About the Artist
Jon Bandish is an artist whose work is deeply informed by place, memory, and observation. Born in Philadelphia, Pa and raised in nearby Conshohocken, PA, he now lives and works with his wife, his young son, and their dog in Dagsboro, DE, nearby to Rehoboth and Bethany Beaches. Jon’s connection to both urban and coastal environments plays a central role in shaping his visual language. The rhythms of city neighborhoods, shifting shorelines, and seasonal rituals recur throughout his practice, grounding the work in lived experience while inviting broader emotional resonance.
Bandish earned his undergraduate degree from the Tyler School of Art, part of Temple University, including studies at Temple University Rome. His academic training emphasized strong technical foundations alongside critical thinking, providing a disciplined approach to realism, composition, and surface. Time spent studying in Rome further expanded his perspective, exposing him to centuries of art history and reinforcing an appreciation for craftsmanship, materiality, and sustained looking. Jon often credits this experience as bein the catalyst for his desire to be a professional artist.
Working primarily in oil, Bandish employs a layered, deliberate process that allows each painting to develop gradually. His work often explores themes of movement, nostalgia, and impermanence—whether through atmospheric landscapes, familiar objects rendered with care, or scenes drawn from memory. Coastal environments near his current home frequently inform the work, offering a balance of calm and energy that mirrors the emotional tone he seeks to convey. Across subject matter, his paintings aim to balance realism with emotional interpretation, offering clarity while leaving space for personal reflection.
In addition to his studio practice, Bandish has maintained an active presence within the arts community through professional and volunteer roles. He has worked and volunteered with institutions including Woodmere Art Museum and The Barnes Foundation, experiences that deepened his understanding of curatorial practice, collections stewardship, and public engagement with art. These roles reinforced the importance of accessibility, context, and education in shaping how artwork is experienced beyond the studio.
Bandish has also served as a board member of The American Artist Professional League (AAPL), contributing to an organization dedicated to supporting representational artists and maintaining high standards of craftsmanship within contemporary art. His involvement reflects a commitment not only to his own practice, but to mentorship, advocacy, and the broader artistic community. Jon is a Signature Member of AAPL.
Today, Bandish continues to develop a body of work rooted in observation, memory, and place. His paintings are held in private collections and are intended to live comfortably in real spaces while maintaining depth and presence over time. Through both his art and community involvement, he remains dedicated to thoughtful, enduring artistic practice grounded in tradition and personal experience.
A note from the artist:
“I thrive being around water; it has always had a grounding effect on me. In some ways, I am painting scenes inspired by memories. Growing up, summer was the best part of the year, and I have always desired to live by the ocean.”
Jon is influenced by the subject matter and approach of 19th-century landscape painters Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church, William Trost Richards, John Frederick Kensett, and Alfred Thompson Briche of the Hudson River School.
His way of working is also informed by European Romanticism and the Barbizon School that were influential to subsequent movements like Impressionism and, in the USA, The Pennsylvania Impressionists. The poetic and transcendental writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, are also influential to Bandish, in regard to how we can understand ourselves within the beauty of the natural world, embracing solitude and taking time to observe our surroundings.
