John Guthrie Spence Smith RSA 04/02/1880-22/10/1951

John Guthrie Spence Smith was born in Perth on the 14th of February 1880. A childhood illness robbed him of his powers of speech and hearing, but despite this he was always fond of drawing, taking to caricatures at a young age. He later turned to painting and studied at the College of Art in Dundee and attended classes at the Royal Institution and the Royal Scottish Academy Life School where he gained prizes in 1906. 

He mainly painted landscapes, noted for their strong sense of colour and decorative quality. His subjects were mostly inspired by the landscape of his own country.