John Hurford

Who is John Hurford?

John Hurford is a prolific English psychedelic artist.

He produced illustrations for Oz, Gandalf's Garden and International Times, and he is the only psychedelic artist of his generation to contribute to all three of these seminal underground publications.

John Hurford was born at Wixon near Chulmleigh in Devon in 1948. The son of a farming family, John was immersed in rural Devon life as a child. He attended Chulmleigh Primary School and later Queen Elizabeth's School in Crediton as a boarder.

His early work was crowded with flowers, birds and insects - highly detailed observations from the natural world he saw around him in the Devon countryside where he lived. It was often coupled with finely drawn Tolkienesque fantasy landscapes, people and mythical beings; goblin-like creatures were a favourite, as were naked girls.

He has provided various album covers for musicians, including Judy Dyble producing the front cover for her 2009 album 'Talking With Strangers'.