John Ballou, an architect, sculptor and all media artist, has always had a great passion for the wilderness and it's inhabitants.  John's artwork brings the observer into the environment as a fellow creature who shares a particular niche with these creatures, rather than as an intruder looking in from the outside.  To accomplish this he pays great attention to lighting and mood.

For this wildlife series John has mastered the ancient art of intaglio etching.  With engraving tools he skillfully renders a web of intricate patterns.  On the surface of dark ink that has been carefully applied, John etches through the ink to a white under layer of white clay, thus leaving a white etched line or mark in a dark field.  This allows for the maximum contrast of light to dark.  This is what makes it possible for John to capture a three dimensional quality in his work.

John has worked extensively with marine biologists and other animal researchers to get input on the intricacies of animal behaviors.  He then translates this information along with his skill as an artist into the beautiful insightful works that follow on the next pages.

John's work has been on, the 6:00 CBS NEWS, THE MAC AND MUTLEY SHOW on the DISCOVERY CHANNEL, the LOS ANGELES TIMES, UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL, the MIAMI HERALD, CONTRA COSTA TIMES, PACIFIC MAGAZINE and an AUDUBON SPECIAL, "DOLPHIN ADVENTURES", on the DISNEY CHANNEL.

I hope you enjoy this gallery as much as I do.
My picture above is linked to a page of my art work.
All these pictures are linked to more detailed information about the images.