James B Munro Artist

Each of James Munro’s painting expeditions was an adventure and his family witnessed this in all weathers, on many creative excursions. Numerous sketch books and folders of his work testify to the energy in which Jim celebrated life. Vitality and an instinctive sense of colour, composition and creed melded, almost unconsciously, to deliver powerful outcomes. There was plenty of studio work too with more controlled still life arrangements and portraits of friends and family.  The work generated in nature often captured movement and an essence of freedom with solo rhythms of shape, moods and colour capturing sea-scape and rural townships alike. Jim was a joyful painter whose skills were given encouragement at Edinburgh College of Art by tuition from Sir William Gillies, Sir Robin Philipson and Anne Redpath. There remained an obsession inspired by iconic landscapes, such as the Scottish Borders, producing the Waterheads series. These works metamorphosed and spawned tight graphic ‘pure colour’ paintings which continually evolved to the point of transforming into equally captivating bronze sculpture forms. Jim was always ‘giving’ and his educational philosophy was that of teaching by example as many of his students have testified. We are reminded of his skill and energy by well over a hundred paintings which survive, many of which are in private and public collections.