* NEIL MACDONALD RSW RGI PAI,
FIRST LIGHT, ST ABBS
oil on canvas, initialled, titled label verso
image size 97cm x 71cm, overall size 119cm x 93cm
Framed and under glass.
Artist's label verso.
In our opinion, the finest example of Neil MacDonald's work to be offered at auction, anywhere.
Note: Neil Macdonald has been the recipient of many awards including 2013 Elected RSW (Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour); 2013 Joe Hargan Award, Maclaurin Fine Art Exhibition, Ayr; 2013 Elected RGI (Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts); 2012 The Smithy Gallery Award (PAI); 2012 Diploma of the Paisley Art Institute; 2011 Robert Innes Award - Scottish Drawing Competition; 2009 Discerning Eye, London- Scottish Regional Winner; 2009 Charles Jamieson Award PAI; 2008 University West Scotland Award PAI; 2006 EDC Ann Stevenson Memorial Award; 2005 EDC Purchase Prize; 1997 Contemporary Art Prize (Eton) Paisley Art Institute; 1981 David Cargill Travelling Scholarship (Italy and Belgium); and 1979 William Shanks Painting Prize. Neil MacDonald trained at Glasgow School of Art from 1975 until 1980, where he developed his considerable skills as a painter and consummate draughtsman. He is drawn to locations that exert historic and mythic presence, exploring the lyrical narrative of natural sites and strong bold shapes of castles, old townships and harbours. He does this through distortion of perspective, invention and editing, aiming to capture an essence of the structure or place. Colour is used in an emotive way to heighten the sense of mood, applying each layer upon layer of paint in a divisionist manner until a unity of statement is realised as the image emerges, revealing the subject’s unique sense of place. This fine example in superb condition has been consigned by a private collector from Gloucestershire who is in the process of downsizing.