Born in Edinburgh in 1953, Jack Morrocco is widely regarded as one of Scotland's most celebrated contemporary painters. After graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, he completed a postgraduate year in 1975, receiving a Highly Commended Post Diploma – the highest award available at the time. That same year, he was awarded the prestigious Farquhar Reid Travelling Scholarship, enabling him to study in Paris and Florence. Earlier, he had been selected to attend Hospitalfield House, where he studied under the renowned artist Peter Blake, an experience that helped shape his artistic development.
As the son of an artist and nephew of the distinguished Scottish painter Alberto Morrocco, Jack grew up immersed in art and developed an early appreciation for both traditional craftsmanship and the enduring qualities of great painting. Following art college, he established a successful design and marketing consultancy while continuing to paint and exhibit. In 1997, he returned to painting full-time and now works from his studio in Fife.
Jack Morrocco is celebrated for the breadth of his work, encompassing still life, landscape and figurative painting. Although his subjects vary, they are united by a belief that originality comes not from novelty, but from an artist's own unique vision and interpretation. Inspired by subjects that have captivated artists for generations, Jack seeks to express the timeless qualities of each scene in a way that is both personal and uplifting. Whether painting a still life in the studio, the canals of Venice, a dappled outdoor café in the south of France, or a tranquil water lily pond, his paintings are united by a distinctive use of light, tone and atmosphere.
Jack is drawn to locations that have retained their timeless character, often editing away the distractions of modern life to reveal the essential qualities of a place and evoke a genuine sense of being there. In the studio, flowers, glass, silver and the human form provide opportunities to explore light and shade, texture and form, while his increasingly economical brushwork gives each painting remarkable immediacy and presence.
Often described as both a modern Scottish Colourist and a Scottish Impressionist, Jack has developed a highly individual style that combines confident draughtsmanship with a rich and nuanced use of colour. Every brushstroke is purposeful, creating paintings rich in luminosity, atmosphere and life. His distinctive still lifes, landscapes and figurative paintings continue to be exhibited throughout the UK and internationally and are highly sought after by collectors of contemporary Scottish art.
The Strathearn Gallery is delighted to be exhibiting Jack's work for the first time in December 2026. We will be unveiling a specially curated selection of his paintings at the end of the year, ahead of his major solo exhibition at the gallery in 2027.
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