John was born in Africa in the late 1960s to missionary parents in Africa. He spent the first 12 years of his life living in Burundi and attending school in Kenya. He continued his schooling and obtained an engineering degree in England. Since then he has worked as a manager for a number of technology companies in England and the USA, which has taken him to many parts of the world.

This background may explain in part the variety seen in his artwork. Throughout his life, John has explored art as a hobby, drawing and painting using various media. In the last few years, he has been creating works of art digitally. The results of this activity, which are a mix of digital painting, 3D graphics, and digital photography, are presented on his popular web site (www.jrbell.com) that started in July 1998. He currently lives in Orange County in Southern California, USA, and is married with 3 children.