12-10-2024 - 09-11-2024
As an early Graduate from Glasgow School of Art, exhibiting in the Compass Gallery New Generation Show in 1978, Neil MacPherson showed himself to be a truly creative and passionate painter. Delving into the depth of his imagination and inspired by his surroundings, he displays strong emotional responses, creating unique imagery. His many sources come from reading history, Gaelic songs and verse, Norse legends, myths of the North, marks on the land of forgotten lives. People, strange animals and symbols on Pictish stone carvings inspire him to paint their longings and searchings in their long forgotten existence and yearnings for their future. Looking at nature and the changing colours and seasons of the landscape while walking; love, loss and music - all of these fill his thoughts. He ultimately transfers all of this life experience into his work, his paintings are often tender and romantic, full of the strength of relationships. Gordon Brown writes “Exploring the struggle in human relationships, he gives meaning to the simplest of things whilst challenging us to look within ourselves for the subtle clues that unlock our own imagination.”
Neil says “My studio is in an old byre attached to the house. This is on the edge of the vast Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, wet, dangerous, boggy moorlands. The name comes from the Norse meaning ‘water lands’.
The paintings come from many sources: listening and speaking to the neighbouring farmers who have worked the land for generations, reading about the lives, history and myths of the North, and the marks left on the land by generations of grinding hard work.
Everyday I walk for an hour in all conditions before starting work at 9am. This clears the mind and brings the day into the studio, whether wet, cold, covered in snow, driving wind or warmed by the occasional sun. These change daily and add to the work on the easel. I prefer to work by natural light. The summer brings 17 hours of long working days, changing slowly to 5 hours of cold light in the winter. Strong colour has always been important to my painting. The light of the North is a clear light that enhances the surrounding colours of the sea and land. Over the years this light has had a strong effect on the colours in my work. The lived stories, colour, seasons, and personal experiences come together and can be seen in these new paintings”.
Neil is an elected member of the Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute and The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. Following his first solo exhibition in Compass Gallery, Glasgow, in 1986, he has, in his now well-established international career, had over 20 solo exhibitions throughout the UK, Canada, Belgium, Sweden and other European countries. He has won numerous awards including the Aberdeen Artists Society Shell Expro Award; Royal Overseas League Commonwealth Exhibition Premier Award; Scotland On Sunday Mayfest Award; Glasgow City Shell Expro Award; London Scottish Award RSA, Edinburgh; Highland Award RSA, Edinburgh; Maude Gemmel Huchison Prize; Highland Society of London Award RSA, Edinburgh; ‘The Council Award’ Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour, Edinburgh; The City of Glasgow College Award RSA, Edinburgh. Neil’s work is in many private and public collections including Aberdeen Museum and Art Gallery; Campbeltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery NSW Australia; Contemporary Art Society, London; Inverness Museum and Art Gallery; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art; Scottish Art Council; Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Scottish Parliament Collection, Edinburgh; Sunderland Art Gallery; University of Strathclyde; Nuffield Foundation; Gracefield, Dumfries and Borders; Highland Region Collection; MacLaurin Art Gallery, Ayr; Royal Scottish Academy Collection; Freshfields Bruckhaus; Deringer, London; City of Glasgow College Collection.
Neil's full CV can be seen here:
Glasgow School of Art
Jordanhill College of Education
Societies:
Elected member of the RSA 2006
Elected member of the RGI 2010
Elected member of the RSW 2014
Solo shows:
Compass Gallery, Glasgow (4)
Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow (2)
Boundary Gallery, London (5)
Beaux Art, Bath
Electra Fine Art, Toronto, Canada
Claude Andre Gallery, Charleroi, Belgium
Bohuslands Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden
Browns Gallery, Tain (4)
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Inverness
Bohun Gallery, Henley on Thames (2)
Claude Andre Gallery, Brussels, Belgium (2)
Beaux Art, London
Bruckhaus Deringer, London
Browns Gallery, Inverness
Awards:
1983 Aberdeen Artists Society Shell Expro Award
1984 Aberdeen Artists Society Shell Expro Award
1986 Royal Overseas League Commonwealth Exhibition Premier Award
1989 Scotland On Sunday Mayfest Award
1990 Glasgow City Shell Expro Award
1993 London Scottish Award RSA, Edinburgh
1996 Scotland on Sunday Mayfest Award
1999 Highland Award RSA, Edinburgh
2009 Maude Gemmel Huchison Prize
2011 The Highland Society of London Award RSA, Edinburgh
2015 ‘The Council Award’ Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour, Edinburgh
2017 The City of Glasgow College Award RSA, Edinburgh
Selected public collections:
Aberdeen Museum and Art Gallery
Campbeltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery NSW Australia
Contemporary Art Society, London
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art
Scottish Art Council
Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Scottish Parliament Collection, Edinburgh
Sunderland Art Gallery
University of Strathclyde
Nuffield Foundation
Gracefield, Dumfries and Borders
Highland Region Collection
MacLaurin Art Gallery, Ayr
Royal Scottish Academy Collection
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, London
City of Glasgow College Collection
