Paintings which capture the weather are at the heart of an exhibition now on at Dundee’s Gallery Q.
Captured Elements features paintings by multi-award winning contemporary landscape artist Ellis O’Connor from Dundee, who now lives on the Outer Hebridean Island of North Uist.
She trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
Since completing her master’s degree in 2016 she has undertaken several residency programmes, including in Iceland and Norway.
She exhibits her work across Scotland and beyond and has many loyal followers on social media.
“In order to immerse myself in the environment, I make much of the artwork on site where extreme weather and the elements find their way into the pieces,” said Ellis.
“I describe the process of working outdoors in wild weather as almost ‘performative’.
“Some of the pieces made on paper on site become the basis for larger works on canvas painted back in the studio.
“Here, I usually work with oil paint, building up the surfaces using natural substances like sand and dried seaweed.
“By producing my art work I hope it will give people a chance to connect with that landscape and respect the nature that is so wild around us, to then cultivate a deeper understanding and inspire others to make a difference.”
Exhibiting alongside Ellis are four artists selected for their responses to painting the elements around Scotland.
Peter Davis works from his remote home and studio on Shetland to produce watercolours in broad brushstrokes, often named with Shetland terms for the weather.
Born in the North-East of England, Peter completed an Art and Design course at Northumberland College of Education and after that taught in Cumbria.
In 1981 he moved to Orkney where he set up his own studio and gallery in Birsay, additionally teaching art to adults and children.
Ten years later he moved to Shetland where his studio is based today.
Libby Scott lives and works from her home studio in Perthshire, where she is surrounded by wide vistas, deep open skies and panoramic views.
She weather watches every morning by walking through the land accompanied by her border collie, observing, feeling the wind direction, noticing the changes of the season and maintaining her daily practice of elemental connection.
She is another Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design graduate.
Douglas Roulston is originally from Glasgow and now lives in Broughty Ferry.
He gained a BA (Hons) followed by a Master of Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2008.
His recent works concentrate on the use of vivid colours to represent the vibrant diversity of the Scottish landscape while focusing on the changing weather of Scotland, creating turbulent skies and wild waters.
Margaret Evans is a Scottish contemporary artist, an internationally respected tutor and author of numerous teaching art books and DVDs, as well as teaching workshops worldwide.
Her work is known and highly regarded throughout USA, Australia, Europe as well as the UK. Her studio is in Highland Perthshire.
*Captured Elements featuring Ellis O’Connor and the other artists runs at Gallery Q, Nethergate, Dundee, from September 26 to October 18.
