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