Art @ Saint Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church 

About John Groesser 

John is a native of Nebraska. He and his wife Dodi, his college sweetheart, and two sons moved to the Greenville area in 1989 when he accepted a position with PCS; Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan at the Aurora location.

John retired over 5 years ago. Both John and Dodi attended many art workshops in Europe, Canada and the United States, where his love for art developed and grew under the tutelage of renowned artists and instructors. He instantly fell in love with painting, especially “en plein aire” – out of doors.  He paints with acrylic on canvas using large brushes and palette knives. 

John is an energetic lover of life.  This energy is depicted in his loose strokes where he typically completes a painting in less than 2 hours.  This energy is not only shown in his paintings but also in his missionary endeavors.  He has made frequent trips to Belize where he assisted in building shelters for schools and medical facilities.  He assists in collecting Operation Christmas Child “shoe boxes” to be sent to children all over the world; is active with Habitat for Humanity; distributes Gideon Bibles AND sings and plays in his church choir.

John has participated in art residencies.  In 2014, he was in Cozad Ne. where he painted over 40 paintings of people and farm scenes, all sold to benefit the Robert Henri Museum.  In 2015, John and Dodi spent time in Minden Ne. Several paintings were sold to benefit the recently renovated 1891 Minden Opera House.

His work as well as Dodi’s can be seen at River Walk Gallery in Washington, Turnage Theatre, the Brushstrokes semi-annual art shows, and their studio “2 Happy Painters” at their home in Grimesland, NC.

Contact John at:  2happypainters@suddenlink.net

Visit John and Dodi's website at: www.johnanddodigroesser.com

Did you miss our last concert?  You can enjoy the concert on 02-20-2026 by clicking on the video link. 

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SFBTS has officially renamed its art gallery The Bradford Gallery at Saint Francis by the Sea. This name change honors Tim Bradford, who created the gallery for the church in 2008 and has served as its curator since its installation. Since its inception, the gallery has hosted over 150 art exhibitions by local artists. The ceremony began with a short litany of dedication honoring Mr. Bradford. The gallery will showcase artwork, some of which he painted and created, currently hanging in the gallery, along with the artwork of featured artists.

Tim's art has changed quite a bit since he graduated from Ohio University with a BFA. His favorite medium is acrylic, but he has been experimenting lately with painted fabric, copper, and metal piping.

The gallery is open Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

A collage video of photos taken during the event can be viewed here.