John J. Hines was born in Connecticut and attended Salem College, studying under Elizabeth Whipple. The study of painting continued as an assistant in the studio of Matt Lyons, a well known painter and former instructor at the Art Students League in New York City.
John arrived in California in 1977 and opened Silver City Artworks as a studio in the Hollywood Hills where he began to paint contemporary landscapes and create assemblages that drew upon the rich urban subject matter of Los Angeles.
In describing his process John tell us that: "Whatever the medium that I am using, the process starts with a physical object or place that inspires a strong feeling. Then I work to express the essence of the emotional and sp ritual relationship with that subject ".