Featured Artist John Stoa

Scottish painter John Stoa shares an impressive portfolio of landscape and figurative art. Visit his website to see more.

 

 

I have been all over UK and many countries abroad on holidays as well as following my horticultural career. This started as an apprentice gardener in Dundee Parks Department. Later I moved to Worthing to work on New Place Farm in Pulborough. After a year at College in Chelmsford, I moved to Fox Fruit Farm in Suckley near Hereford. Later I moved on to Dudley then further north to Darlington.

 

 

I have always had an urge to take up painting. As a young child, then at school, and through my horticultural career, it left little time to paint. While in Darlington as Deputy Manager of Parks and Cemeteries, I joined the local art society. In their annual exhibition about 40 years ago, I got my first painting sale of a boat going up the River Clyde in moonlight. This started my interest in art and making a living from my hobby as well as my horticultural career.

 

 

I was then able to afford a summer holiday abroad, where I discovered Benidorm. There were beach scenes, holiday makers, and the old town of great character. I came back with a new massive project to paint from my photos. I started to paint almost every night.

 

 

Later on, I started to sell through local galleries, and then all over the UK. At first I painted in oils, then watercolours. After many years I took to pastels, before I discovered acrylics, which were very forgiving when mistakes needed correcting. I now use acrylics for most of my paintings.

 

 

Early on as a young artist, it was my plan to paint realistically. When I painted a woodland scene outside Dundee in winter, all my trees including beech, Norway spruce, Sitka Spruce, Scots pine, cedars, Rowan and birch had to be identifiable by any forester with knowledge of trees. Landscapes, towns and villages, Scottish castles, mountains and rivers were all painted realistically. Visitors to my exhibitions had to be able to recognize my paintings from life. However as time went on, my style loosened up. I had an urge to add colour to create drama, give impact and warm up my snow scenes (they had to be red hot.)

 

 

The art market moves slowly and my use of colour grew and realism got left behind. My artwork had to have impact. Slowly, semi-abstract images took over from realism. I even had a run into abstract images. That brought in other problems. One buyer wanted to know why there was a man in a wheelchair in an abstract. I lost that sale.

 

 

Other abstract adventures featured Broughty Ferry Castle once the paint dried. Now where did that come from?!?  The canvas got turned upside down and I continued to paint. Difficulties arise when painting my figure studies from my Scottish models. The background goes abstract, but the lady has to merge into it.

 

 

I have an artist’s eye for beauty from landscapes, towns, villages, snow scenes, flowers, people and figures. When something catches my eye, I have to capture it on canvas. I’ve now completed over 1900 paintings (my last painting was number 1906). I’m hoping to complete my 2000th artwork sometime soon.

 

John Stoa invites you to follow on Facebook and his blog. 

 

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