John Vieville Harter is a Natchez resident and Annapolis graduate who recently returned to art endeavors after a 45 year lapse while pursuing an engineering career. His early art education included composition and landscape in oils under the instruction of Arthur Elder in Westport, Connecticut followed by independent studies of the human form in pencil and charcoal. During his four years at the US Naval Academy, he was a regular contributor of cover art for the monthly Splinter magazine and illustrations for year books.

He works in pastel, watercolor and oil. John is presently studying watercolor under the instruction of Marina Cavette of Natchez, Mississippi and Thousand Oaks, California. In 2009 he took a workshop in acrylic painting under the direction of Doug Walton of Ruston, Louisiana and in 2010  attended a oil painting workshop taught by Doug Scott of Taos, New Mexico. His art subjects primarily reflect his interest in horse handling, as well as portraits and historic landmarks. John is a founding memeber of the ArtsNatchez Gallery, a member of the Natchez Arts Association and is a recipent of a Mississippi Arts Commission Individual Artist Grant for 2009