John Bardwell (Born 1832) was born in Springfield, MA. By the age of 28 he had settled in San Francisco where he owned a Steam Bag Factory and painted at his leisure time. Some of his rare works are the paintings of landscapes of Yosemite. He is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design, a prestigious college in San Francisco. He undertook his post-graduate studies at the Otis Art Institute. Bardwell was a professional artist and illustrator of posters, art, and prints for more than 35 years. For nearly 3 decades he worked as a freelance designer, artist and ad agency owner, He worked for several years in Hollywood as an assistant producer, a designer and writer. Bardwell also worked with a wide diversity of government and civic organizations and businesses, with emphasis on tourism and travel. He hoped that his viewers would enjoy his vibrant colors and energetic composition as much as he did. He lived and painted in the high desert of Nevada and had obviously been influenced by the brilliant sunshine, clear skies and volcanic origins of the landscape.
His illustrations and humor articles appear in national publications. Bardwell’s posters, prints and art are in private and public collections throughout the United States. For 5 years, he showed and painted in Hawaii, eventually owning a gallery on Maui. Bardwell spent an increasing share of his workday producing posters, fine art and prints. His most recent prints and originals take a humorous look at the world of food and wine, golf and the French. He died in San Francisco on 5th January, 1899.
