About

John Stoa – Scottish Artist

John Stoa was born in Dundee in 1944 where he commenced his working life in the Dundee Parks Department as a gardener. He also studied crop science at The Scottish Crop Research Institute in Invergowrie Dundee. After getting married he moved south to a fruit farm in Sussex. He gained his National Diploma in Horticulture in 1969 at college in Essex as well as the Advanced Diploma in Horticulture, then moved to a beautiful small town in Herefordshire called Bromyard to work as a manager on Fox Fruit Farm. In 1972 he returned to parks work and provision of outdoor leisure facilities in Dudley, gaining another diploma from the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management, then in 1976 moved to Darlington, and in 1984 came north to Livingston new town as Deputy Manager in the landscape and forestry dept. However the government decided to wind up the Scottish new towns and redundancy loomed so John took the plunge into art in 1992, then returned to his native town of Dundee in 2001.

John’s interest in art was established in early childhood, but the magic of selling paintings started when he got his first sale and a red dot at Darlington Art Society Annual Exhibition in 1980. That encouraged him to paint in every spare moment. He has never stopped and has now completed about 2000 paintings.
He is self taught but constantly experiments, and studies the work of other contemporary artists. His subjects have covered town to country, floral to figurative, snow scenes, summer landscapes, boats, Scottish castles and pets.
He has exhibited all over Scotland and England and buyers have come from all over the world as John’s paintings get found on the internet. As travelling abroad is so easy John finds inspiration for a painting in many countries including France, Canada, Australia and Spain, though Scottish towns, villages and countryside play a huge role. Figurative paintings are mainly based on ladies from Scotland, but also Ireland, China and Romania.

Art Commissions

2016 Kyle and Dawn Engagement
2016 Caputh Church for client
2015 Figure study for client
2014 Figure study for client
2013 A Colourful Garden Retirement present
2011 Startpoint Lighthouse
2009 Edinburgh Castle commission for a Scots now in USA.
2008 LLoyds Bank, London, commission for retiral gift for manager.
2008 Commission for landscape and nude painting for lady from Orkney
2007 Downfield Golf Course
2005 Commission to paint Loch Fynne for Scot living in Portugal
2005 Commission to paint Edinburgh Castle for a Scot in south of England
2004 Painting collection selected for a Scot living in Perth, Australia
2003 USA Commission to paint Edinburgh Castle at Hogmany for a wedding gift for a party from Indianapolis
2002 Scottish Parliament – purchase of large oil painting, 32,000 Christmas cards and 100 limited editon prints.
2002 St Columbus Hospice – 30,000 charity Christmas cards.
2002 Sophies Steakhouse and Bar – Fulham Road London.
2000 Woods of Perth – Factory commission and artwork for business stationery.
1999 Campbell Distillery – 4000 postcards
1998 Falcon Marketing Edinburgh – corporate artwork for new buildings.
1995 Tall Ships Race Leith Edinburgh
1994 Edradour Distillery – commission of painting and postcards
1994 Rutland Investment Managers
1993 Nightfreight – painting and Christmas cards.
1993 Morgan Partnership, Glasgow – painting and Christmas cards.
1992 Livingston Development Corporation – paintings for Christmas cards.