A BEST-SELLING Scottish artist has pledged his support for the rebuilding of Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Building.

John Lowrie Morrison, known as Jolomo, spoke as he visited the shell of the building for the first time since it was devastated by fire in June, and became the latest to join calls for the Mack to be rebuilt.

The former GSofA student said: “It’s so sad to see it like this. It should be rebuilt and should continue to be a working art school, not just a relic that people will come and see. There’s really no other way to do this. We can’t lose such an iconic building.”

He spoke as he unveiled a new exhibition of paintings at the nearby Glasgow Gallery, part of the proceeds of which will be donated to the Mackintosh Campus Appeal, which he has supported since the first fire at the Mack in 2014.

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John went to study in the Mackintosh Building in 1967 as a student of Drawing and Painting at Glasgow School of Art. He said: “To matriculate and walk through the swing doors, it was like walking into another world - like going into Narnia through the wardrobe. I think it’s like that for everybody. We all loved it, it became part of our psyche.

“It’s shocking to see the impact of the fire, and how it has affected not only the Art School but many people who live and work nearby. But all that scaffolding means business - one has to hope it will come back to life.”

The new exhibition, From Glasgow to the Rough Bounds of Ardnamurchan, which runs at the Glasgow Gallery, 182 Bath Street, until November 10, includes a number of paintings of Glasgow which revisit places where John grew up.

He said: “I was born in a tenement in Simpson Street and for this show I’ve painted one which looks exactly like it in nearby Wilton Street. Although I’ve spent most of my life in Argyll, the connection to Glasgow is still very strong. I think the older I get the stronger it gets.”

The show also includes paintings of Townhead just before demolition in the early 1970s, where John went to visit the former studio of the artist Joan Eardley on McAusland Street, just before the building was knocked down. Eardley, who died in 1963, is regarded as one of the finest Scottish painters of the 20th century, and was a major inspiration to John.

“We knew her studio was about to be demolished so Geoff Squire, who was my fourth year tutor at GSA, and I went down to have a look. The door was ajar so we went in. There were still paintings and drawings scattered about. It was incredible seeing the splattered paint, thinking that’s where she worked," he said.

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“Geoff said I should take some drawings, but I couldn’t do it, I would have felt like a thief. I went back to Townhead a few times myself on the bus to do drawings of the area. My new paintings are based on those drawings.”

John continues to support Glasgow School of Art through proceeds from exhibitions, a deluxe 2019 calendar featuring 12 of his paintings and other special projects.

Alan Horn, Director of Development for Glasgow School of Art, said: “We’re delighted that Jolomo is continuing his association with The Glasgow School of Art through a range of exciting, creative projects. The last few months have been particularly challenging, and we would like to thank Jolomo for his continued kind thoughts and ongoing support.