Crinan-based artist Frances Macdonald has just put the finishing touches to the 50 paintings that will make up a major exhibition of her new work at the prestigious Portland Gallery in London from December 7 to 22.
Most of the works in the London show depict landscapes and seascapes of the west coast of Scotland, with one painting done from sketches Frances made in Venice.
Frances is also the owner of the Crinan Hotel and her nearby studio has inspirational views across to Jura and to Scarba.
The Crinan painter has forged an international reputation over the past four decades, with exhibitions in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and abroad – and her work is held in private and corporate collections around the world.
On her latest Scottish landscapes, Frances said: “They develop into something you don’t expect.
“This year, they seemed quite fresh and lively.
“For some reason or other they just seemed to work. I felt I was getting somewhere with them.”
Frances paints mostly with a large palette knife in her trademark style.
“Using the knife … it just developed when I started doing the big seascapes.
“I think it just worked with the rocks, very spontaneous, very, very flexible.”
Recently, Frances had finished 49 of the 50 works for the London show – but was stuck for an idea for the final painting.
“I had 49 and I was in a total panic and couldn’t think how to finish the show off,” she said.
Then, by chance, she noticed the famous Clyde Puffer boat VIC 32 was at the pier in Crinan, and she had the inspiration for painting number 50.
The Portland Gallery said of Frances: “Frances Macdonald is unrivalled in her ability to capture the true character of the coastline of Argyll and the Western Isles.
“Following in the footsteps of the great artists of the post-Victorian era, Macdonald has now established herself as a worthy successor to the likes of Cadell, Peploe, Glass and Maclaughlan Milne.
“Here is someone who effortlessly manages to make you feel the heat of the sun, the hint of salt carried on the wind, the desolate beauty and magnificent panorama of the west coast shoreline.
“Here is someone who is wonderfully in touch with her subject matter; an artist who understands that there is every bit as much beauty in a raging storm as there is in a sun-soaked tranquil, aquamarine cove.
“Here is someone who is immersed in her surroundings and can convey their every nuance to the viewer.
“It is therefore hardly surprising to realise that Frances Macdonald both lives and works in a delightfully unspoiled corner of Argyll, at Crinan.
“From her studio and from The Crinan Hotel, which she runs, there are inspirational views across the water to the north end of Jura and to Scarba.
“Her trademark use of the palette knife to depict the very structure of the rock formations is balanced by an uncanny ability to portray the true colours of both beach and sea.
“At first glance there is a temptation to think that the colours would be more at home in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, but visit the West Coast of Scotland and you will see that they are just as Macdonald depicts them.”
Frances also exhibits at the The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh, which described her work thus: “Like Peploe and Cadell, Frances Macdonald greatly appreciates the juxtaposition of dark, angular rock and white sand.
“Her use of the palette knife creates a dynamism and animation in each painting.
“Hers is bravura painting, her means perfectly suited to capture the essence of the broken skies and raging seas in full force, with rocks transformed into cubistic patterns.”