The Cyclist

Meet John

A prolific painter of people, places and pastimes, the British-born Caymanian artist has spent more than three decades capturing a multitude of Cayman subjects – both ordinary, everyday scenes and extraordinary, life-changing events. His quick sketches and broad, impressionistic brushstrokes record the evolving landscape and lifestyle of his adopted home.

Born in the coastal town of Southend, in Essex, England, Broad’s interest in art emerged at the age of eight or nine, he says, when he began to draw battle scenes inspired by his World War II comics. His innate talent earned him a place at Southend College of Art and later a scholarship at Edinburgh College of Art.

Broad also trained as an art teacher, which enabled him to travel. His first position was in the South Pacific islands of Vanuatu, where he remained for six years. Then, in 1989, the offer of a post teaching at John Gray High School landed him on the shores of Cayman. In the 34 years since he has taught high schoolers and middle schoolers at various establishments and shared his expertise through workshops at the National Gallery and Visual Arts Society while always making time for his own art.

Whereas the paintings from his early years in Cayman were often recognizable for the vibrant colours he employed, his more recent work, primarily in watercolours, is much more subdued. Working with these limited colours, he achieves a melancholy effect reminiscent of the sepia-toned photographs of times past.