Landscape of Scotland | A Contemporary View

Scotland’s landscapes have inspired artists for centuries. From rugged highland hills and lochs, picturesque fishing villages, to untamed and uncontrollable coastlines – this range of visually arresting environments have been captured by artists in a variety of styles. The eighteenth century saw the emergence of Scottish landscape painting as a genre of its own, and the tradition has carried on into the present day.

 Gordon Hope Wyllie DA RSW (1930 – 2005)

545 - Farmhouse on Arran - £1,000 – 2,000

 William Birnie RSW RGI (1929 – 2006)

577 – Behind Steeple Square, Kilbarchan - £200 - 400

Bill Birnie is another who's paintings are achieving notable price growth and it’s not hard to see why. Like Wyllie, Birnie executed his work with a wonderful attention to detail, creating lively and almost shimmering depictions of Kilbarchan’s changing seasons, usually from his garden. Lot 577 is another example of his beloved hometown, which documents Kilbarchan’s transition from summer to autumn.

John Lowrie Morrison (JOLOMO) (b 1948)

728  – Croft and Tree, Ben More, Mull - £3,000 – 5,000

734 - Moonrise, Ben More, Mull - £1,500 – 2,500

775 – Sunrise at Tobermory - £1,000 – 1,500

The image of a ‘white house’ overlooking a croft or coastline has become synonymous with the artist known as JOLOMO. Many artists have since gone on to replicate this style, but JOLOMO has a now instantly recognisable style which has captured the imagination of thousands. Lots 728 and 734 are fine examples of this, but there’s a distinct absence of a crofthouse in 775, and instead JOLOMO has chosen to depict a serene sunrise at Tobermory. The vivid and expressive quality in which he applies his paint, along with his ability to capture the rugged beauty of the west of Scotland in a cheerful manner has made him a strong seller at McTear’s and all over the world.

George Birrell (b 1950)

730 - Castle, Perthshire - £600 - 900

Castles are an important aspect of Scotland’s built heritage and George Birrell has documented this example in Perthshire in a way that is instantly recognisable as his. His use of monochrome and mixed media to suggest depth is evident in lot 730 and this is a refreshing interpretation of Scotland’s iconic architectural heritage.

Shelagh Campbell

739 – The Path to Loch Morar - £400 - 600

741 - The Falls of Measach - £500 - 700

Shelagh Campbell is one of our many consigning artists and has been submitting her paintings to McTear’s Scottish Contemporary Art Auctions for many years. A firm favourite among our buyers, her lively and colourful depictions of Scotland’s west coast have an ability to draw you in and take the viewer back in time to lazier days spent watching the boats go by and the wind sweep the grasses.

John Cunningham RGI DLitt (1926 – 1998),

790 - Raised Beaches, Colonsay - £2,500-4,500

Like artists before him, such as William McTaggart and the Scottish Colourists, the pristine white sands and clear waters of Scotland’s west coast were regular features in John Cunningham’s work. This almost monochrome depiction of Colonsay, with its very painterly quality suggests a bit of a dreich day on the island, but the sands continue to shine through and acts as a visual document of the landscape’s continuity despite the changing seasons.

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Jenny MacLeod

If you have pictures you wish to sell, please contact pictures@mctears.co.uk