Jolomo opens new exhibition in Glasgow and reveals where he discovered his trademark colours

Bestselling Scottish artist John Lowrie Morrison – known as Jolomo – is famous around the world for his colourful paintings of Scotland’s landscapes.

Now, in a new exhibition in Glasgow, he reveals the place where he discovered the high-key colour which has become his trademark – on a special trip to Switzerland more than 50 years ago.

Jolomo: From Switzerland to the Western Isles, which is at The Glasgow Gallery, Bath Street, until 23 November, includes his first ever paintings of Swiss landscapes alongside new paintings of Scotland.

John was a student at Glasgow School of Art in 1970 when he travelled to the Alps with his wife-to-be, Maureen, and an architect friend, Ian Maclean.

‘We drove from Glasgow in Ian’s black and white Triumph Vitesse to visit L’Abri Fellowship, a Christian study centre,’ he says. ‘We’d no money and slept in the car on the way. It was an amazing trip.

‘One day, Maureen and I went up one of the mountains and were sitting in a high meadow in the long grass. It was just wonderful, like something out of The Sound of Music. 

‘The colour was amazing. I remember saying to myself, I love this high-key colour, this is the way I’m going to go with my painting.’

After graduating, John worked in art education for 25 years before he made the decision to paint full-time in 1997. 

But he never forget the decision he had made on the Swiss mountain, and his signature style of expressionist painting in high-key colour quickly made him one of Scotland’s most popular and successful artists.

Since then, he has had many sell-out exhibitions and has been the subject of two major retrospectives. His paintings have been snapped up by art collectors around the world and are owned by individuals including HRH The Princess Royal, Sting, Madonna and Simon Le Bon.

For the show at The Glasgow Gallery exhibition, he has fulfilled a promise he made to himself more than 50 years ago – to paint the Swiss landscapes where he first discovered high-key colour. 

‘I remember looking down the valley in 1970, which was actually the way to Italy, I promised Maureen I would take her to Italy – which I did in 2012 for our 40th anniversary – and I said, “I’m going to paint this place”,’ he says. 

‘It’s only taken about 50 years, but I’m doing it now.’

The paintings include iconic Swiss landscapes such as Lake Lucerne and the mountains, Les Dents du Midi, as well as Alpine meadows and Swiss-style buildings.

These are shown alongside new paintings of Scotland, from the lighthouse at Neist Point on the Isle of Skye to the cliffs of the Isle of Lewis, and a spectacular sunset from the jetty at Carsaig near John’s Argyll home.

‘Sometimes you don’t have to go far from your studio to find great places to paint,’ he says. 

‘I’ve lived in Argyll for 50 years and I never get tired of painting it. The light here is some of the best in the world.’

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