Artist Profiles
Did you fall in love with an artist's work and would like to know more about their work and the story behind it?
This section introduces some of our talented artists and makers - Have a browse!
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This section is still in the making and more profiles will be added in the following weeks
Helena Barnes
I am a landscape artist and art teacher based on the Black Isle. You can often find me walking in the hills or by the coast. Using photographs and memories from these wanderings I try to recreate the atmospheric beauty of these landscapes back in my home studio in Cromarty.
My work ranges from small canvas boards, to large 1 x 1m canvases. I like to sell my paintings at affordable prices, which you can see by visiting
my website shop.
EDUCATION
2017 – University of the West of England. PGCE secondary Art & Design
2015 – Kingston University. BA hons Fine Art & Art History (1st class)
2010 – Newcastle College. Foundation Degree in Art & Design
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Lynn Bennett-Mackenzie
contact:
Email: lynnbmack@gmail.com
Web: http://www.lynnbmackartist.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynnbennettmackenzieart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnbmack
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lynnbmack
Twitter: @lynnbmackartist
Etsy: lynnbmackartist
An established Scottish artist, Lynn Bennett-Mackenzie creates original artworks. Born and brought up in the rural Highlands, Lynn's work is a unique reflection of her life, experiences and environment in which she has lived. She uses a variety of media takes inspiration from various elements - the natural environment, folklore, sense of place.
She has exhibited widely and taken part in several community and international projects including The Big Picture, Wild Wood , Landfill art, an International Art Symposium in Russia and co-founded and organised Ceangal, a series of international artist residencies in the NW Highlands. She has travelled and worked in India several times and has strong international connections, in particular with the YATOO organisation in S Korea, participating in the pilot project for the Global Nomadic Art Project in 2014.
Lynn was the first NTS Artist in residence at the world renowned Inverewe Garden in 2017 and the first Art co-ordinator there – working closely with the team to embed the arts in the Garden, wider community and develop and build the art spaces and networks on the Estate and beyond .
Lynn also has an upcoming exhibition ’13 Moons’ in Sept/Oct 2023 at Gairloch Museum
13 Moons
A fascination of works taking inspiration from life, nature, myth, cycles and the potency of a number dear to my heart
Matt Buckley
I am a photographer and journalist who has somehow made a career out of hiking up Munro’s reviewing the latest outdoor equipment and shooting photos. When I'm not out in the hills, I am working with clients from the hospitality, luxury goods and automotive sectors shooting images for editorial features and commercial projects.
I visited Torridon on holiday when I was 16 and have been back every year since. I’ve been fortunate to be able to turn my passion of photography into a career; working with clients such as The Torridon Hotel, The Highland Liquor Company, The Coulin Estate, Hoggs of Fife and Tullibardine Distillery.
I’m also an outdoors journalist so spend a lot of time out in the hills testing the latest and greatest equipment. I’ve been exploring Scotland since my first trip 8 years ago and have experienced the best and worst it has to offer, from endless days of rain on Skye to balmy conditions on the Lairaig Ghru, Scotland keeps drawing me back time and time again but Torridon still takes my heart every time.
Contact:
mattbuckleyphoto.com
Mobile: 07446 848185
Instagram: @mattbuckleyphoto
Mo Burton
Although I did spend four years at Art College sometime way back in the last century, painting hadn't been a big part of my life until I retired a few years ago.
I was brought up in Strathpeffer and it was a great joy to return to live here in the Highlands, surrounded and inspired by the landscape as it responds our ever-changing weather.I always had a notion to try pastelling and it has now become my medium of choice. Pastels have an immediacy and glow that appeals very strongly to me.
Between painting and music-making, my husband Joe and I are quietly living the dream here in Lochcarron.
I just wish it would rain less and sunshine a bit more - I'm always much happier and more positive when the sun shines!
