A watercolorist and illustrator, John Pike was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts. He was a student of Charles Hawthorne at Provincetown and then went to Jamaica where he was director of advertising for a rum company for five years. Returning to the United States, he had a full career as an illustrator, painter, and exhibitor of his own watercolors.

As a member of the Air Force Historical Foundation (1945-1960), Mr. Pike did paintings for the USAF in France, Germany, Thule Greenland, Ecuador, Columbia, Japan and Formosa. These paintings are in the permanent collection of the USAF Academy.

He did paintings, illustrations - covers - for Colliers, Life, Fortune, True, Readers Digest, as well as advertising paintings for Alcoa, Standard Oil, National Cash Register, Equitable Life Insurance, General Tire International, etc... His paintings are in many public and private collections.

While operating the John Pike Watercolor School in Woodstock, N.Y. 1960-1979, he attracted many professional artists from around the country. The reputation of the school was such that corporations, ad agencies, etc., sent their artists for advanced study.