John Caldwell was born in Sydney in 1942, and began painting in 1969 while living in London. John has exhibited regularly since 1975, and recieved a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney in 1976. Since that time he has travelled widely, including painting expeditions to the UK, France and Antarctica. In 1991 he undertook a residency in the Ipswich and West Moreton coalfields in Queensland.

John begins many of his landscape paintings in the field, recording details and general impressions with drawings and notes. Thus some of his images are specific to detailed locations, whilst others are interpretations, concerned more with a spirit of place and memory than description. As Peter Pinson wrote of John's Coalfields series: “...they are poetic recollections and reconstructions, yet even if the works aren't literal reportage, they do represent an authentic sensation of the place, possibly a prophetic one...”

John's paintings have twice been selected and hung in the Wynne prize, and he has recieved numerous awards including the Art Gallery of NSW's Trustees Watercolour Prize in 1984 and 1987. His work is represented in many Australian collections including the Art Gallery of NSW, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Artbank, and the Holmes à Court collection.