Thank you for taking an interest in my work
Rob Bruce
I have been an enthusiastic photographer for over forty years but stepping back from full-time work when I moved to Torridon in 2019 has allowed me to progress. I live in Diabaig throughout the year excepting occasional trips to Edinburgh, London and even sunnier places.
Landscapes have always interested me more than portraits or street photography. In particular, I love the perspectives you can get when high on a mountain or a cliff. In the last few years I have tried harder to find stories or intrigue in images, and to look for magic in the light.
Andy Dixon
I was born in London in 1964. Graduated in Fine Art (Kingston 1985)
I worked in London’s animation industry until retraining as an Art teacher in 2004. I am currently the Head of Art and Photography at Kent College Pembury, Tunbridge Wells. I have been coming to Diabaig all of my life, and have recently been able to stay for longer periods of time, and taking more time to record and photograph this beautiful area.
I have always been fascinated by the the remoteness of the abandoned dwellings in the Highlands, and considered lino prints as the best medium to reflect their starkness. I returned to Oil paint in a big way during the lockdown era, where I really started to concentrate on portraiture. But this summer I started to move towards capturing the changeable weather conditions in Loch Torridon. The oil I am showing has not been seen before, and represents the commencement of a new body of work I intend to produce over the winter and display in the gallery in Spring 2023.
Road to Alligin, oil painting
Contact:
Instagram: @andydixon64
Sarah Dunton
The inspiration for my work comes from my beautiful surroundings. The Highlands has been my main source of motivation since moving to the Black Isle in 2006. The old fishing villages, landscapes and coast provide an endless source of fascination, and I have found much to inspire me within the area renowned for its wild beauty.
As a self-taught artist who loves life and the outdoors, I have spent time experimenting and exploring different mediums and art styles. In recent years, I have focused on my bold characteristic use of colour to produce instantly recognisable work.
I am constantly looking to reinterpret the landscape and find my unique direction.Ultimately, it’s the ever-changing light and colours which inspire me.
I try to capture the ambience and character of the landscape with enhanced colours to accentuate the effortless natural splendour of my theme.
Contact:
Facebook/Instagram: @SarahDuntonArtist
Aileen works in a studio at the back of her house in Lochcarron, Wester Ross. She goes out walking and sketching in the surrounding countryside and particularly loves the Torridon and Strathcarron hills. She likes to absorb the atmosphere of a place through sketching in all weathers and develops ideas using different materials back in the studio. She likes the wildness of her local landscapes and tries to capture this in her work.
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"I find that many scenes lend themselves to a more monochrome interpretation and that is perfect for printmaking. I'm a member of Edinburgh Printmakers where I make printing plates, then print the editions using the printing press in my studio."
Aileen Grant
Contact:
Website: http://www.aileengrant.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aileen_grant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AileenGrantArtist
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AileenPix
I draw, paint and make prints - etchings, aquatints, photopolymer gravures, linocuts and monotypes - and sometimes mix these processes.
I work in a studio at the back of my house in Lochcarron, Wester Ross. I'm originally from Fife, then I lived in Edinburgh for a number of years before moving to the North-West. I graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, worked as a town planner, then completed the course in Advanced Drawing and Painting at Leith School of Art in 2013.
I have had work selected for various Open Exhibitions including the RSA Spring Open Exhibition April 2009, the Scottish Drawing Competition 2009 and 2011, the RSW Open Exhibition February 2012, Visual Arts Scotland Annual Open in 2016 - both exhibitions 'Converge' and 'Fly' - and Aberdeen Artists' Society Open 2022. In 2018 my painting was awarded the President's Prize by the Arts Society Inverness.
Elizabeth Joss
Elizabeth Joss is a Highland painter who has lived in Inverness since the 1970s. Current work is in mixed media and in oils- favorite subjects are from nature – trees, flowers, wild vegetation and plein-air depictions of the Highland landscape.
