Bass Rock, Evening by Scottish painter John Houston (1930–2008) is a vivid and atmospheric watercolour that captures the dramatic interplay of light and sea at dusk. The painting depicts the Bass Rock, a striking island in the outer Firth of Forth, renowned for being home to the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets. Known for his expressive, semi-abstract style in his early years, Houston was born in Fife and studied at Edinburgh College of Art, where he later taught and became head of the painting school. Later in his career, he was increasingly influenced by Turner and American Abstract Expressionism. The sea - with its restless energy - remained a lifelong source of inspiration in his work.

John Houston OBE RSA RSW, 1930-2008

Born at Buckhaven, near Kirkcaldy, Fife, Houston studied at Edinburgh College of Art between 1948 and 1954. He was awarded a travelling scholarship and spent six months in Italy with David Michie during his final year at the college. After joining the teaching staff of the college in 1955 he was Deputy Head of the School of Drawing and Painting from 1982 until his retirement in 1989. He married Elizabeth Blackadder in 1959. They travelled widely in Europe, as well as visiting America and Japan.
Houston is a confirmed colourist. He has long admired Turner, "a constant companion and hero", and Edvard Munch. Among other sources of inspiration are the American painter Mark Rothko and the German painters Emil Nolde, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Max Beckman.