Collectable Scottish Art - 10 of the most exciting contemporary scottish artists to collect
With a stellar ruptatution internationally, Scottish art can be amoungst some of the most collectable items out there. Here we take a look at some the most exciting artists in the contemporary Scottish art world whose work hang in numerous private and public exhibitions and are widely regaurded as some of the best artists currently on the contemporary Scottish art scene.
1. Scott Naismith
Scott Naismith was born in Glasgow in 1978 and attended Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design full time from 1996 - 2000, with the ambition of becoming an artist. He graduated with a BDes (Hons) in Illustration and Printmaking. Since graduating Scott has been a full time artist, working from his studio in Glasgow.
He is an internationally exhibiting artist with a significant online following established via the popularity of his YouTube channel, which now has over 29,000 subscribers and 3.3M views.
2. Jim Wylie
Jim Wylie, a native of Glasgow, is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art where he studied Drawing and Painting under such prominent figures as Willie Armour, Geoff Squires, Sinclair Thomson, and Duncan Shanks. The grounding he received in composition and in colour in the true Glasgow tradition has remained a mainstay of his work.
Wylie exhibits continually in a variety of private galleries across Scotland, with work also widely available in cards and in print. He is a member of Paisley Art Institute and contributes regularly to the annual exhibition, one of the largest of its kind outside Glasgow or Edinburgh, where he has been awarded prizes on four occasions.
3. Davy Brown
Davy Brown was born in Kilmarnock in 1950 and studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1968 – 1972. The following year he qualified as an Art Teacher from Moray House in Edinburgh before winning a scholarship to travel and teach art in America, Canada and Iceland. Well-known figures such as David Suchet, Penelope Keith, J.K. Rowling, Robert Carlyle, Clare Balding and Jim Wallace are all in possession of his work.
4. Francis Boag
Former Head of Art at Aberdeen Grammar School, Francis Boag turned his back on a successful teaching career to become a full-time professional artist in 2001. He is now considered by many to be one of Scotland’s foremost contemporary painters, exhibiting widely at home and increasingly abroad.
Since 2001 he has had exhibitions throughout the UK and also New York, Dublin, Belfast, Paris, Munich and Seattle. His paintings have also been exhibited in Michigan, Moscow and the French and Italian Rivieras.
He is the only Scottish artist to have cards featuring his paintings included in the Fine Art collection of UNICEF with his Christmas cards regularly being among their top sellers.
His best-selling prints have found their way into a host of public buildings such as airports and hospitals and his original work is increasingly sought after by large corporate collectors including John Lewis plc and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
5. Ian Elliot
Traveling extensively throughout Scotland and the continent, Ian Elliot is forever fascinated by the visual imagery encounter on reaching his destined ports of call. Each day presents a fresh source of locations, of movement, colour, rhythm and pattern. These, coupled with a free flow of imaginative translation, have provided Ian with material to create a fusion of life, of shimmering colours, distinctive buildings of the land, and abstract expressionistic vistas. Besides Britain, has works hanging in Canada, Belgium, Eire, France, Germany, Spain, and The United States, amongst others.
Ian Elliot’s work appeared in the prestigious International Artist magazine as one of ten finalists in their (global) landscape competition, and more recently in a ten page feature article. Ian’s work can also be seen on Tartan2 CV calendars and greetings cards.
6. Sarah Anderson
Sarah Anderson is an Edinburgh based painter. She grew up in Galloway (South-West Scotland) surrounded by peaceful woodland, rugged moorland and beautiful coastline. She graduated from Edinburgh University with an M.A.(Hons) in Fine Art in 1999. Sarah’s inspiration is derived from the magnificent Scottish landscape, particularly the west coast. The recurring themes in her work reflect the dramatic effects of weather on the mountains and shorelines, trees and of course her favourite place, Edinburgh. The changing light and atmospheric effects have provided endless ideas and she seeks to capture something of that. Sarah’s palette is strongly coloured with a wide tonal range, principally in oils. Her paintings attempt to envelop the viewer in the prevailing atmosphere.
