A Life Painted in Scenery and Service John Fleming began his path in the world of color not as a scholar, but through the practical labor of a house painter. At fourteen, he entered an apprenticeship that grounded him in the physical reality of pigments and surfaces. This early training likely shaped his eye for the subtle textures found in the Scottish landscape. After spending time in London, where he worked as a housepainter and studied the works held in various galleries, he eventually settled in Greenock. His life was deeply tied to this community, moving between premises on William Stre…