John Brown studied at Glasgow School of Art under the guidance of David Donaldson and Duncan Shanks both of whom had a big influence on his work. After graduating in 1968 John enjoyed early acclaim, winning awards at the Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy as well as exhibiting regularly at galleries around Scotland.
After a number of successful and rewarding years teaching, John returned, in 1996, to concentrate on his own work. Much of his work in recent years has been informed by his travels to places further afield from his studio in Edinburgh. Exotic trips to Havana, Catalonia, Cilento and Tuscany, places bursting with colour and warmth lend themselves to John’s adventurous and assured brushwork. Collage is a favourite starting point, helping him to identify the composition.
Familiar scenes from his teeming sketchbooks are used as guidelines that are taken on a journey from recognisable landscapes and vignettes of village life to much more expressive and intuitive, abstracted finished pieces.
John Brown - CV
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
2018 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 Munro 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
