John Stirling was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964. At a very early age he took an interest in art. He is primarily self-taught and worked independently at his art until joining the Tiger Group in 2006. With encouragement from fellow Tigers, John's style has grown and evolved.

In the early days of his art career, John studied the work of Tom Thomson and others in the Group of Seven. This is evident in his brush strokes as well as subject matter. His landscapes depict bold skies and rough land and water masses that are taypical projections of how we, as Canadians, define our Northern environment. Later, he turned to Modigliani, Morrice, and Matisse for inspiration, working with a bolder use of line and color in a post impressionistic style. These influences are seen in his figurative studies.

 More recently, John has turned away from the subject being the dominating force in the painting. Instead, his focus is to create organized, unified designs that bring tangibility and tranquility to the subject by giving the surrounding areas equal weight. His simplistic approach to color and form him each work an exciting rawness that is very appealing.