Fun, colorful art inspired by music and cultural symbols of all kinds!
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My Background
My Inspiration
My Inspiration
I studied art at Louisiana Tech University, worked in the graphic arts industry, and live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I consider my art Fun Art, rather than Fine Art, and my influences are more from comic books than anything you're likely to find in a museum. I hope you find something here to enjoy!
My Inspiration
My Inspiration
My Inspiration
A lot of my art is inspired by music - all kinds of music - and I like to visualize it in bright colors and moving shapes, while also paying respect to the musicians themselves. Although I'm partial to the Blues, I'm also fascinated with cultural symbols of all sorts, images from Louisiana life, and other colorful subjects.
Summer news 2026 - Arts & The Park and the Blues Trail
Et Toi! in Hot Springs Park for 2026/27
My painting “Et Toi!” was selected as one of 20 pieces for the juried outdoor art exhibit ART MOVES: We The Arts by the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance to be displayed along the Hot Springs Greenway Trail for 2026-2027! It is displayed near the end of the trail by the work-out equipment area of Hollywood Park. More information about it is included in the Louisiana Gallery.
Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail Honors Bobby Rush
I was commissioned by the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail to paint Bobby Rush for a poster to promote the unveiling of the first historic marker on the Blues Trail! It honors the location of his childhood home in Sherrill, Arkansas and will be for sale at the event June 6 or through the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail website. It is also featured in my Blues Gallery.
Spring News 2026 - Fun & Color at South Arkansas Arts Center
The Spudnut
I was honored to have a solo exhibition, "Fun & Color: The Art of John Goodwin" at the South Arkansas Arts Center in my hometown of El Dorado, Arkansas from March 30 -April 30. I wanted to paint something special as a tribute to my El Dorado roots so I picked the most El Dorado subject I could think of - the Spudnut! Spudnuts are a delicious version of a donut that are made with potato flour and are so light they literally melt in your mouth. I've never heard of them being available anywhere else so people come from all over the country to sample this El Dorado delicacy. More details about it are listed in the Food Gallery.
Boomtown!
The second painting I did to honor El Dorado was of the new oil derrick sculpture/fountain that is the centerpiece of the Murphy Arts District ( MAD ) downtown. It's a nod to El Dorado's oil boomtown years in the 1920's and a symbol of El Dorado's revitalization as a progressive city today. Details about it are in the Miscellaneous Gallery.
WINTER NEWS 2025 - HOT TAMALES AND CAT HEAD
2025 Delta Hot Tamale Festival Poster Entry
My 2025 poster contest entry didn't win, but it was a whole lot of fun doing all this hand-lettering ( kidding! ) for the Delta Hot Tamale Festival. For info on getting your own poster of it please check out my Food Gallery.
Jukin' At Cat Head
Roger Stolle's amazing Cat Head store is a lively location to visit for The Juke Joint Festival or on any other given day for live music in downtown Clarksdale, MS. Posters and greeting cards of this are available at his store or can be ordered online at cathead.biz. More info in the Blues Gallery.
Fall news 2025 - Two Blues Festival Posters!
2025 Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival Poster
"Jessie Mae's Comin' Home" pays tribute to Jessie Mae Hemphill, who used to always open the Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival ( the oldest continuously running Blues festival in America ) by marching in with Otha Turner and his band through the crowd to the stage in Freedom Village, MS. Posters and T-shirts of this painting are available through the M.A.C.E. office in Greenville, MS.
2025 King Biscuit Blues Festival Poster
"Robert Junior" pays tribute to Arkansas's Robert Jr. Lockwood, who learned to play guitar from Robert Johnson and went on to play with Sonny Boy Williamson on the long-running King Biscuit Time radio show. Posters of this painting are available through the King Biscuit Blues Festival office.
More fall news 2025 - colors of the blues solo exhibition
Colors of the Blues Promo
It was such a thrill to have my first solo art exhibition at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas during the King Biscuit Blues Festival! "Colors of the Blues: The Art of John Goodwin" , which ran from September 13 to December 27, 2025, focused mainly on my blues related paintings and included the original art for several King Biscuit Blues Festival posters.
Opening Reception with the Director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage
The exhibition also included a lot of historical blues artifacts from the Delta Cultural Center's permanent collection intermingled with my paintings. The opening reception on September 13th included speeches from the DCC Assistant Director, Thomas Jacques, the museum curator, Ruthie Pride, and special guest, the Director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage Marty Ryall.
Summer news 2025 - SOUL FOOD and the king!
