John C. Brown RSW

John Brown’s seductive paintings are brief evocative descriptions of the real life scenes that catch his eye  as he travels; whether in his garden or his native Scotland, Cuba,Turkey or Vietnam his sketchbook is always close at hand. Back in the studio the enjoyable process of bringing to life his travelling sketches begins. Paint and mixed media materials are carefully considered and methodically layered on the canvas, sanded back and layered again to create the surface from which will eventually emerge the painting. An accomplished colourist, his palette and compositions, whether abstract or figurative, reveal an exquisite sensitivity to the light, space and form of his various chosen locations.  Scottish Art Scene have featured him this month in their fabulous online magazine.  Read it here.

John Caldwell Brown

Scotland offers a terrain of monumental, almost mythic proportions that inspires Scottish painter John Brown’s landscape paintings, works begin as landscape and merge into abstract as they become invaded by the spirit of the place.  However, he is not content to stay put in a cold climate for long. Brown, is a traveler, who searches and is inspired by colourful cultures and hot climates where he can translate subjects into textural and saturated coloured canvasses.  Many of his recent paintings have been of his garden an opportunity,during the pandemic, to work closer to home to great effect.

He will sit and make drawings while traveling and on his return to his studio he will begin the process of making the paintings:   Pip Palmer (2009) describes: They are built up in layers with a collage of fabric and scraps to create an underlying composition, a ‘scaffolding’ over which layers of paints are applied, then scratched back with the end of a brush, fingernails or whatever come to hand before being applied again to produce a textured, almost visceral picture surface.   

Brown admires Rauschenberg and de Kooning both prime movers of New York Abstract Expressionism, acknowledging, also an empathy with Howard Hodgkin’s who works to capture the essence of his subject.

1945 Born in Scotland

1963-68 Glasgow School of Art Graduated D.A. in Drawing and Painting

One Person Exhibitions

1970

 Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow

1979

 Moray House, Edinburgh

1992

 The Torrance Gallery,Edinburgh

1996

 Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

 

 Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

1976 

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

1998

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

1999

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

2000

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

2001

John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

2002

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

2003

John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold

Richmond Hill Gallery, London

2004

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

2005

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

Richmond Hill Gallery, London

2006

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

2007

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

2008

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

2009

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

Lemon Street Gallery, Truro

2010

Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London

Rendezvous Gallery, Aberdeen

2011

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

Lemon Street Gallery, Truro

 

2014

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

Awards

1967

 

Royal Academy - Landscape Studentship Award

 

 

Royal Scottish Academy - Maclaine Watters Bronze Medal

1968

 

Glasgow School of Art - Post Diploma Exhibition - Highly Commended

 

 

Royal Scottish Academy - Carnegie Travelling Scholarship

1969

 

Travelling Scholarship to European countries

1970

 

Royal Glasgow Institute of fine Arts - James Torrance Award

1993

 

Society of Scottish Artists and Artists Craftsmen - Arts Club Award

 

 

Society of Scottish Artists and Artists Craftsmen - Scottish Provident Award

1994

 

Heinzel Gallery Award

 

 

Elected Member of Visual Arts Scotland

2005

 

Elected Member of Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour

 

 

Alexander Graham Murnro Award - RSW

2009

En Plein Air prize from Paisley Art Institute

2010

RSW Council Award Residency, Collioure France Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Association Prestigious Print commissioned by Art in Healthcare

 

Works Purchased by

 

 

Robert Fleming Holdings Ltd

 

 

Scottish Life Assurance Co. Ltd

 

 

John Menzies plc

 

 

Korean Embassy

 

 

Lillie Art Gallery

 

 

University of Edinburgh

 

 

British Steel

 

 

Dunfermline Building Society

 

 

Kuwait Royal Family

 

 

Hugh Martin & Partners

 

 

Royal Bank of Scotland

Aida Cherfan Gallery, Beruit

 

Aberdeen Assets 

Works in Private Collections

 

 

Britain, Canada, France, Lebanon, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland,  and the USA

 

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