Artist Biography

Fred Stott was born in Berwick in 1910 where he still lives. He was interested in art in his school days and was influenced by the local Scottish painter Frank Wood to whom his work has often been compared.

During the war he taught RAF recruits the mysteries about the radar at Rotherham Technical College. Fred however did not begin painting until 1965 after he sold the family business. He took painting because it was something that he could do at home while looking after his elderly parents.

Fred Stott possesses an extraordinary talent. He does not hold any formal qualifications in art but has read numerous books on landscape painting and has personally studied the various styles of many artists.

One thing that immediately strikes you about a Fred Stott painting is the soft, almost luminous quality of his skies and water. He uses a technique where he first paints the background by initially putting on one colour and then applying another using a very wet brush, the result of this is that the colours blur and blend together. This is what he terms as "painting wet onto wet". Once this has dried he adds definition such as trees and buildings. He prefers to use a rough water-colour paper because, due to better water absorption, it gives a softer overall effect.