Highlands to Islands
This joint exhibition presents new work by three established artists well known to the SOC. Since their last shows at Waterston House, both Chris Rose and John Threlfall have moved to the North East of Scotland, giving them both new landscapes and wildlife to observe and paint. Tim, for his part, is based in Orkney capturing the natural environment of these islands.
Chris Rose moved to the Cairngorms three years ago but finds himself primarily attracted by the coast of the North East: “I am drawn to the estuaries and the sea. I work mostly in acrylic and oils. A painting generally begins with the landscape. Something will attract me - repeating patterns or the interplay of particular colours- and I will produce a field painting in acrylics. During this process wildlife will enter or pass through the scene and this will be incorporated into the finished studio piece.”
John Threlfall lives on Deeside, Aberdeenshire, and most of his work is inspired by the varied habitats to be found locally and on ventures further North: “I work mostly in pastels, both on location and in the studio. This versatile and expressive medium suits my working method, allowing me to explore colour, texture, line and mark making, working quickly and intuitively. However, I sometimes use watercolours for studies of birds from life and I occasionally use oil paint as an alternative to pastels in the studio.” John received an award at the Pastel Society Exhibition in 2022.
Tim Wootton is based in Orkney. He moved there about 20 years ago to be closer to the landscapes and wildlife that inspire him. He tends to work in pencil and watercolour in the field, although he has recently started to use oil “en plein air”. In the studio, he favours oils as they give him a huge range of approach: from thin light washes to impasto effect using a palette knife. As he explains: “If I am ever short of ideas, a 10mins walk on the beach or cliff tops usually provides the answer!”.
More work by top wildlife artists can be found in our online art shop.
