The Artist's Lifelong Journey of Self-Expression

   John's journey of self-expression began at the age eight when his father gave him his first set of wood tools, including a small electric jig saw. From that point on he was literally "off to the races" building adventure toys such as "soapbox" racers that plummeted down the steep hills of the San Francisco Bay Area without brakes, and rubber band guns (with triggers that actually worked) for all the neighborhood kids. It was not long before John realized that he would spend a lifetime tempted by the sights and sounds of sailing the open ocean. Yet, at the same time, he was drawn to the splendor and tranquility of the high country.

   When he set foot upon the decks of historic sailing ships at various ports around the United States, or gazed upon photographs of ships such as the H.M.S. Victory, he was "home"... he knew he belonged there.... that he had always been there. He has long felt that he was a sailor, and even a shipwright, in some long ago, previously forgotten lifetime. Yet, again, while sitting at the top of a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his brother Jim, after being out for weeks, John felt equally at home there too. Opportunities to sail never came about in his young life, so he turned to building ship models. John's first carved ship model was the "Sea Venture" at the age of 12. His first reasonable attempt at a plank-on frame model came a couple of years later after his Uncle Robert taught him the necessary skills of framing and planking at his carpenter shop in Storm Lake, Iowa. Uncle Robert was building an actual 50-foot sailing yacht out of oak and teak in his backyard, and had made his own scale model of that yacht. Throughout his teenage years, John lived in the boat shop he created in his father's garage; departing to only attend school, and to head for prolonged backpack trips with his brother Jim. While in the shop, John yearned for the mountains; while in the mountains, John yearned for the shop. John pursued other forms of art training and practices, but always retuned to model shipbuilding. By the time he was 18, he blended his need for the mountains and his love for water into a passion for whitewater rivers. He spent five years as a professional river guide while attending the College of San Mateo, Oregon State University and U.C. Berkeley for a B.S. Degree in Forestry; always returning to his shop to build ships during his spare time. John has long admitted that in his college years he "majored" in river running and "minored" in Forestry. It was, in fact, his river experience that got him employed with the federal government as a Professional Recreation Planner. After 30 years of public service, John returned to "private life" in late 2005 as a model ship builder, fledging ceramic artist, backpacker, river runner, and perhaps, finally, as an amateur sailor. He will retain that life-long inner turmoil to be in both the shop and in the mountains (or on some river) at the same time.

   The model ship gallery presented at the opening of the NauticalArtsJRB.com website shows models built between 1995 and 2005, with the exception of the 17th Century Dutch Flute Majestic Series model. The hull of this model was constructed between 1975 and 1976, and is the "jewel" of his first fleet of models.... and the last of the first fleet. Nearly his entire first fleet was lost to a fire in 1983. The Dutch Flute escaped destruction by being in the care of a friend. Because of the fire, and due to personal and professional commitments, John did not complete a ship model between 1977 and 1995. John did not build models again until he fell in love with a woman who simply asked for a "pirate ship." Though John was not able to spend his life with this love, John was able for the first time to reach into his soul and express love in his work, not just technical skill. He went from being a woodcraftsmen to being a wood artisan. John's second fleet of ship models is an expression of all that he loves in this lifetime, and believes he loved in past lifetimes. Until now, John only shared this expression with family and friends. Now is the time to share it with the world.

In 2003, John was fortunate enough to meet and fall deeply in love with a wonderful woman named Teresa Nebeker. Teresa introduced John to the world of ceramic arts through her enthusiasm for collecting antique pottery. Teresa had been buying and selling pottery for years, and it was necesaary for John to install a very large display area in their home. John encouraged Teresa to create her own pottery rather than just admire the works of others and, thus, the journey of ceramic art creations began for both of them.

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