John McNairn 1881-1946

Fauve Outsider Art

John McNairn was publisher of the Hawick News and
painted these works in the 1930s and 40s. He had no interest
in exhibiting or selling and painted simply for personal reasons.
His work is bold and expressive and breaks the unwritten
rules of what watercolours should be like. There are elements of abstraction, expressionism and symbolism in his paintings.
He was a deeply spiritual man, interested in Theosophy and
considered all nature to be imbued with the life spirit.