Renowned Scottish Artist joins Oor Wullie's Bucket Trail

One of Scotland's most prolific and popular artists, John Lowrie Morrison OBE, is embarking on an art project with a playful twist, as he designs and paints one of the life-sized Oor Wullie sculptures that are set to descend on Dundee for ten weeks this summer to raise money for The ARCHIE Foundation Tayside Appeal.

As the Bucket Trail gathers momentum, it is one of over 50 Oor Wullie sculptures waiting patiently to be uniquely decorated by an array of local and national artists. Organisers The ARCHIE Foundation, along with partners Wild in Art and DC Thomson, have been overwhelmed by the wealth of creative talent, with over 250 designs submitted.

Born and raised in Maryhill, Glasgow, and trained at Glasgow School of Art, John Lowrie Morrison, who also goes by the name Jolomo, worked as a teacher and education adviser in Argyll for 25 years before taking up painting full-time in 1997.

One of Scotland's most successful and best loved contemporary artists, John is best known for his dramatic and colourful paintings of Argyll and The Hebrides, coasts and croftscapes, as well as capturing the light of the West of Scotland in all its magnificent glory.

John's work is exhibited all over the UK every year. He was the subject of a retrospective at Clydebank Town Hall Museum & Art Gallery in summer 2013 and a major exhibition at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow in November 2015.He is also the founder of the Jolomo Awards, awarding grants to emerging artists painting the Scottish landscape.

Receiving his OBE for services to art and charity in Scotland in 2011, John has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Dundee's Abertay University in 2009 and The University of the West of Scotland in 2008 for his significant contribution to Arts and Scottish Culture.

Speaking about the project, John commented:

"I am extremely honoured to be asked to paint one of the Oor Wullie sculptures for The Bucket Trail. Like most folk of my age, Oor Wullie was part of my childhood and I never missed an issue of The Sunday Post or the Oor Wullie Annual! It's also a privilege to be helping towards raising funds for The Archie Foundation, a wonderful charity which needs to be supported."

The project is part of The ARCHIE Foundation's Tayside appeal to raise two million pounds to help create a brand new twin operating theatre surgical suite for the Tayside Children's Hospital at Ninewells and is set to capture the public's imagination around Dundee and surrounding areas this summer, before each sculpture is auctioned off at a special auction in Dundee in September.

Cassie Thompson, Head of Fundraising at The ARCHIE Foundation commented:

"We're delighted that John has joined the Bucket Trail and is designing and painting one of our very special Oor Wullie sculptures. He's one of Scotland's greatest artists, creating beautifully unique and colourful paintings and we can't wait to see what he has in store. This is a fantastic opportunity for artists to showcase their creative talent in a new and exciting way and be part of this special project, raising money for a great cause."

Dundee was recently recognised as the UK's first UNESCO City of Design, joining cities such as Berlin, Beijing and Buenos Aries for their contribution to the creative arts.

To find out more about Oor Wullie's Bucket Trail, visit www.oorwulliebuckettrail.com

For further information about the work of The ARCHIE Foundation, visit www.archiefoundationhome.org.uk