Brooding Sky. Courtesy Grosvenor Museum

Chester’s Grosvenor Museum is to show the strong and colourful paintings of Scottish-born painter John MacKenzie (1933-2002) from January 27 to April 10 2007.

MacKenzie moved to Chester in 1964 and lived and worked there for the rest of his life, producing many vibrant paintings of local scenery. He could be seen most days painting around the city, though he also took inspiration from the landscapes of North Wales and Scotland.

MacKenzie began his career as a draftsman before he joined the RAF, going on to travel the world as a radiographer. After some years at RAF Sealand, he changed careers and became a postman, cutting down his hours to devote more time to his passions – painting and golf.

Chester Cathedral. Courtesy Grosvenor Museum

He was a completely self-taught artist, most obviously influenced by the Scottish Colourists of the early 20th century. Following a painterly tradition, he developed his own, distinct style.

The art critic Brian Sewell is a fan of MacKenzie’s work, praising him thus:

“They cause a frisson of pleasure that is almost physical, as though feeling the temperature and sniffing the pure air, as though being there with him and sharing his experience.”

“Their immediacy is utterly convincing. To relate his colour and brushwork to those of the Scottish Colourists might seem to diminish and justify him – but he needs no justification, and is fine enough a painter to stand on his own.”

Iona. Courtesy Grosvenor Museum

In his lifetime, MacKenzie rarely exhibited and had no desire for public acclaim or financial gain from his work. Since his death in 2002, however, there have been several exhibitions of his work in Scotland and Wales, which have drawn admiration.

“We are delighted to pay tribute to John MacKenzie in his adopted city with this exhibition of 40 paintings, including portraits, still lives and views of Chester, North Wales and Scotland,” said Peter Boughton, Keeper of Art and Architecture at the Grosvenor Museum.