ELECTED IN 1975
John Smout lives in Ruabon, Wrexham. He studied at Stourbridge, Birmingham and Liverpool Colleges of Art.
"
I
believe the creative process knows of no hard and fast divisions, I
like to emphasise structure and order
in the visual world, whether landscape, architecture, life or
portrait painting. For me,
the real and abstract constantly intermingle.
I am aware of the
positive and spiritual force of light and colour, which forms an integral part of my
work; together they are an active element in my art, which are used to reinforce
structure and stimulate the viewer’s engagement.
The underlying
skeleton of the subject matter is an important part of the process
and the subsequent
‘fleshing out’ and exploration of these layers results in a
finished work that takes the eye
and mind on a journey into the heart of the painting."
