John Bellany attended Edinburgh College of Art. Moving to London in 1965 to study at the Royal College of Art. The underlying themes of his painting have remained consistent throughout his artistic career. From his earliest work he has portrayed the environment of his youth in potent images of fishermen, the sea and the myths and characters populating the tight-knit community of the harbour. His Calvinistic upbringing inbued his art with a reverence for religious belief. Which is narrated via compositions that speak of mortality and of good and evil. Following years of self destruction in the 1970’s revealed in paintings full of angst, Bellany survived a liver transplant operation in 1988. Subsequent work reveals a renewed zest and vitality. It celebrates a spiritual, physical and artistic rebirth in vibrant watercolours, glowing canvases and lyrical etchings and drawings. Allegorical diptychs and triptychs recur in Bellany’s more recent work, which reflects the artists voyage through life.

'Mexican Girl'
Watercolour
21x14"
Private Collection

'Fisherwoman'
Watercolour
19x15"
Private Collection

Fisher Woman
watercolour
22 x 14 inches
Private Collection