Contact:
William Mather
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Contact:
e-mail:williammather@gmail.com
telephone: 01381 621745
mobile:07793745845
website: www.williammatherart.com
Facebook: @William Mather Art
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My work is about celebration: celebrating the wonders of life and creation and about revelation: glimpsing something special, wonderful or even beyond expectation.
I love the energy of working outside in oils – ‘plein-air’, whatever the Highland weather – which often leads to further landscape work in the studio. I love doing portraits in oil or pastel as well as quick pastel portrait-sketches at community events. I also love keeping a sketchbook as a visual diary and aid for future work.
I have painted all my life, as well as being a journalist for 10 years and a church minister for 30 – all great qualifications for a painter! Retiring in 2010 I created a studio in Fortrose on the Black Isle near Inverness. I come from a family of artists and we all encourage each other. I regard myself as self-taught. I have a love of art, people and nature. I have a wonderfully supportive wife, Libby and three lovely children.
Work has been sold work in many shows, including several solos and I have paintings in collections both in the UK and further afield. There have also been invitations to write, teach, tutor and speak about art. I am a member of the Redcastle Art Group (RAG) and the Art Society of Inverness (ASI).
Andy Moys
Contact:
email: amolehead@icloud.com
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I am fortunate to live amongst some of the finest scenery that an artist could paint.
My paintings usually start life as a walk with a camera and an idea of what I am looking for in terms of light and composition. Conditions can be so changeable in the highlands that at any moment there is another scene created as the hues and shadows change. What can look dull and flat at one part of the day can become celestial at another.
I am self taught and have been selling my work for 40 years. Retirement is now giving me the opportunity to be more creative.
I work in a small studio in my garden which I am happy for people to visit by appointment. I also exhibit at Torridon Community Centre Gallery.
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As Scotland is a fascinating country, I enjoy walking along the shores or in the countryside, studying birds in their natural habitats and observing their social interactions. First, my main focus was on seabirds as I am living by the sea, but the Scottish countryside also offers interesting perspectives. I picked acrylics as my main paints to illustrate the birds' behavior in a lively and expressive way. The paintings are rich in colors and shapes; sometimes with a pinch of humor, or comments, related to current topics.
Gabi Paterson
Born in Germany, Gabi Paterson had been teaching Visual Arts Education to children aged 10-16 for many years, Since 2015, she has been working from her log cabin studio on the Fife Coast . Her paintings are done in acrylics as these allow for strong expression. Due to her fascination with birds, these form the main subject of her paintings.
Taking part successfully in exhibitions in galleries like The Slade Gallery in Elie, The Thistle Gallery in Glasgow and private exhibitions in The Harbourmaster's Cafe in Dysart /Ifirkcaldy ,
Fife National Trust and in the Merchant's Room, Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther. Gabi also held private group exhibitions under the name RoGaJi with 2 friends, in Kinghorn and Inverkeithing in Fife.
Fiona Perry
I am a driftwood and textile artist living and working in a former crofters cottage in EastSutherland. I regularly beachcomb on the beautiful local beaches, with my work also heavily influenced by many holidays and visits to the stunning West Coast.
Prior to moving to Sutherland, I lived in Fife and the coastline there influenced my work, along with holidays spent exploring the fantastic shores of the north-west coast. I started Drifted into Design after retraining in art and design and my college projects increasingly used natural textures and found objects.
I beachcomb regularly in all weathers, gathering driftwood and other materials which have been tumbled into beautiful shapes and textures by the sea. As no two seashore found objects are the same, every piece of artwork is unique. My textile work is inspired mainly by the north-west coastline, where misty islands and sailing boats are often seen on the horizon.
Contact:
Drifted into Design, Rogart IV28 3YE
Instagram/Facebook: @Drifted into Design
email:drifted@btinternet.com
phone:07565 302228
Lys Stevens
Lys studied Drawing and Painting at Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art. She went on to teach art in mainstream but later found her niche in Special Education, developing and delivering an appropriate art curriculum for pupils 2 - 19 years, a truly enriching experience.
