John Greenland was born on Long Island, NY in 1954. He spent most of his childhood in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where he still resides.

John's mother Margaret, a Canadian, is an artist of many media, progressing over the last 30 years or so from drawing to water color to oils to acrylics to paper making to weaving to ceramics, and many combinations of all of them. Her brother William Stevens was a concert pianist in Canada and the US.

Greenland entered Arcadia University in 1973 as a sophomore, transferring from Wittenberg University as a dual music/art major. He declared a painting major that year and graduated as a BFA with Departmental Honors in 1976.

Greenland's creative vitality expresses itself in music as well as visual art. Along with making several nationally acclaimed musical recordings, a 90 minute special NPR broadcast, finalizing for a Pew Fellowship in Composition and performing at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in NYC, Greenland has maintained his visual art career, showing in galleries and shows in the tri state area since 1976. He operated the John Greenland Gallery in Phoenixville, PA from 1997 until 2009 where he taught painting and showed his own and other artist's work.

Since 1993, Greenland has been Director of Electronic Music at Eastern University where he teaches Music Theory, Composition and Graphic Art. He is currently involved in ongoing discussions aimed at creating an Art major at Eastern.

Greenland's work has evolved dramatically over the years. Although he still prefers to work with the idiosyncratic personal icons of his earlier work, he has moved on from flat, decal-like applications of color and shape to dynamic, floating, shimmering orchestrations that reflect the iridescent and interference colors and organic lines inspiring much of his work. His lush and unusual treatment of color makes his work stand out and almost pop off walls. There is a restless curiosity and a certain randomness that is in the end the strength of his work. Greenland's art, with its visual puns and blends of earth and metallic tones, suggest emotion much in the same way as a musical piece. As when listening to a complex musical orchestration, when one closely looks at his work, the separate intricate visual events synthesize a unique and beautiful visual whole.

Group Shows

Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA

Arcadia University, Glenside, PA

Cassatt House, Paoli, PA

Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ

The Plum Gallery, Paoli, PA

Doneckers Gallery, Ephrata, PA

Steel City Coffeehouse, Phoenixville, PA

Artists To Watch - John Greenland Gallery, Phoenixville, PA

Area Artists - John Greenland Gallery, Phoenixville, PA

All Mixed Up - John Greenland Gallery, Phoenixville, PA

Solo Shows

McInnis Gallery, Eastern University

2000 - Present - John Greenland Gallery, Phoenixville, PA

Private Collections

Mr. And Mrs. R. Mark Butler

Mr. Ian Speers

Dr. Luis A. Pagan-Carlo

Mr. and Mrs. John Lecron

Ms. Maryanne Harran

Ms. Kelly Hansen

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Hytha

Mr. Ethan Horwitz

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel McCollough

Mr. James Eldridge

Mr. and Mrs. Ted Stolarszyk

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cooch

Mr. and Mrs. William Staples

Ms. Valerie Adams

Commissions

Mr. Ted Stolarszyk