Let John Tierney's paintings whisk you away to an idealised, sun-drenched USA

Date
11 February 2013

Us Londoners were greeted this morning with a bitterly cold, spiteful wet snow that didn’t even have the good grace to settle and give us a day off work. But thankfully John Tierney’s paintings whisked me away from the grizzly February morning to the sun-kissed streets of Los Angeles. Until recently John was a criminology professor but since retiring he has dedicated his time to his paintings, going from the darkest recesses of human behaviour to the searingly bright boulevards of LA and the surreal moonscapes of the Joshua Tree National Park.

There are obvious nods to Edward Hopper and David Hockney in his work, but also a kind of wide-eyed wonder British artists often bring to quintessentially American scenes, an idealised aesthetic forged in the movies, books and films through which we first engage with our cousins across the pond.

John’s first UK solo show takes place in March, organised by The Horsebox Gallery and The Osborne Studio Gallery.

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John Tierney: Chateau Marmont

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John Tierney: Formosa Cafe

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John Tierney: Twenty Nine Palms Inn

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John Tierney: Chateau Marmont

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John Tierney: Red Umbrella, Unrequited Love

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John Tierney: Mister Freedom

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John Tierney: Paul Smith, Melrose Avenue, LA

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John Tierney: Marmont and Roxbury

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John Tierney: Paul Smith, Melrose Avenue, LA

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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