Born in Sheffield, England, John Trickett spent most of his early life in Cleethorpes where he was living when Sally Mitchell first discovered him.

Although always inclined towards painting, on leaving school he started to train as an accountant. An offer to play football professionally soon diverted him and he spent some time playing for Torquay before turning to painting full-time.

Totally self-taught, on his first meeting with Sally Mitchell, he said he had been to art school. On his second meeting in the presence of his wife, Sally asked which art school he had been to. His wife exclaimed, 'Oh, John, you didn't say you'd been to art school, you were only there for a morning, you left at lunchtime!'
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