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BIOGRAPHY

John is a British artist, and since 2008 based in suburban Glasgow, working primarily in figurative painting and drawing.

Studied BA (Hons) Fine Art at DJCAD, Dundee, graduating with a First in 2023.

Education


2018-19 Glasgow School of Art, Portfolio Preparation Course

2019-2020 Clyde College, Portfolio Preparation Course

2020-2023 DJCAD Fine Art Degree.
Awards

 

(2023) Ian Eadie Award, DJCAD Dundee University

(2023) Certificate of Artistic Merit, Luxembourg Prize

(2023) Longlist John Moores Prize

(2023) Longlist Visual Art Open Emerging Artist Award

(2023) Shortlist Emerging Art Prize, StArt-NewBloodArt

(2024) Certificate of Artistic Merit, Luxembourg Prize

(2025) Extended Longlist Jacksons Art Prize

(2025) Shortlist Henley RISE Art Prize

(2025) Longlist ArtEvol

(2025) Certificate of Artistic Merit, Luxembourg Prize

(2025) Certificate of Selection: Open Call for Artists

(2025) Jury’s Choice Award for the KANE International Contemporary Art Prize 2025

​"When I'm painting, I try to avoid concrete thoughts or ideas, in order to catch images that float into my head.  In this way I free my mind so that the world appears full of possibility; nothing is fixed; everything is mysterious, as if seen by a child for the first time.  Then, from this mass of unconscious images I select one image that makes a direct emotional impact on me but also one which I don’t understand, one that has no easy, rational or conscious explanation."

"I exaggerate this personal experience by using thickly painted bodies in a spontaneous way.  I pour everything expressive into the flesh, where the painting is most alive. I use rearrangement, reversal, skewed perspective, contrast and magical realism to suggest fluidity, surprise and possibility.  The aim is to express my topsy-turvy and unstable perception.  Doing this enables me to focus on my own body’s experience of seeing, feeling and questioning the world.  These qualities of creative openness motivate me towards adventurousness and curiosity and spur my personal development."

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CONTACT > STUDIO

John lives and works in Milngavie, Glasgow.​

 

Studio visits welcome by appointment

 

​sillincejohn11@gmail.com

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