Sarah has exhibited in various galleries in Scotland and the U.K. and has paintings in private collections all over the world.
7. James Somerville
James Somerville is a Scottish contemporary painter living and working in Fife.
Originally from Fife he graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in the late '50's and began teaching in 1960. Later he became Principal Teacher of Art in Glenrothes High School then National Development Officer for Art and Design with the Scottish Education Department As his career in education developed, he was appointed Principal Examiner with the Scottish Examination Board and was involved in the introduction and implementation of Standard Grade Art and Design in schools.
His paintings tend to concentrate on the man-made and natural environments, buildings, towns, cities, landscapes, and how these relate to the natural environment. Slightly abstracted in style, but always starting from drawings of specific places, they are taken well beyond the picturesque.
The finished pieces show a concentration on atmosphere, mood, and a response to things seen rather than mere representation of actual places.
His paintings are held in the collections of: - The Scottish Arts Council, Edinburgh Hospitals Collection, Pitlochry Festival (Harry Cruden) Collection, Fife Regional Council, and various private collections at home and abroad.
8. Peter King
Glasgow born Peter King studied drawing and painting at Glasgow School of Art before embarking on a career in teaching for over thirty years. He retired in 2010 to focus on painting full time and has since exhibited regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy, The Royal Glasgow Institute and Thompson’s Galleries in London. The weathered landscape of The Scottish Borders, Kintyre, The Clyde Valley and the vast panorama of land and sky dominated by Tinto Hill are a constant source of ideas and inspiration for Peter. He has developed his painting style with a broad range of motifs which he constantly returns to and reinterprets, focusing on aspects of changing light and colour.
Peter uses the unique qualities of oil paint to capture and accentuate the seasonal effects of nature on the environment. The vibrancy and tactile nature of the medium ensure that his style of textured mark making evokes as much wonder and awe as the landscapes themselves.
9. Ron Lawson
Based in Perthshire, Ron Lawson is widely regarded as Scotland's most original and distinctive contemporary landscape painter. His unique and instantly recognisable style has met with an extraordinary response throughout the UK and abroad, where his works of the Scottish Islands and the Highlands are enthusiastically collected. Born in 1960, Ron spent his early years on a farm in Mid-Lothian, Scotland before a career took him to the art studio of publishers DC Thomson in Dundee, where he progressively developed the dynamic and highly individual palette and technique that is central to his work today. With a passion for dramatic and sparsely populated locations, Ron has spent many years exploring and capturing the wild remoteness and majesty of the Outer Hebrides and Scottish Highlands. His remarkable, contemporary Scottish landscapes appeal to an international audience, and are included in private collections worldwide. Ron exhibits regularly throughout the UK, United States, Singapore and Hong Kong.
10. Jackie Henderson
Jackie Henderson graduated in Contemporary Art Practice in 2014. Art has always been a large part of her life as she worked within various sectors bringing out her creative skills as a children’s book illustrator, art therapist and self employed arts and crafts worker.
Before moving to Glasgow 8 years ago to complete her degree, Jackie found herself living in a farmhouse in rural Angus on the east of Scotland. Her environment is a constant source of inspiration and features heavily in her work, translating it into quirky observations.
Jackie’s work is very autobiographical. Her still life studies are an appreciation of the moment, encouraging us to value the world we have around us and right in front of our eyes.
Her figurative pieces are observations and feelings transferred to the canvas and given space to breath.
Working in acrylics, layers of colour are built up alternating paint and glaze, rubbing back to reveal previous layers of colour, so that what lies beneath is as important as what is visible on the surface. Textiles and collage are added to give yet another layer of interest and texture.
Jackie’s work is sold in galleries throughout Scotland and online, selling to private collectors worldwide.
