John Watson is an artist and educator working in sculpture, installation, and drawing. He has a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Webster University. Watson served on the faculty in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts at Webster University in St. Louis, MO from 2004-2012 and in the Department of Art at Belmont University in Nashville, TN from 2013-2016. He taught courses in sculpture, three-dimensional design, drawing, installation art, and artist professional practices.

Working primarily with reclaimed wood, mostly salvaged from the cast-offs of trade and industry, building sites, or home remodeling projects, Watson builds objects and installations that reference the spaces and places of the built environment. He has been the subject of exhibitions at Vanderbilt University, Hemphill Fine Art in Washington, DC, Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, and Philip Slein Gallery in St. Louis, among others.

Watson has curated and juried several exhibitions including Artist Collecting Art at Belmont University’s Gallery 121, Collective Reasoning at the St. Louis Artist Guild, and the I-70 Series: 5 Kansas City Artists at the Cecil R. Hunt Gallery in St. Louis. He has presented workshops, artist lectures, and has served as a guest critic at institutions including Vanderbilt University, The Mississippi College for Women, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Maryland Institute College of Art, Maryland College of Art and Design, and Northern Virginia Community College.

He lives with his wife and son in Redwood City, CA, where he is fortunate to have the opportunity to work on his greatest project to date and is seriously thinking about taking up surfing.