Born Barley Mill, Kirkcudbright 31 August 1819; died Kirkcudbright 22 October 1902. Painter in oil and indian ink, portrait miniatures, genre and historical subjects. Attended Girthon Parish School but his school days ended when, aged only 11, he was refused permission to place his name beneath a map of Italy. Entirely self taught, his first serious miniatures were painted when he was ten. A portrait of the local minister, 'painted from likeness' rather than life is now in the NGS. Viscount Kenmure had chanced to see some of he boy's ink drawings and was so impressed that he visited the family. He found John finishing an engraving of Lord Byron that was better than the original. The artist's report of what followed is quoted in McKerrow: 'I found him in the Bay Horse surrounded with some good watercolour drawings of ships, seaviews and seascapes, all of his own producing. He told me he was going to give up painting and wished to give me his paint box. No amount of language could convey the satisfaction and delight I had in carrying the box home. I had never seen a cake of watercolour in my life before, but to be the possessor of such a number of colours was wealth indeed. I took them to bed with me so that when daylight came I might examine them one by one. It is needless to say that after that, I deserted my old friend indian ink'.

Between the ages of 11 and 12 he was touring Galloway as a miniature painter, painting the aristocracy and notables including William Nicholson the poet. The five miniatures painted in about 1836 of James McKeachie, his wife and three daughters, are now in the Stewartry Museum, Kircudbright. They are astonishingly mature work for a 16 year old. Being prevented by his father from travelling with a friend to London he took his picture to Kircudbright where they were sold by raffle. He remained there for about 18 months painting more miniatures. He studied at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh and his first picture to be accepted by the RSA 'Portrait of a Gentleman' was shown a year after his arrival in the city, together with four miniatures. Exhibited 36 portraits and 25 miniatures at the RSA between 1842-1846. Thereafter he became more interested in painting larger portraits and fewer miniatures. Elected ARSA 1847 winning a bronze medal the same year, and RSA in 1851 winning a silver medal. In 1848 was a founder member of The Smasher's Club. SOmeof the sketches done there by John and Thomas Faed are now in the print room of the Glasgow AG. 15 years later, when several of the artists had won fame in England, the Faeds moved south and the club was reconstituted under the title "Auld Lang Syne', when they were joined by Erskine Nicol, John Stirling and Andrew Maclure. In 1864 he moved to London but after five years decided to return to Scotland., building a house in Gatehouse-of-Fleet. He loved his work and although never driven by ambition was always happiest when painting, never allowing anything to leave his hands without the last finishing touch, often one of the greatest delicacy'. Four of his children became artists.  Represented in SNPG (7), NGS, V&A, NTS, RSA, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Gatehouse School, Glasgow AG, Isle of Mull, Perth AG, Bradford AG, Bury AG, Sheffield AG, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Wolverhampton AG, York AG, Chicago Art Institute, Cleveland Museum, Ohio etc.