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 |
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1979 |
Moray House, Edinburgh |
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1992 |
The Torrance Gallery,Edinburgh |
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1996 |
Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh |
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Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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1976 |
Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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1998 |
Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh |
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1999 |
Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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2000 |
Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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2001 |
John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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2002 |
Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh |
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2003 |
John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold Richmond Hill Gallery, London |
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2004 |
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh |
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2005 |
Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London Richmond Hill Gallery, London |
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2006 |
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh |
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2007 |
Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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2008 |
Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London |
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2009 |
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh Lemon Street Gallery, Truro |
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2010 |
Duncan R Miller Fine Arts, London Rendezvous Gallery, Aberdeen |
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2011 |
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh Lemon Street Gallery, Truro |
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Awards |
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1967
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Royal Academy - Landscape Studentship Award |
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Royal Scottish Academy - Maclaine Watters Bronze Medal |
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1968
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Glasgow School of Art - Post Diploma Exhibition - Highly Commended |
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Royal Scottish Academy - Carnegie Travelling Scholarship |
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1969
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Travelling Scholarship to European countries |
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1970
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Royal Glasgow Institute of fine Arts - James Torrance Award |
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1993
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Society of Scottish Artists and Artists Craftsmen - Arts Club Award |
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Society of Scottish Artists and Artists Craftsmen - Scottish Provident Award |
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1994
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Heinzel Gallery Award |
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Elected Member of Visual Arts Scotland |
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2005
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Elected Member of Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour |
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Alexander Graham Murnro Award - RSW |
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2009 |
En Plein Air prize from Paisley Art Institute |
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2010 |
RSW Council Award Residency, Collioure France Charles Rennie Mackintosh Association Prestigious Print commissioned by Art in Healthcare
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Works Purchased by |
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Robert Fleming Holdings Ltd |
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Scottish Life Assurance Co. Ltd |
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John Menzies plc |
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Korean Embassy |
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Lillie Art Gallery |
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University of Edinburgh |
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British Steel |
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Dunfermline Building Society |
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Kuwait Royal Family |
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Hugh Martin & Partners |
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Royal Bank of Scotland Aida Cherfan Gallery, Beruit |
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Aberdeen Assets |
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Works in Private Collections |
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Britain, Canada, France, Lebanon, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA |