b.1933 Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad. Lives and work in Cambridgeshire, England.

Painter and poet, John Lyons arrived in 1959 from Trinidad to study at Goldsmiths College School of Art and Design. He graduated as a painter in 1964 and in 1965 went on to the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne for an Art Teachers’ Diploma. During a 27-year teaching career he continued his painting and writing with dedicated enthusiasm.

John Lyons retired as a college lecturer in art and design. He was then able to devote himself with a consummate dedication to his painting and writing; but when invited, he still became involved with a number of art organisations for the promotion of art in the UK.

He was a member of the purchasing panel for the Arts Council Collection; an adjudicator for a number of awards, among them, The Whitechapel Young Artist Award; he also selected exhibitions for the following:   cartwright Hall in Bradford, Nottingham Castle Museum, the Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston. In 1998 he was co-founder and co-director with Jean Rees, playwright, poet and art activist of the Hourglass Studio Gallery and its charity-funded branch, HEADS (Hour Educational Arts Development Services) for the promotion of the arts in the community of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire from 1998 – 2008. It must be noted that during that time John remained indefatigably active as a painter and published poet.

Since the early 80s John Lyons has been part of numerous group exhibitions. The most notable were: Life Between Islands, British-Caribbean Art The 50s – Now, Tate Britain Dec. 2021 – 2022, Paint Like The Swallow Sings Calypso Nov. 2022 – Feb. 2023, University of Cambridge Kettles Yard Art Gallery, Super Black, Firstsite Art Gallery, Colchester 2019, No Colour Bar, Black British Art in Action, Guildhall Gallery, London 2016, The Hayward Annual 1982, British Drawing, South Bank Centre, London. John Lyons has also had 14 solo- exhibitions, two of which were: “Mythpoeia”, a touring exhibition from Wrexham Arts Centre, 1997, and Behind he Carnival, from Huddersfield Art Gallery, 1992 – 1994.

As a prize-winning poet, John Lyons’ poems are numerously anthologised. He has six full collections of his poems published, plus one shared with three other poets. In 2016 his collection for children, Dancing in The Rain, was shortlisted for the CLIPPA Award, and he was on the judges’ panel for the 2022 Award. His contribution for the art in the UK was acknowledged in 2003 by the Arts Council sponsored Windrush Arts Achievement Award.

For further bio information, please visit: www.jcmlyons.co.uk