John W. Claghorn is the nephew of the highly regarded historical painter J. C. Claghorn. The former director of a successful advertising agency, he left that position in order to devote all of his time to a career in the arts. He went to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and has since become a well-known watercolor artist. He specializes in Pennsylvania scenes, noted homes, Bucks County landscapes, covered bridges and fishing scenes in the Poconos.

Claghorn has had one-man exhibitions at the Print Club in Philadelphia, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Pocono Manor Inn. His work is also well represented in many private collections.