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STRATHEARN GALLERY
ONE of Scotland’s top artists has a few surprises in store when he unveils a major exhibition of new paintings this weekend at a Perthshire gallery.
John Lowrie Morrison OBE (known as ‘Jolomo’) will be at the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff on Saturday (21st) to celebrate the opening of ‘Croftscapes and Flowers’, a show of 60 new paintings which include both the croft landscapes for which he is best known and some more surprising works - still life paintings of flowers.
A Stormy Daybreak over Iona and Mull
John Lowrie Morrison says: “I haven’t shown flower paintings for a few years in Scotland, so people might not be so aware of this aspect of my work.
“I love flowers and have always loved painting them, right back to my school days. I never get tired of doing them as they express so much with their shape and colour.
“What I like about this exhibition in particular is that there are paintings of flowers in vases and the landscapes are also full of wild flowers. There is a contrast between formal still lives and informal still lives in the landscape, which is how I think of them. That really works for me.”
A Big Bowl Of Flowers
John says his “obsession” with crofts goes back to his family’s roots on the Isle of Harris. “I’ve been obsessed by croft houses since my first visit to the family croft on Harris when I was a child in the 1950s. That visit made an indelible mark on my soul.”
“Croft houses - especially the gable ends and chimneys - are quite magical to me. Every time I see one, it exudes the presence of the folk who live there. I love the open gate, the leaning ladder - will someone come out and climb the ladder?”
John Lowrie Morrison, who lives and works in Argyll, worked for 25 years in art education before leaving work to paint full-time in 1997. His distinctive colourful landscapes of Scotland quickly made him one of the country’s most popular painters, with celebrities such as Sting, Madonna, Chris Patten and Sophia Loren buying his work.
Beehives in a Wild Garden Argyll
Susan Bennett, owner of the Strathearn Gallery, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming back John to the gallery in what will be his largest solo show with us to date.
“This is always a very popular and busy exhibition when the gallery is at its most vibrant and colourful, so it’s well worth coming to see this fantastic collection of works from one of Scotland’s most popular and well-loved artists.”
A percentage of the proceeds from the exhibition will be gifted to the charity Carers Trust, of which John and his wife Maureen are Vice Presidents, along with HRH The Princess Royal.
Strathearn Gallery
32 W High St, Crieff PH7 4DL
01764 656100
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