John Bailey (School House 1965–1969) has spent much of his life searching for quietness, in colour, in shape, and in the spaces between things. Having been recently added to St Paul's Art Hall of Fame, the Auckland-based artist is recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading abstract painters, known for his atmospheric minimalist works that combine geometric precision with soft, sensual forms.

But for John, art does not begin with a brush. It begins before sunrise. Each morning, he rises in darkness, pours a coffee, lights a cigarette, and sits silently on the deck of his home overlooking the Manukau Harbour, watching the first light appear.

“That’s where the day starts,” he says. The stillness of dawn, along with music, writing, and unexpected moments, become the starting point for his work. A self-taught artist, John rarely uses colours straight from the jar, preferring to spend hours building the exact smoky, layered tones for which his paintings are known. “A lot of work goes into the colours I use,” he says.

His pathway into art was not straightforward. Before painting, John was more interested in writing, spending countless hours at a typewriter. Yet no matter how much he wrote, something never quite felt right.

“In the end, I realised visual art was a better pathway for what I wanted to say. If you follow what is true to you, art becomes a way of life. I have no regrets,” says John. 

A major turning point came through the work of American conceptual artist Mel Bochner and his artwork Meditation on the Theorem of Pythagoras. John became fascinated by the relationship between mathematics and art, particularly the idea that simple arrangements of stones and structure could create unexpected outcomes and visual anomalies.

That curiosity would become a defining feature of his work, especially during the 1980s, when he exhibited conceptual pieces featuring grids, wall drawings, and geometric systems. Over the years, his paintings and works on paper have developed into the restrained, meditative style for which John is now recognised.

John describes his years at St Paul's Collegiate School as both formative and complicated. Academically, he found the school inspiring. “I remember asking a teacher, ‘What is existentialism?’” he recalls. “That night, there were four books on the subject left in my study room in the boarding house.”

Socially, however, he admits he struggled at times. Even so, he remembers Headmaster Mr Hornsby as “respectful, fair and supportive,” despite finding himself in the Headmaster’s office more than once.

Another lasting connection was with Rodney Hamel, whom John would later visit for coffee at Rodney’s Cambridge home whenever he was passing through after moving to Auckland.

After leaving St Paul’s, John enrolled at the University of Canterbury, studying English, American Studies, Psychology, and Sociology. But 18 months into the degree and feeling uninspired, he made a spontaneous decision to leave New Zealand and travel to Spain.

He stayed at the Fisherman’s Café on the island of Mallorca, where for just a few dollars a day he received a bed, meals, fruit, and a glass of sangria. From Spain, he travelled to Paris before returning home to work as a book editor at the publishing company Hodder & Stoughton.

His artistic career gradually gained momentum through support from contemporary art dealer Peter Webb and the Arts Council. Today, John’s work is held in significant public collections, including Auckland Art Gallery and Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery.

Despite decades in the art world, John remains philosophical about the realities of being an artist in New Zealand. “It’s a lifestyle that chooses you as opposed to you choosing it. I am lucky, I have a few patrons who have collected my work extensively over the years.” John continues to paint and exhibit with an upcoming exhibition at Orexart in October this year.  

Inspired by John's story? Explore the St Paul’s Art Collection and discover the artworks and artists that help shape our school's cultural legacy.