In depth information about our leading artists
John Lowrie Morrison - known universally as ‘Jolomo’ (having taken the first two letters of each of his names if you haven’t clicked) - occupies a singular, and in many ways, paradoxical, position within Scottish contemporary art. At once deeply traditional and unmistakably modern, hugely popular yet critically significant, his work has forged a connection between artist, landscape, and audience that few of his contemporaries have matched.
A Defining Voice in Scottish Art
Today, Jolomo stands as one of the most recognisable and widely collected Scottish artists. His vibrant, expressive paintings of Scotland’s (mainly), West Coast, have earned him an international following and a loyal collector base, being acknowledged in 2021, when The Sunday Times names him among the ten greatest Scottish artists of all time.
A Towering Figure in Scottish Contemporary Art
Background and Early Influences
Born in Glasgow in 1948, Jolomo trained at the Glasgow School of Art during a period of considerable change. The late 1960s and early 1970s were defined by experimentation, as pop art, abstraction and conceptual practices came to dominate artistic discourse.
While many of his contemporaries were drawn towards these movements, Jolomo remained committed to landscape painting - albeit on his distinctly personal terms.
Influenced by European painters such as Kokoschka and Chagall, Jolomo began developing an expressionist visual language that prioritised emotion, colour, and memory over strict representation. This decision be defining and shape a career defined not by shifting trends, but by a deeply personal and consistent artistic vision.
The Landscape at His Core
At the heart of Jolomo’s work lies the Scottish landscape - particularly the West Coast regions of Argyll, Mull and Iona. These places are not simply subjects; they are the bedrock of his practice and integral to his identity as an artist. His paintings do not attempt to document the land in a literal topographical sense. Instead, they distil its essence. Crofts, cottages and harbours emerge through rhythmic repetition and heightened colour, creating compositions that feel both deeply personal and widely recognisable.
A Bold Use of Colour
Colour, indeed, is perhaps his most distinctive hallmark. Rejecting the muted palette often associated with Scotland’s climate, Jolomo’s embraces a ‘high-key’ palette - skies blaze with pinks and oranges, seas shimmer in turquoise and fields pulse with saturated reds and golds. This approach can be traced back to a formative experience with the clarity and intensity of alpine light during his student years – an encounter that shaped a lifelong commitment to expressing the emotional truth of a place rather than its literal appearance.
From Teacher to Full-Time Artist
To focus solely on style, however, is to overlook the broader significance of his career. For more than two decades, Jolomo worked as an art teacher, only committing to painting full-time in the mid-1990s. This background in education not only shaped his disciplined work ethic but also informed his belief that art should be open, engaging and accessible rather than exclusive. Today, his paintings are held in collections across the world, appealing equally to seasoned collectors and those encountering Scottish art for the first time.
Shaping Scottish Landscape Painting
This accessibility and widespread appeal has, at times, prompted debate. In certain quarters in the art world, popularity and commercial success are viewed with suspicion. Yet such critiques risk overlooking the deeper cultural role his work plays. Jolomo has arguably done more than any other contemporary artist to sustain and revitalise Scottish landscape painting, bringing it into contemporary relevance and into the homes of a wide audience. His work bridges tradition and modernity, ensuring continued visibility in a rapidly changing art world and offering a vision of Scotland that is both rooted and reimagined.
His influence also extends beyond his own paintings. In 2005, he established the Jolomo Foundation, followed by the launch of the Jolomo Awards in 2007. Running biannually until 2013, these awards were, at the time, the largest privately funded arts prize in the UK and provided vital support to emerging landscape painters. At a moment when such practices were often overshadowed by conceptual art, his advocacy helped sustain and renew interest in the genre.
When asked in 2009 whether the awards were an anti-Turner prize, his response was characteristically direct - “There may be arguments for and against landscape painting, and for or against conceptual Charles Saatchi art, I'm just not interested in the arguments, not in the least. I love Scottish landscape painting and I want to see it live on. Unmade beds and bananas on a windowsill? I just don’t get it.”
A Wider Legacy
Alongside this, his commitment to charitable work has been a defining aspect of his life and career. Through both the Jolomo Foundation and his long-standing support of organisations such as the Carers Trust, Jolomo - together with his wife, Maureen - has helped raise significant funds and awareness for carers across the UK. Their shared dedication to philanthropy reflects a belief that art should not only inspire, but also contribute meaningfully to the wider community, extending his impact far beyond the canvas.
Recognition of this and his contribution has been widespread. Awarded an OBE for services to art and charity, this honour reflects both his artistic achievements and his wider impact.
A Defining Artistic Vision
What ultimately distinguishes Jolomo is not simply his longevity or success, but the consistency of his vision. Across more than five decades, he has remained committed to a particular way of seeing - one rooted in place, shaped by faith, and expressed through colour. His paintings often carry a quiet sense of spirituality, reflecting his personal beliefs and his engagement as a lay preacher. For Jolomo, art is not separate from life; it is a means of interpreting and communicating it.
This depth gives his paintings a resonance that extends beyond aesthetics, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship with place and memory.
Within the broader context of Scottish contemporary art, this places him as both a continuation and a counterpoint. He follows in the lineage of artists who have engaged deeply with Scotland’s land, yet he does so in a manner that is unmistakably his own.
At the same time, his popularity challenges rigid distinctions between “high” and “popular” art, suggesting that emotional resonance and accessibility can coexist with artistic integrity.
For those encountering his work today, whether for the first time or as long-time admirers, Jolomo’s paintings offer something increasingly rare - an immediate and genuine connection. In an era where much contemporary art can feel distant or conceptual, his work remains grounded, accessible and deeply human.
As his latest exhibition approaches, it stands as a reminder of an artist who has not only captured the Scottish landscape, but helped shape how it is seen and understood.
Jolomo’s enduring significance lies not simply in colour or composition, but in connection - between artist and place, and between art and audience. In that sense, his work continues to play a vital role in the story of Scottish contemporary art, ensuring that landscape, memory and emotion remain at its heart.
Scott Bennett
The Strathearn Gallery
April 2026
