John Long is a third-generation artist who has trained in various forms of art including photography, filmmaking, poetry, and typesetting. Over the last twenty-five years, he has created nearly 2000 pieces of art in different media, such as 3-dimensional assemblages in painted boxes, 2-dimensional collages and woven photos, Tape on Books (which involves wrapping discarded books and art magazines in colorful electricians tape), abstract painting with acrylics, and calligraphy with Sumi ink.

When it comes to painting, John uses a variety of techniques to explore different ideas. He prefers spontaneous expression over planning, hence many of his paintings are like jazz music. He often builds up multiple layers of acrylic paint and sometimes sands and scrapes the surface to reveal earlier layers. This gives his paintings a sense of geological history, like the layers of the earth revealed in mountains or a worn surface like an old building.