John Orlando Birt was born in Broken Hill and now resides in Melbourne after living in Adelaide for 20 years.

John first made his name as an industrial designer. For as long as he can remember he has had a fascination for mechanical objects. This early interest, along with his developing artistic skills, motivated John to study design. This grew into a career as a senior designer in the automotive industry both in South Australia and Victoria. Working in this field required John to travel extensively, with extended stays in Italy, the USA, England and Japan. Whilst travelling he used the opportunity to paint landscapes en plein air. He eventually abandoned industrial design to become a professional painter. His background in drawing mechanised subjects has been a great asset to him, and his superior draughtsmanship can be seen in his watercolours.

Yet it is perhaps his mastery of light that is the single most striking factor in his work – light portrayed, light reflected and light suffused. He enjoys the challenge of capturing its effects on his surroundings such as buildings, landscapes, water and the changing moods at different times of the day. The atmospheric effects light creates always catches his eye. As an artist John believes that painting on location ensures that he captures the essence of the subject, especially the subtleties and nuances of that time and place.

John is represented in private and corporate collections in Japan, USA, England, Italy and Australia. Corporate collections include AXA Australia, Nufarm Pty Ltd, Tennis Australia, RAAF Canberra, Peninsular Sea Road Transport and Dadco (UK) Ltd, London.