John Hayduk (born 1987) is a painter from Connecticut. He trained in classical realism at the Academy of Realist Art in Boston and The Ryder Studio in Santa Fe, and lived in Santa Fe for eight years before moving back.
He paints landscapes outdoors, then uses those studies for paintings in the studio. Shift is his 2026 series of invented landscapes in oil, with the color diminished or stripped away.
Artist statement
Being immersed in the land and the changing seasons has allowed me to see the coming and going of life and death at different rates. I can paint in one spot all year and see life, death, and rebirth. Spring brings fresh buds and new life while winter sees the last leaves fall and the color drain from plant life. Painting a landscape for me isn't as simple as capturing nature's beauty, it's a meditation on life and death and seeing the beauty in both. My studio paintings are informed by this practice but allowed to take on a new form. My current body of work focuses on invented landscapes where the color is diminished or stripped away to allow the mood and emotions of the piece to stand out. I avoid obvious narratives in creating these works, instead allowing the tension between the light and the darkness to guide the viewer.
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