{"product_id":"tom-johnstone-scottish-watercolour-black-cat-pub-laird-street-greenock-24x18cm","title":"Tom Johnstone Scottish Watercolour - Black Cat Pub Laird Street Greenock 24x18cm","description":"\u003ch2\u003eOriginal Watercolour\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTom Johnstone - Watercolour\u003cbr\u003e\n“The Black Cat, Laird Street, Greenock”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA direct, observational Inverclyde street scene painted from life\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eKey Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tom Johnstone\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e “The Black Cat, Laird Street, Greenock”\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMedium:\u003c\/strong\u003e Watercolour on paper\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSupport:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Signed and dated 1991, lower right\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e Image: 24 × 18.5 cm (9.4 × 7.3 in) •\u003cbr\u003e\nFramed: 32.5 × 27 cm (12.8 × 10.6 in)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Excellent overall; frame with light age-related wear\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Private UK collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn original Scottish watercolour depicting The Black Cat public house on Laird Street, Greenock, with the neighbouring barber shop frontage clearly marked “Men Only”. The pub name is painted directly onto the fascia, and period Tennent’s signage is visible, firmly placing the scene in late 20th-century Inverclyde. This is a direct, observational street scene rather than an imagined view. The handling is confident and economical, with loose figures and controlled washes used to describe familiar working-town architecture. The work reads clearly as a record of a real place, painted by someone with first-hand knowledge of the area.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Artist\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTom Johnstone (born Greenock, 1935) was a Scottish artist and long-time cartoonist with the\nGreenock Telegraph. Brought up in Greenock in the 1940s and 50s, he is best known for recording Inverclyde’s everyday street life, shops, pubs, and social history. Largely self-taught, he later attended classes at the Glasgow School of Art while working as a postman, and was an active member and later president of Greenock Art Club. His work is valued locally for its honest, observational approach rooted in lived experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEstimated Date\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e1991\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eProvenance \u0026amp; Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePrivate UK collection. A clearly identifiable Greenock street scene by a local artist, offering both decorative appeal and genuine local historical interest.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crag Bank Art","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53551645819218,"sku":"CBA-258A","price":75.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1078\/0904\/6866\/files\/IMG_7442.jpg?v=1780984460","url":"https:\/\/cragbankart.co.uk\/products\/tom-johnstone-scottish-watercolour-black-cat-pub-laird-street-greenock-24x18cm","provider":"Crag Bank Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}