John Fairbanks

John B Fairbanks (December 27, 1855, in Payson, Utah – June 15, 1940, in Salt Lake City) was an American landscape painter.

[4] His father was an early pioneer who had come to Utah from Winter Quarters in 1847;[5]: 38  and died from pneumonia on May 14, 1875, leaving Fairbanks to care for the family.

[4] Although he showed an early interest in art, he had no inclination to pursue it as a career until, in 1877, he visited the studios of John Hafen, an aspiring artist his own age.

[6]: 92 John B Fairbanks served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Southern States Mission from October 1881 to September 1883.

[4] His paintings were not successful, so he found it necessary to take other work, which ranged from assisting the photographer, George Edward Anderson, to selling newspapers.

[7][8][6] Their objective was to develop their art skills and techniques in order to design and paint murals for the nearly completed Salt Lake Temple.

[6]: 103  In 1902, struggling to support his seven children, he accepted an offer of employment from Benjamin Cluff to make sketches and photographs on his archaeological expedition to Latin America.

[7][13]: 1  Fairbanks moved his family to Alberta, Canada to run a farm, but returned to Salt Lake City due to droughts and difficult winters.

[13]: 1  Back in Salt Lake City, Fairbanks resumed painting, giving private art lessons and running a small farm to provide for his family.

[13]: 1  Fairbanks spent time in New York City where he made copies of art pieces from the Metropolitan Museum to sell.

[13]: 1  Fairbanks helped his son cultivate his work and develop his technique, hoping Avard would be able to achieve a level of success that he had not.

[4] Neither his art nor his teaching was financially successful, so he supplemented his income by running a photography studio with his oldest son, John Leo Fairbanks.