Today we’d like to introduce you to John Van Horn.
Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up outside of Winter Park, CO, and had an interest in art from an early age. My mom was always very creative and encouraged me a lot to draw when I was a kid. I was always a bit different and had felt out of place in a small town high school that didn’t offer many opportunities to grow creatively. After barely graduating high school, I hung around my home town Working at a Deli for a while before deciding to move to the Denver to attend Rocky Mountain college of art and design to get a degree in illustration. After a couple semesters I dropped out due to not being a very good student, and feeling like the amount of money being spent on school wasn’t really worth an arts degree. Luckily, around the same time, a gallery/ studio space called Helikon was opening in the RiNo district in Denver. I decided to rent a work space there, and found the community to be the exact thing I needed to grow as an artist. I worked there harder than I had ever worked and learned an incredible amount from the other artists around me. Slowly I began to find success with selling art, and getting freelance illustration work. I am still located at Helikon Gallery, but sadly due to the rapid growth of the neighborhood and huge property tax increases, the building is closing down in 2020. Looking foreword i am planning on renting a new space with a couple of other artists that I have grown close to during my time in the studio and hopefully we will be able to create our own community and all grow even further as artists
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been a rough road for sure. I have worked nearly every day for the past 6 years, sometimes staying up late into the night trying to get things done. I have had to live out of my studio at times, and take other jobs to get extra income, but I feel that for me it is worth it to be able to do what I am passionate about. I am becoming much more business minded. And smart with money as time goes on, and in the last couple of years the road has seemed a bit smoother, but I feel that it will always be an insane amount of work.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the JVH art story. Tell us more about the business.
As an artist I try to branch out as much as possible in order to make a living. I create my own work which I sell in gallery shows, but I also have worked to create my own brand of merchandise. I have prints, stickers, enamel pins, t shirts, and even plushie toys that I sell out of my studio, at art markets, and online. In addition to all of that I try to get as much freelance illustration work as possible and take as many commissions as I can reasonably get done . I am most proud of the work ethic that I have developed as an artist, and the amount I have grown and learned through the massive amount of time I have spent on my craft.
I feel that what sets me apart from others is my belief that art should be accessible to everyone. I don’t believe in putting ridiculously high prices on art, I want to make an honest living, and if I do need to charge a lot based on the of work I put into an original work, I try and always make prints or other affordable items so that not only wealthy people can bring home and enjoy the work.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has played a huge roll in my success, but i also feel that i have done a lot of increase my chances of success by trying to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible
Contact Info:
- Website: johnvanhornart.com
- Email: john.vanhorn.art@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jvh_arts/
Image Credit:
John Van Horn
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