Marine artist John Sychold was born in Insterburg, East Preussia in 1938. His mother was a keen drawer and incouraged the young boy to draw. During his school years drawing was one of his favourite pastimes.

At the age of thirty John fulfilled his lifelong dream and became a full time artist. He sailed in his little 23 ft. sailboat to Italy and in the company of other painters began to paint and so earn his living. The beauty of Italys ancient culture and its old harbours and seascapes inspired him. Old sailingships and harbours were also always his favourite motives.

Seven colourful years passed in Italy and John went to his mothers homeland Finland where he settled down painting and getting used to the finnish way of life. Now he lives on the island of Kemiö in the archipelago of Southern Finland with his family - a perfect surrounding for a man who loves and needs the sea! 

John Sychold is known as a painter of the sea and sailingships. He has read every book on this subject that he has found in order to enlarge his knowledge. He knows that life on board was very hard and has been romanticized ever since. From his work you can feel his love of the sea, the ever changing and exciting element.

Lately John has started also to use experimentaly strong colours and abstract motives. From the landscape of his mind shows up space, galaxys, birds, flowers and all kind of other beautyful and wonderful things.

Abroad John has held exhibitions in Italy (Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi, Pisa in 1970-75), Germany (Hamburg in 1977) and Spain (Torre Vieja in 1992). In Finland John has held - and stil holds - exhibitions in almost every harbour town from Kotka to Oulu, in the archipelago of Turku and in Aland, Kökar. His works are found in many company offices, in private homes as far as Australia and America and on many ships and big luxury cruisers.