Isobel Johnstone


"For me painting begins with something seen.  This jump-starts a process that is physical, intellectual and emotional.  Managing oil paint satisfies some primitive instinct but also needs a range of quite sophisticated responses.  Images and forms are cancelled out, reinvented and balanced in order to achieve pictorial tension and, most elusive, to find a way to convey the feeling of exhilaration or calm (or both), which nature or the built environment delivered in the first place.  I draw a lot and may use photographs along the way but virtual reality is no substitute for the energy of the experience of looking that drives my work."

Isobel trained at Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh University and Glasgow University.  She was curator of the Scottish Arts Council Collection, Edinburgh from 1975-79, then curator of the Arts Council Collection, London from 1979-2004.

Exhibitions

2020
Oil Paintings by Isobel Johnstone, Rowley Gallery, London
2008
Friends Autumn Exhibition, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
2007
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
1998
Leone Cockburn Gallery, Edinburgh
1996
The Italian Connection, Vicarage Cottage Gallery, North Shields
Leone Cockburn Gallery, Edinburgh
1995
Under Southern Skies, Woodlands Art Gallery, Greenwich
1991
Italian Landscapes, Terrace Gallery, Worthing
1989
Italian Landscapes, Gardner Centre, University of Sussex

 

 

  • African Violets by Isobel Johnstone
  • Black Dahlia & Hydrangeas by Isobel Johnstone
  • Bonnieux Cedars by Isobel Johnstone
  • Bonnieux Fountain by Isobel Johnstone
  • Bonnieux Parapet by Isobel Johnstone
  • Calle Nuova Del Rio Terra by Isobel Johnstone
  • Campo S. Angelo (S. Anzolo) by Isobel Johnstone
  • Cattistock, Rozanne by Isobel Johnstone
  • Dark Hollyhock by Isobel Johnstone
  • Dark Tree, Cattistock by Isobel Johnstone
  • Dog Days 1 by Isobel Johnstone
  • Dog Days 2 by Isobel Johnstone
  • Dorset Apple Blossom by Isobel Johnstone
  • Dorset Sedums by Isobel Johnstone
  • Elgin Crescent, Silver Maple by Isobel Johnstone
  • Grand Canal From Calle Giustinian by Isobel Johnstone
  • Greengage, Cattistock by Isobel Johnstone
  • Hammersmith Bridge From Barnes, Early Evening by Isobel Johnstone
  • Hammersmith Bridge, Autumn Evening by Isobel Johnstone
  • Hammersmith Bridge, Autumn Leaves by Isobel Johnstone
  • Hammersmith Bridge, Damp Evening by Isobel Johnstone
  • Hammersmith Bridge, Sunset by Isobel Johnstone
  • Hollyhock by Isobel Johnstone
  • Japanese Anemones, Cattistock by Isobel Johnstone
  • Little Birds by Isobel Johnstone
  • Orchids by Isobel Johnstone
  • Palazzo Dona by Isobel Johnstone
  • Palazzo Grimani Watergate by Isobel Johnstone
  • Pine Tree, Puglia by Isobel Johnstone
  • Quinces by Isobel Johnstone
  • Rainbow Tulips by Isobel Johnstone
  • St Michael's Mount, Misty Morning by Isobel Johnstone
  • Stellata by Isobel Johnstone
  • Summer Morning, Galicia by Isobel Johnstone
  • Tulips, Cat & Venice Vase by Isobel Johnstone
  • Tuscan Hillside by Isobel Johnstone
  • Tweet Of The Day by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Blue Poles, Grand Canal by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Ca'd'Oro by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Campo San Polo Flooded by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Fondamenta Sta Caterina by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Grand Canal From S. Silvestro by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Grand Canal From S. Vio by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Grand Canal From S. Vio by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Grand Canal from S. Vio by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Grand Canal With Ca' da Mosto by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Il Carmine by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Il Redentore by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Marino Marini At The Guggenheim by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Palazzo Contarini Corfu by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Palazzo Querini-Stampalia by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Porta d'Agua San Marco by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Porta d'Agua with Gondola, Ca'da Mosto by Isobel Johnstone
  • Venice, Window on Campo Sta Marina by Isobel Johnstone
  • Verbena Bonariensis by Isobel Johnstone