John was born in the village of Kakagi in the Gembolg District of Simbu on November 10th 1969. John grew up in the village which is dominated by Mount Wilhelm, the highest mountain in PNG – soaring to 4509 metres. In 1999 John came to Port Moresby without any formal training and became a grass roots artist. His painting depicts scenes of the people and their surroundings. Each painting tells a story of the way of life in his country from Gulf Province to the Highlands.