Frances Macdonald A H E B R I D E A N PA I N T E R
Frances Macdonald A H E B R I D E A N PA I N T E R 30 NOVEMBER – 22 DECEMBER 2018
A Hebridean Painter Frances Macdonald, the chatelaine of Crinan, is many different things to different people. She is the personification of the hotel, independent, elegant, resourceful and characterful. To her many friends she is a warm, reassuring presence for whom resilience is expressed in humour and understanding. As an artist she has quietly emerged as one of the most eloquent observers of the West Coast and islands. Her oil paintings, invariably made with palette knife, are always true to the time and place and are hard-won: she needs to be there, prey to the vicissitudes of weather (and human failure) to get the kit to the right place and the right time, to let the magic happen. She recently wrote for a magazine profile of how her shows all have a similar origin. “From where I live in Crinan most places are easily reached by boat; the only road out is the one which brought you down to the tight harbour at the end of the canal past the bustle of the boatyard and the hotel. So, it is aboard the M.V. Sgarbh that I usually make my way to Iona, with my son Ross Ryan invariably in charge. The island is about five hours sailing time heading north. It was not always so easy, the first time I visited Iona forty years ago Ross was in a Moses basket and lively daughter Julia on baby reins. The trip on the venerable steamer King George V and ashore on the tender was a challenge, having lost Julia aboard she was found again after a desperate announcement from the captain, eating ice cream below with the waiters. Once ashore I sat on the slipway exhausted, cup of tea in hand, completely unaware of the wonderful surroundings. “It was twenty years before I returned, this time directly on Sgarbh sailing up the Sound of Mull and anchored off Martyrs Bay. I will never forget that first glimpse of the North End, the distant Treshnish Isles:
Dutchman’s Cap and Lunga with Staffa on the northern horizon, and in front of me the pure white sands, jagged rocky foreground, azure seas and brave little sea pinks. This is where I start work every year, my favourite beach, and each year the rocks become stronger, the sea pinks livelier and the sea more breathtaking. The geology and ever-changing skies lend themselves perfectly to my oil painting technique with a palette knife and I hope I have captured something of the day in the first painting made for my exhibition. “The sunny weather passed by quickly on the West this year and my boat trips were limited, so down the Mull of Kintyre, this time on land, was a tempting option. Here we have the contrast; the storms that made Iona trips impossible were perfect for the Mull. The sea breaking onto the rocky promontory at a’Chleit near Musdale, with Cara and Islay in the distance, exciting to paint and a feeling of freedom and strength with the Atlantic breakers rolling in across the vast ocean to the West. So different from the sculpted rocks and delicate hues on Iona, and not a sea pink in sight.” Included also in this show of new work are a few ‘gems’ garnered on a boat trip with friends in June, starting at Crinan, travelling up the Caledonian Canal, finishing at Fort Augustus. She painted Ben Nevis from the boat and a romantic, dawn picture at Ardgour. A few works also survive from the previous year’s trip to Barra, Vatersay and Eriskay as well as the familiar treasured views around Crinan. Guy Peploe, October 2018
Left: Frances Macdonald in her studio, September 2018 3
1. The Sands from the Machair, oil on linen, 91.5 x 152.5 cm / 36 x 60 inches 4
2. White Strand of the Monks, Iona, oil on canvas, 101.5 x 127 cm / 40 x 50 inches 6
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3. Race of the Tide, Iona, oil on canvas, 15 x 20 cm / 6 x 8 inches 8
4. Cara from a’Chleit, oil on canvas, 137 x 127 cm / 54 x 50 inches
5. Across the Jagged Rocks Sands Await, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 10
6. Vatersay, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 11
7. Wind Blown Sands, Iona, oil on canvas, 122 x 122 cm / 48 x 48 inches 12
8. Sheltered Sandy Picnic Spot, Eriskay, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 14
9. Towards Mull from the Strand, Iona, oil on canvas, 61 x 81 cm / 24 x 32 inches 15
10. Storm Clouds Approaching Iona, oil on canvas, 122 x 137 cm / 48 x 54 inches 16
11. Storm Island and the Strait of the Storms, oil on canvas, 91.5 x 137 cm / 36 x 54 inches 18
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12. View from my Studio, March, oil on canvas, 91.5 x 152.5 cm / 36 x 60 inches 20
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13. Seal Bay, Barra, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 46 cm / 14 x 18 inches 22
14. Early Summer, Ronachan, Kintyre, oil on canvas, 61 x 81 cm / 24 x 32 inches 23
15. Towards Staffa from Iona, oil on canvas, 61 x 81 cm / 24 x 32 inches 24
16. Towards am Baile, oil on canvas, 61 x 81 cm / 24 x 32 inches 25