The Soul Food Plate
Y’all come on in the house now, it’s supper time! It’s that home-cooked, country-style, good-ole southern, soul food plate. Details about this painting can be found in the Food Gallery.
The King of the Blues
This is my tribute in his 100th year to the undisputed King of the Blues - Mr. B. B. King! More information about it can be found in the Blues Gallery. Both of these new paintings have been added to my Blues greeting card series as well.
Spring News 2025 - Flowers and beads!
Kentucky Derby Day
Flowered hats and beautiful women, it must be The Run For The Roses - it must be Kentucky Derby Day! This painting was featured in the May 2025 issue of the contemporary art magazine "Artistonish" and in HMVC Gallery New York's "Flower Waltz "exhibition, which was shown on a jumbotron in Times Square in May! More info about it can be found in my Miscellaneous Gallery.
Bead Trees
Mardi Gras 2025 and the spectacle of beads in the trees can be seen all over town! Further information about this painting can be found in my Louisiana Gallery.
Winter NEWS 2024/25 - Jacks and Jukes!
The Jack of Diamonds
Ol’ Jack Sorrells was a real card. He told jokes, sang, and played guitar for his customers all while cooking massive hamburgers that were just as outrageous as he was. “Best burgers around, throw them ‘taters on the ground!” he liked to say. This is my tribute to Arkansas's legendary Hamburger King – The Jack of Diamonds! More info is listed in the Food Gallery.
The Juke Joint Chapel
The Juke Joint Chapel is an iconic bar located at the Shack Up Inn on the Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale MS and is always jumpin' during the Juke Joint Festival. You might even get to see Lightnin' Malcolm performing there! Please visit my Blues Gallery for more info about it.
2023 King Biscuit Blues festival Poster Artist
KBBF Winning Poster Artist Again for 2023!
I can’t think of anyone who deserves to be on a King Biscuit Blues Festival poster more than Bubba Sullivan, so this tribute was something I just had to do. Bubba is the founder of both the Sonny Boy Blues Society in Helena and also of the Festival itself, as well as the Blues music super store Bubba's Blues Corner. I'm so proud to have my artwork used at the festival for the third year in a row and to also share this great honor with Bubba!
"Bubba's Blues Heart"
Posters are available through the King Biscuit Office signed ( an edition of 150 ) for $25 or unsigned for $20. Special guests at the poster reveal party were Bubba's wife, Kathy Sullivan, and Super Chikan, who provided music for the event.
DElta Roots & A Hot Dog In the Park!
The Official 2023 Delta Roots Music Festival Poster - The Delta Music Tree
I'm so happy to have been chosen as the official artist for the Delta Roots Music Festival again for 2023! "The Delta Music Tree" was featured at the festival on posters and includes Helena's own Brad Moneymaker. More information about it is included in the Miscellaneous Gallery.
2023 Art & The Park Exhibit - Chicago Style
I'm also happy to announce that my Levon Helm sign has come down, but a new hot dog sign has gone up along the Hot Springs Greenway Trail for 2023-2024! My painting “Chicago Style” was selected as one of 20 pieces for the juried outdoor art exhibit ART MOVES: Art & Soul by the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance. It was displayed near the end of the trail at the entrance to Hollywood Park. More information about it is included in the Food Gallery.
King Biscuit Poster Artist for two years!
2021 King Biscuit Blues Festival Poster Winner!
As a long-time blues fan and KBBF attendee, it was my great honor to be selected as the official 2021 King Biscuit Blues Festival Poster artist! Unfortunately the festival was postponed due to COVID 19, but posters, however, both signed for $25 and unsigned for $20 are still available at the KBBF office. They should be collector's items!
Poster Signing With The Great Bobby Rush
My signing ceremony was held at The Helena Tavern where Bubba Sullivan's ( Bubba's Blues Corner ) birthday party was taking place. His special guest was the legendary Bobby Rush, who took time to visit with me and signed some of my posters for the Board of Directors.
King Biscuit Blues Festival Poster Art Used Again for 2022!
King Biscuit Blues Festival Poster Art Used Again for 2022!
The King Biscuit Blues Festival decided to use my "Welcome Home to Helena" painting again for their 2022 poster. They changed the border color and dates to reflect the new year and it looked great. I signed both versions at the Delta Cultural Center during the festival!
Levon Helm featured in helena & Hot Springs
First Official Artist for the Delta Roots Music Festival in Helena!
Levon Painting Also Featured in ART MOVES/Creative Roots Outdoor Art Exhibit in Hot Springs!