Since taking early retirement, Lys paints full time expressing her love of shore and land in oils, acrylics and digital media. Much of her time has been spent in Wester Ross where she spends long hours watching waves in all weathers and finds inspiration as she sees the wind whip up waves, the light catch a detail or the water carve runnels in the sand. Her work is dramatic and evocative and expresses her emotional and visual involvement in the wild beauty of Scotland. Her bold use of colour, sometimes vivid, sometimes subtle and mysterious, provides opportunity for reminiscence, contemplation and, above all, enjoyment.
Lys also finds much pleasure in more realistic paintings of animals and still life. She has explored a variety of media - acrylics, oils, pastels, iPencil and Procreate.
Contact;
website: www.lysstevens.co.uk
e-mail: lysstevens@yahoo.co.uk
instagram: @lys_stevens_scottish_artist
phone: 07919404377
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Vicky Stonebridge
contact:
Website: www.balnacra.com
Facebook: @VickyStonebridgeBalnacraArts
Instagram: @balnacra_pottery
Balnacra Pottery is based near Lochcarron on the West Coast, The studio is an 18th Century former Blacksmiths building. Artist and Potter creates unique, quirky and unusual ceramics here, inspired by the stunning local scenery and colours. Vicky is influenced by historical art and design as well as folklore and the natural world. The work is thrown on the wheel, and hand sculpted using a range of pottery techniques. Vicky also runs many courses and classes at the busy studio, enjoyed by all ages and abilities.
Katherine Sutherland
contact:
website: www.katherinesutherland.co.uk
e-mail: Info@katherinesutherland.co.uk
instagram: @katherinesutherlandart
twitter@ksutherlandart
facebook : Katherine Sutherland-Artist
My name is Katherine Sutherland and I trained as a nurse in Edinburgh in the 90’s before moving back to the beautiful highlands of Scotland where I now live and work as an artist. From the drama of the surrounding countryside, I receive endless visual inspiration which I interpret using bold brush strokes and an exciting pallet of colors.
My response to the landscape is both emotional and intellectual and I seek to capture the ‘Sense of Place’ in each work I undertake.
I work in a variety of media, watercolor, ink, acrylic oils and charcoal and in a variety of sizes from very tiny paintings to very large works. While continuing to refine my skills, balancing colors and depicting a sense of light and beauty peculiar to the Highlands, I take pleasure in creating unique works of art reflecting the landscape of Scotland as I see it.
Alex Thomson
In a lifetime of roaming the Scottish mountains, Alex Thomson has always taken the time to stop and chat, meeting many different kinds of people, forming lasting friendships and sharing countless stories with his fellow hillwalkers. Collected here together are some of those tales; stories that formed the fabric of the walking clubs that appeared throughout the 1950s and ’60s. Sometimes serious, occasionally scary, often amusing, they offer a wonderful glimpse into the hillwalking fraternity, the myriad gems of the Scottish landscape and the addictive pleasure of exploration.
Janene Waudby
Janene works from her studio in Shieldaig on the remote West Coast of the Scottish Highlands, surrounded by the sea and the wild and geologically ancient landscape. Janene’s vessels are all wheel thrown, textured or burnished and then smoke fired with oak wood shavings using her own distinctive method. The forms and surfaces are softly organic, capturing the colours, depth, spontaneity and beautiful imperfection of nature and the sea.
Janene is an experienced sailor who has travelled all over the world, including around Cape Horn and across the Southern Ocean and her approach to smoke firing is drawn from her sailing voyages. In both there must be a desire to embrace the unknown and to work in harmony with nature. Sailing requires a person to be secure in change, to observe subtle signs, to trust intuition and to accept that you are not fully in charge of the outcome. Janene’s smoke firing method requires her to stand watch over the fire, observing and responding to subtle changes in conditions, but allowing the fire to have the final say. As such each piece of work is a unique collaboration between the ceramic artist and the fire.
