Jolomo: Best-selling Scottish artist launches new exhibition

A best-selling Scottish artist brings a feast of colour to the grey days of November with his biggest exhibition this year, featuring 50 new paintings.

John Lowrie Morrison, known as Jolomo, has opened his latest show The Glorious Light of the West at the Glasgow Gallery which runs until 16 December.

His expressionist Scottish landscapes in high-key colour are snapped up by celebrities and art collectors all over the world.

John, who lives and works in Argyll, studied at Glasgow School of Art and worked for 25 years in art education before leaving work to paint full-time in 1997. 

His vibrant landscapes of Scotland quickly made him one of the country’s bestselling painters.

His works are in the collections of HRH The Princess Royal, Dame Anne Gloag and the Duke & Duchess of Argyll, and have been bought by celebrities including Sting, Madonna and Simon Le Bon.

He said the new work has taken him back to doing what he loves best.

Colin Hattersley Photography

‘My favourite artist is the American realist painter Andrew Wyeth,’ John said.‘He once said: “One’s art goes as far and as deep as one’s love goes.”

‘He loved the landscapes he painted and the people who lived there, and I feel the same. 

‘I’ve painted all over Europe, in Switzerland, France, Holland, but however beautiful these European landscapes are, I just love the West Coast of Scotland and its glorious light.’

The exhibition features new paintings of favourite places, including Kintyre and Ardnamurchan and the islands of Iona, Islay, Lewis and Harris, as well as several new large-scale paintings.

‘It’s all about the light for me. People think of my work as being about landscape, but really it’s about light,’ John said.

‘The West Coast has very pure air, so the light is spectacular. The sunsets linger for longer, and a shower of rain brings dramatic changes to the light and colour.

‘The light kills the darkness, the light gives colour, the light lifts the soul.

‘Some of the works for this exhibition are on a big scale, and I’ve really enjoyed doing that. I keep changing my colour palette and looking for new ways to move the work forward.’

Read more on Scottish Field’s News pages. 

Plus, don’t miss the December issue of Scottish Field magazine.