JOHN LOWRIE MORRISON

John Lowrie Morrison has exhibited his artwork at the gallery here in Leamington spa since 2001 and has painted the west coast of Scotland since the early 1960’s. He paints the light of the west - the light that bathes the Inner & Outer Hebrides which have been collected by our local clients and collectors around the world today.

For more than 25 years John pursued a successful career in art education from his base in Mid Argyll,rising to Principal Teacher of Art & Design at Lochgilphead High School and Argyll Staff Tutor and then Art Adviser/Education Officer to Strathclyde Region.

Since his first solo show in 1976 Jolomo has become a highly successful artist.John is now best known for his painting of the west coast of Scotland, filled with colour and passion, having painted it for over 50 years.

Giving up his education career to paint full time in 1996, John has successfully exhibited his work in solo and mixed exhibitions across the UK, China, USA and Europe. And his work is in public and private collections across the world, with the Scottish Parliament in 2015 taking four large landscapes into their collection to hang in the Holyrood building.

He uses strong colour to express that light and sees his paintings not in the traditional portrayal of light and dark, but in darkness versus colour which is what his painting is about.Some call it"an allegorical description of the human spirit."

Morrison’s main roots are in the Outer Hebrides Kyles and Isle of Harris where family cousin's still work and live today. Many childhood visits to family on Skye at Portnalong gave him a love of the croft.

Morrison records the human imprint on Argyll and the Isles and informs his paintings by a study of the geography, history, geology and - most of all - folklore of a particular area.

Simple human imprints have always been important to him .The pole next to the croft, carrying power or phone lines, the gate from croft to shore or runrigs and the ladder constantly leaning against the croft wall.This was always signifying the constant struggle against water and wind.

Morrison also uses religious imagery based on biblical sources ,something he has done since the late sixties at Glasgow School of Art.

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