John McCormick Farmer was born in Melbourne in 1897.

In 1914 enrolled at the Melbourne National Gallery School in the drawing class under Fred McCubbin, attending for three and a half years. He won first prize in 1916 for his anatomical drawing of a figure from a cast.

In 1917, on advice from Richard McCann, he enrolled to study under Max Meldrum for several years.

He married Polly Hurry, also one of Meldrum’s students, in 1921 and then they both travelled and painted in Beijing and Shenyang before crossing into Korea and staying in Seoul. In Japan they lived for a time in Kyoto before returning to Melbourne for an exhibition of work from this trip at the Athenaeum Gallery.

In 1923 a painting entitled “Japanese brocade” was included in the exhibition of Australian art at the Royal Academy in London.

Wishing to gain further knowledge of the Old Masters work he left for Europe in 1924, travelling and studying in England, France and Holland and remained in Europe for nearly three years. In 1925 he had 2 paintings hung in the Royal Academy.

In 1928 Farmer exhibited by invitation in the 10th annual exhibition of the Society of Twenty Melbourne Painters. He continued to exhibit regularly with the Society as an Associate (then Full Member from 1942) becoming an honorary Life Member in 1984.

Farmer lived at Olinda in the Dandenongs, occasionally painting with Sir Arthur Streeton, who was a neighbour. He visited Europe again in late 1929 painting mainly in France, establishing a studio and school in Paris. His paintings were exhibited at the salons during this time.

In 1933 while living in England he exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (London). Returning to Australia in 1935 he established a painting school in Sydney in the following year.

During the Second World War Farmer was employed by the RAAF as a camouflage artist, working at Laverton, Yanakie and the National Museum in Melbourne. It was during the war years that Farmer commenced printmaking, working in drypoint, soft ground etching and aquatint, having been given encouragement by the Melbourne printmaker Victor E. Cobb (1876 – 1945).

An exhibition of Farmer’s prints was organised by the McClelland Gallery, Langwarrin in 1982.

He is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, State Galleries of NSW, Queensland, SA and Victoria, Regional Galleries of Ballarat, Bendigo, Broken Hill, Castlemaine, Geelong, Hamilton, Langwarrin, Launceston, Sale, Shepparton and Warrnambool.