The work of John Lowrie Morrison, known as “Jolomo” is acclaimed around the world. 

His distinctive and instantly recognisable style have made him one of the most prolific and successful painters in the country.  Most commonly known for his paintings of the west coast of Scotland and his iconic red roofed crofts, Jolomo's latest exhibition at The Glasgow Gallery, opening on Saturday 26 October, takes us back to where he was first inspired by the colours that have made him renowned for over 50 years.

John’s decision to paint in high-key colour wasn’t made in Kintyre, or on the Isle of Skye, or in any of the places he is famous for painting. It was made in an alpine meadow in Switzerland.

John, was a student at Glasgow School of Art when he travelled to Switzerland in the summer of 1970 with his wife-to-be, Maureen, and an architect friend, Ian Mclean, to visit L’Abri Fellowship in Huémoz, the Christian study centre founded by the philosopher and theologian Francis Schaeffer. “We drove from Glasgow in Ian’s white Triumph Vitesse,” he remembers. “It was a great trip.

(Image: Jolomo)

“One day we went up one of the mountains and were sitting in this high meadow in the long grass, it was just wonderful, like something out of The Sound of Music. I remember saying to myself, I love this high-key colour, this is the way I’m going to go with my painting.”

John worked in art education for 25 years before he could fulfil his dream to paint full-time. But he never forgot the decision he made on the mountain and, when he began to exhibit regularly in the mid 1990s, expressive colour became his trademark.

Since then, he has had many sell-out exhibitions and has been the subject of two major retrospectives.  He received an OBE for services to art and charity in Scotland in 2010. This year, he has fulfilled another promise he made himself in the alpine meadow more than 50 years ago: to paint the landscape of Switzerland.

“I remember looking down into the valley, which was actually the way into Italy, and promising Maureen I would take her there when we got some money - we went through Switzerland on our way to Venice on The Orient Express for our fortieth wedding anniversary in 2012 - and I said, I’m going to paint this place. It’s taken a while but I’m doing it now!”

(Image: Jolomo)

The Glasgow Gallery are delighted to be hosting their annual Jolomo Exhibition which depicts the history behind the the artists journey and passion for colour which began in the 70’s. John's first paintings of Switzerland will hang alongside new work from the west coast of Scotland, which remains his favourite place to paint.

A highlight in the gallery calendar and likely to be a busy event, the work of Jolomo brings together buyers, newcomers and art enthusiasts alike to celebrate the connection of art.

Jolomo: From Switzerland to the Western Isles, The Glasgow Gallery, 182 Bath Street, October 26 -  November 23, see www.glasgowgallery.co.uk

(Image: Glasgow Gallery)