Delta resident John Horton was the first artist appointed to the Canadian Forces Artist's Programme (CFAP) in 2002 and was sent to join our Navy in the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf) aboard HMCS Algonquin. In earlier years John had served in the Royal Navy in the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans. This experience contributed to his knowledge in recording scenes of our Navy in action today.
The Canadian Navy is so different from his early life in the United Kingdom where he started as a boy seaman in 1951 with the Royal Navy Reserve and then continued full time with the Royal Navy. Many years later, after continuing to develop his skills as an artist and immigrating to Canada with his own family in 1966, John joined Operation Apollo in the Arabian Gulf. That gave him the opportunity to create paintings recording the Canadian Navy's role in the "War on terrorism". Since this trip John has been aboard many of Canada's ships. In a notable deployment during the five-week "RIMPAC", he visited ships of four of the eight navies involved in the multinational Pacific Rim exercise.
Some of his paintings, which can be viewed at John M. Horton C.S.M.A. F.C.A. MARINE ARTIST, also depict the era of sailing ships, at sea and in ports, in much earlier days, in this area and other areas of the country and the world.
John is a very sought after presenter about the beginning of Canada's war art program, started by Lord Beaverbrook in 1916. He is also interested in other war artists and the successive programs that Canada produced to capture the horror and history of war.
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| John Horton, with wife Mary, are thanked by Walt Hayward and President Guillermo Bustos | |