John Axton’s simple, dramatic, often haunting imagery has created a large following. His minimal horizons, even a single marble - draw the viewer into the canvas to peacefully contemplate the fusion of reality and imagination. John was awarded the “Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award” by his alma mater, Southern Illinois University in 1988 when they established a summer arts program in his name.

His inclusion in “Covering the West”, the prestigious traveling exhibition curated by the editors of Southwest Art Magazine in 1996, introduced John's art to visitors of the Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM, the Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, OK , the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, CA and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO.

John has exhibited in several group museum shows including the Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo, New York, the Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, the McNay Museum, San Antonio, TX, and the Philadelphia Museum, Philadelphia, PA. His work is in the permanent collections of the Pratt Museum in New York and The Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM.