In his many travels, John Davis Held spent several months living in an African Hut built on campus, before hitch-hiking across Europe to paint the cathedrals, castles, and countryside.

"As an artist;" he states, "I am doing more than just creating beautiful paintings, but rather probing an extraordinary and sacred mystery from different vantage points to confirm that something truly amazing lies underneath the beauty of my art."

His work in oil is strongly influenced by the Hudson River School, the Luminism movement, and the masters of the Renaissance. His pastels, with their beautiful pure pigments, are like no other artist’s. All of his work is known for having a strong sense of
light and peace.

He is now represented by the Troika Gallery in Easton, Maryland, the Gallery D'May in Cape May, New Jersey, and the Lucy Clark Gallery in North Carolina.

He can be found working in the studio of his mountain home above Asheville North Carolina, where he draws inspiration from the wildlife around him which include visiting bears, extraordinary birds, his beautiful wife, and their four cats.