John Clement Lorence, Jr. was born October 7, 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio. As a child he attended weekly art classes, and when a series of aptitude tests indicated some artistic ability, he began attending a variety of art programs, including: classes at Cleveland College; a three-year enrollment at Parsons School of Design; two years at the Cambridge School of Design; and study under Gyorgy Kepes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1953 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Art Academy for the 1953-54 academic year. His studies were interrupted by a 1954-1957 stint in the U.S. Army, serving part of the time as an engineering corps illustrator in France and Iran. While traveling through Europe and Asia during his Army career he exploited his interest in art history by photographing art objects, compiling 2,000 slides on the subject “Tracing Art Through Archaeology.”

He returned to Cranbrook in September 1958 to complete his studies, receiving a B.F.A. in painting in 1959 and an M.F.A. a year later. Lorence taught art at a variety of schools in Wisconsin and Maine while continuing his career as a painter. He was a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and YADDO, and received a fellowship from the Ossabaw Island Project. He eventually made his home on Great Cranberry Island, Maine. His paintings are described as “bright, lyrical abstractions,” and show a fascination with nature and the cycle of seasons. His work has been exhibited widely in Maine, as well as Milwaukee, Flint, the Detroit Institute of Arts and in Germany and Iran, and is held in several major collections including the Milwaukee Art Museum, the University of Michigan and the Cook Collection of Chicago & Evanston. As of July 2013 he was exhibiting work in Maine galleries.

Lorence is married to a weaver from Australia.