Levon Painting Also Featured in ART MOVES/Creative Roots Outdoor Art Exhibit in Hot Springs!
The Delta Roots Music Festival chose me to be their first official artist and commissioned me to paint Levon Helm, a native of nearby Turkey Scratch, as a tribute they could use on their posters and T-shirts for the 2022 festival. They had me sign and number an edition of 50 and they sold unsigned posters as well - it was such an honor to be chosen for this as a long-time fan of his music. They held a poster signing event at the Delta Dirt Distillery the night before the festival , which featured a full day and night of great music on Saturday, April 9th.
Details on the painting are listed in the Miscellaneous Gallery.
Levon Painting Also Featured in ART MOVES/Creative Roots Outdoor Art Exhibit in Hot Springs!
Levon Painting Also Featured in ART MOVES/Creative Roots Outdoor Art Exhibit in Hot Springs!
Levon Painting Also Featured in ART MOVES/Creative Roots Outdoor Art Exhibit in Hot Springs!
The Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance's theme for their outdoor Art & the Park exhibit was Creative Roots, so my Levon Helm painting was a perfect fit! They selected 15 images out of all those submitted to be reproduced on 30 X 40 metal signs weatherized to be displayed for a year along the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail. My Levon sign was posted at the beginning of the trail outside the Majestic Park baseball fields and was one of the highest bid items at their silent auction when it came down after a year for the new 2023 signs.
"Somebody else's Blues" movie poster
"Somebody Else's Blues" Movie Poster
Poster Unveiling with Star Regina Gibson
I enjoyed meeting the cast and crew at the wrap party for “Somebody Else’s Blues”, the outstanding new short film by David Bogard. I was honored to work with him on the one sheet for it, which features a portrait of Regina Gibson’s character in the film.
"Sunshine" Sonny payne & Thomas Jacques t-shirts
"Sunshine" Sonny Payne Painting Displayed in the KFFA Studio Area of the Delta Cultural Center
"Sunshine" Sonny Payne Painting Displayed in the KFFA Studio Area of the Delta Cultural Center
"Sunshine" Sonny Payne Painting Displayed in the KFFA Studio Area of the Delta Cultural Center
I am honored to have my tribute painting for the long-time King Biscuit radio show host, "Sunshine" Sonny Payne displayed in the KFFA studio area of the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas. It's also available as a T-shirt and you can order one in either black or red by calling the Delta Cultural Center’s Gift Shop at 870-338-4350.
Thomas Jacques "Pass The Biscuits!" T-shirts
"Sunshine" Sonny Payne Painting Displayed in the KFFA Studio Area of the Delta Cultural Center
"Sunshine" Sonny Payne Painting Displayed in the KFFA Studio Area of the Delta Cultural Center
I'm also honored to have my tribute painting for Thomas Jacques, the current "King Biscuit Time" host and Assistant Director of the DCC, "Pass The Biscuits!" displayed in the KFFA studio area as well! It's a great looking T-shirt too available in blue or gold. Both of these paintings are also available as greeting cards as well in their gift shop.
Career highlights
Signing Posters with Bobby Rush
In 2021, at the end of the Covid pandemic, I had the great pleasure of signing my King Biscuit Festival poster along with the great Bobby Rush.
Presenting a Big Jack Print to Super Chikan
Super Chikan told me in 2022 that Big Jack Johnson was his uncle, so the next time I saw him at the 2023 King Biscuit poster reveal party, I presented him with a signed print of Big Jack.
Hanging with Earl Cate & Levon Helm's Bandmate Jim Weider
The 2022 pre-party for the Delta Roots Music Festival was held at the Delta Dirt Distillery, where I had a chance to mingle with Earl Cate, Levon Helm's Bandmate, Jim Weider, and other performers at the festival.
Levon's Anna Lee at the Delta Roots Music Festival Party
Since the 2022 Delta Roots Music Festival was a tribute to Levon Helm, it was attended by the legendary Anna Lee, who was immortalized in The Band's song "The Weight". Super Chicken performs in the background.
With Arkansas Blues Legend, Gil Franklin
I'm a long-time listener of "Blues House Party", a long-running KABF radio show hosted by Deb Finney. I surprised Deb and Gil Franklin, who wrote and performs her theme song, with a painting of Gil at an actual Blues House Party at her house.
With Little Rock Jazz Man, Rodney Block
One of Little Rock's best known musicians, Rodney Block, was one of the inspirations for me when I painted "Startime", so I presented Rodney with a signed print of it at one of his neighborhood Pop-Up parties.