S. John Ross (artist)

S. John Ross was born Sebastian John Ross, in Detroit, US, 24 April 1919. Inspired by an artist that he saw at Michigan State Fair, he trained with the silhouette artist Budd-Jack, travelling around to different fairs for three years. He later worked in Hollywood. During World War II, he served in the Philippines, before a period in Australia where he served at Base Section 7 in Sydney, and as Staff Sergeant managed the US driving pool, driving entertainment celebrities such as Bob Hope and Jack Benny. In his search for good drivers, he employed a number of Australian women in the WAAAF, thus meeting Florence Phyllis Counsell (known as Phyllis). They married in February 1945. After the war, Ross returned to the United States with his wife, then decided to settle permanently in Australia. They returned on the SS Lurline on 18 March 1946. They lived at Falcon Avenue, Hazelbrook, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. Ross and Phyllis had two sons, John Leyton Ross and Philip Ross. ==Career==

Luna Park, Sydney Easter Show and Ekka In 1948, Ross began to tour the circuit of agricultural shows as a silhouette artist, encouraged by the travelling showman and boxing entrepreneur Jimmy Sharman. He continued working at shows for the next 60 years, travelling as far as the Proserpine show in Queensland. From the 1950s until its closure in 1979, Ross worked at Luna Park, Sydney, unless he was touring shows. Later he worked at Centrepoint Tower. He was often heard to say that he would "rather be a living legend than a dead one". In 2004 he was commemorated at the reopened Luna Park with a mural painted by Ashley Taylor, an artist in residence. == Death ==

In August 2008, S. John Ross did not attend the Brisbane Ekka as usual John had previously taken ill at Cairns During his annual northern Queensland show tour and returned to Sydney where he was rushed to Westmead Hospital. After some four weeks in hospital, Ross died on Sunday 24 August 2008 with his wife Phyllis (1918-2011) and younger son Philip present. He was 89. == Work setting ==

Ross generally worked at shows in a little open booth, surrounded by a display of portraits that he had created of famous people. According to Ross, the art of making silhouettes was very important before the era of photography, and went back to Ancient Greece. He worked quickly with a pair of small scissors, cutting portraits from thin matt black card. He usually concentrated on the profile, but would also enhance the portrait by snipping out a few details. Each portrait was mounted on white card. The likenesses were remarkable, so that it was easy to recognise the famous faces that were on display. He claimed that not everyone's face was suitable for profile portraits and that he was selective as to whom he would portray. == Famous portraits ==

Among the celebrities whose portraits he made were Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Robert Menzies, Vivien Leigh and Nicole Kidman. In the United States, he had made portraits of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Stan Laurel, Al Jolson, Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, Ernest Borgnine, Johnnie Ray and John Mills. == References ==