjoyed a successful career as an artist producing hundreds of works for notable business leaders, corporations, designers and charities from 1950 until his death in 2000. He painted the Petroleum Series in his Dallas studio. Represented in major private and corporate collections, St. John is recognized as a highly original Texas artist. In addition to the Petroleum Series, he left a body of work that reflects his life-long exploration of color and a variety of subjects including still life, nudes, landscapes, industry and portraiture. Periodicals: Dallas Morning News, "Works by John St. John," Michael Granberry, April 2008 Dallas Morning News, "Keeping Up With The St. Johns", Bob St. John, May 1992 Life Magazine, "Ol' Silverfingers," John Loengard, January 1981 Dallas Morning News, "Salon Features Styles in Bronze," Harry Bowman, January 1980 Source: Information courtesy of Mark A. Stanley