Solomon Fine Art is greatly looking forward to hosting a solo exhibition of new works by the Dublin-based Scottish artist JOHN SHORT.  The Solomon has been exhibiting Short’s bright, lively and clearly observed watercolours for a number of years and this will be his second solo exhibition after a successful show in 2015.

John is largely inspired by interactive groups and their behaviour; be they people, birds or animals. He contributes to the feeling of spontaneity and immediacy by carefully considering his composition and often taking an unusual or unexpected view of his subject. Having travelled extensively in Australia his recent drawings and studies form the basis of the work for this exhibition. He has painted surfers on Manly Beach, Sydney, pelicans in Noos, Queensland, camels near Milthorpe NSW and a charming flock of cockatoos to name but a few. Also included in the exhibition are a number of wide-format riverscapes from his travels and his well-known Irish coastal representations including the popular, large-scale, square images of bathers at Seapoint and a bevy of swans in Bray Harbour.

John Short’s paintings embrace the contemporary while showing great respect for traditional drawing skills. Working primarily in watercolour he also likes to explore many different effects with other materials such as acrylic ink, salt (for texture) and photo transfer. He enjoys creating a tension between the sharp areas of focus, the realistic and semi-photographic image and the fluid, more intuitive and less defined areas.

Short received a BA  from the Edinburgh School of Art and an MA from the prestigious Royal College of Art in London and began his career producing drawings for publications as diverse as Vogue, Harpers & Queen, The Irish Times, The Sunday Independent, The Guardian and The Sunday Times.  Now based in Dalkey in south County Dublin, he divides his time solely between his teaching (John is a senior lecturer in Drawing & Image Making in the School of Art & Design in DIT) and his own painting.

Short’s distinctively joyous and highly original watercolours have earned him multiple Irish & international awards, including the prestigious 2012 Artist Prize at the Royal Watercolour Society in London and the Arnott’s National Portrait Award here in Ireland.  His work can be found in numerous public and private collections such as the Department of Foreign Affairs, Bank of Ireland, the Shelbourne Hotel and Berger Paints.  Most recently he completed a specially commissioned suite of prints for the King’s Inn Law Library in Dublin.