Jolomo

I spent this evening at the Jolomo / Bank of Scotland Landscape Painting Awards in the Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow.

John is a legend in his own lifetime with a huge and much admired body of work and now a major retrospective underway. But , as a former art teacher in Argyll ( and still living there) he has a very strong commitment to the continuity and development of landscape painting and to bringing forward young artists. His bi-annual awards , organised by his foundation with additional sponsorship, awards significant prizes and this year for the first time included a schools competition which I have supported and which was - with amazing serendipity - won by Justine Nowart a pupil at Campbeltown Grammar where the main prize winner , Dawnne McGeachy had also been at school.

A bit of an Argyll-fest therefore given that the wonderful Karen Matheson ( originally from Taynuilt) sang at the event as well.