17. Sands near am Politician, Eriskay, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 26
18. Sheltered Cove, Eriskay, oil on canvas, 46 x 41 cm / 18 x 16 inches 27
19. Across the Sands towards am Baile, Eriskay, oil on canvas, 46 x 41 cm / 18 x 16 inches 28
20. Towards Barra from Eriskay, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 29
21. Summer Mist, the Home Farm, Duntrune, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 46 cm / 14 x 18 inches 30
22. Gigha on the Horizon, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 31
23. Lichen of Sea Pinks, Kintyre, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 32
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24. The Paps of Jura from Seal Bay, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 34
25. Sea Pinks and Azure Shallows, Kintyre, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches 35
26. Leaving Ardgour Inn, oil on canvas, 46 x 41 cm / 18 x 16 inches 36
27. Anchored off Port Appin, June, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches
28. Ben Nevis from the Caledonian Canal, oil on canvas, 51 x 61 cm / 20 x 24 inches 37
29. Along the Towpath, Crinan, Late Summer, oil on canvas, 30.5 x 30.5 cm / 12 x 12 inches 38
30. Lighthouse Ardgour, oil on canvas, 25.5 x 25.5 cm / 10 x 10 inches
31. The Dun at the North End, Iona, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 cm / 16 x 18 inches
32. Nice Little Anchorage, Iona North End, oil on canvas, 30.5 x 30.5 cm / 12 x 12 inches 39
33. Autumn from my Studio, oil on canvas, 25.5 x 25.5 cm / 10 x 10 inches 40
34. Bluebell Wood, Poltalloch, oil on canvas, 25.5 x 25.5 cm / 10 x 10 inches
35. Bluebonnets and Rowans on the Canal Bank, August, oil on canvas, 30.5 x 30.5 cm / 12 x 12 inches
36. Sun Catching Reisa an-Sruth, Sound of Jura, oil on canvas, 30.5 x 30.5 cm / 12 x 12 inches 41
37. Towards Storm Island, Iona, oil on canvas, 15 x 20 cm / 6 x 8 inches 42
38. Crinan Canal Bank, Late Summer Blooms, oil on canvas, 15 x 20 cm / 6 x 8 inches
39. Towards the Dorus Mhor from Crinan Slip, oil on canvas, 30.5 x 30.5 cm / 12 x 12 inches 43
40. Sgarbh at Crinan Pier, oil on canvas, 46 x 41 cm / 18 x 16 inches 44
41. Rosebay Willowherb on Canal Bank, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 cm / 7 x 9.5 inches 45
Frances Macdonald Born Glasgow 1983-1986 Elected Council Member, SSWA 2004–2010 Elected Council Member, RGI 2013 Charles Rennie Mackintosh Residency at Collioure
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 1975 Gallery Paton, Edinburgh 1977 Shore Gallery, Edinburgh 1988 Macaulay Gallery, Stenton 1989 Sue Rankin Gallery, London 1993 The R.G.I. Kelly Gallery, Glasgow 1994 The R.G.I. Kelly Gallery, Glasgow 1995 The R.G.I. Kelly Gallery, Glasgow 1996 The Scottish Arts Club, Edinburgh 1997 Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh 1998 Cyril Gerber Fine Art, Glasgow 1999 Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh 2000 Portland Gallery, London 2001 Art 2001: The London Contemporary Art Fair 2002 Portland Gallery, London 2003 Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh 2003 Portland Gallery, London 2005 Art 2005: The London Contemporary Art Fair 2005 Portland Gallery, London 2006 Portland Gallery, London 2007 Portland Gallery, London 2008 Portland Gallery, London 2009 The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2009 Portland Gallery, London 2010 The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2011 Portland Gallery, London 2013 The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2013 Portland Gallery, London 2014 The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2015 Portland Gallery, London 2016 The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh 2018 Portland Gallery, London 2018 The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
SELECTED MIXED EXHIBITIONS Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums McLean Museum, Greenock The Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts Visual Arts Scotland The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour SELECTED COLLECTIONS Adam & Company, Edinburgh Haines Watts Chartered Accountants, Glasgow Drummond Miller Solicitors, Edinburgh First National Bank, USA Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Gleneagles Hotel Halifax I and H Brown Ltd Misys PLC Capital Property Group Royal Bank of Scotland Robert Fleming Holdings Ltd Stena Shipping Line Aberdeen Asset Management and private collections worldwide
Right: detail from Frances’ studio 46
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Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition FRANCES MACDONALD A HEBRIDEAN PAINTER 30 November – 22 December 2018 Exhibition can be viewed online at www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/francesmacdonald ISBN: 978-1-910267-93-6 Designed by Kenneth Gray Photography by John McKenzie Printed by Barr Colour Printers All rights reserved. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders and of the publishers.
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