In Lines from Nature, John writes, “My natural inclination in the wild is to be still and to watch: to understand and experience the animal’s world. Sharing time with an otter and her cubs on the shore of a Shetland loch after a long dawn wait was a time of magic. In India, the stage is set for you [on guided excursions on elephants] and your entry and exit are managed. Tigers are powerful, one is grateful for the size and strength of an elephant and accepts the limitations. With time rationed to ten minutes, does one draw or just watch? Instinctively I react as an artist; I make marks”
