Jolomo exhibition puts focus firmly on Argyll

THE road in Argyll which inspired the Beatles’ hit The Long and

Winding Road is to feature in a new exhibition of paintings by Scottish artist John Lowrie Morrison, known as Jolomo.

Paintings of the Skipness road down the east coast of the Mull of Kintyre feature in Jolomo: Seasons

of Argyll, which opened at Gallery Q in Dundee on Saturday.

John, who lives in Tayvallich, said: ‘Paul McCartney said the road which inspired the song was the B842 which runs to Skipness, Carradale and on to Campeltown, near his farmhouse on the Mull of Kintyre. I’ve painted the beginning of the road, where there is a red-roofed cottage.

‘As a Beatles fan and a McCartney fan all through the 1960s, it was always a great connection for me. We used to see him and his family often in Lochgilphead and Ardrishaig when the McCartneys lived on the Mull of Kintyre.’

The exhibition at Gallery Q in Dundee's Nethergate, which is John’s first in 2017, features new paintings which celebrate the landscapes of Argyll through all four seasons, from blue skies and wild flowers in summer, to stormy skies and winter snows.

John said: ‘I’m always drawn back to painting Argyll. The light here is wonderful, and it varies so much from season to season – even from day to day. Every time I look at the landscape there is something new to see.

‘I wanted to do an exhibition which brought together paintings from all four seasons because it highlights the contrasts in the light and the colours.

' Even in winter, there is a lot of colour, the light creates surprising colours on the snow and in the sky.’

John trained at Glasgow School of Art and taught for 25 years before taking up painting full-time in 1997. His expressionist landscapes in bold colours quickly made him one of Scotland’s most successful artists, with celebrities such as Sting, Madonna and Rick Stein buying his work.