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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.

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Education


2018-19 Glasgow School of Art, Portfolio Preparation Course

2019-2020 Clyde College, Portfolio Preparation Course

2020-2023 DJCAD Fine Art Degree.
Awards

Longlisted for Visual Art Emerging Artists Prize 2023

Longlisted for the StART New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize 2023
 
Longlisted for the John Moores Prize 2023

Winner, Ian Eadie Award, Dundee University 2023​

​"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."

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"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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