Women Artists inspired by Nature and Their Native Scotland
Susan Brown | Eyes on Scotland
For my third installment on the theme of “Artists, Makers, and Craftspeople,” I’m introducing some of my favourite artists whom I have been following on social media for a few years now. They range across a variety of media, but perhaps unsurprisingly for a Scottish Blue Badge guide, all of these artists are Scottish. Indeed they are all based on the west coast of Scotland—two in the county of Argyll and two on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides.
On a recent trip to the Isle of Harris, I was fortunate to meet Joceline Hildrey, an artist working in watercolours, pen and ink, and mixed media. Based at Talla na Mara, she creates a range of beautiful watercolours, from her mini framed pieces to mixed media artworks. I love the way her watercolours capture the essence of Harris, bringing to life the flow of water around the island, croft farming items, and vernacular houses. Her seabird range has also been translated onto a variety of homewares, with the gannets and puffins being my favourites. She is currently working on a collection of mixed media artworks on driftwood collected from around the island for an exhibition at Talla na Mara in February and March 2022. The final photo in the carousel below shows one she has just completed. You can discover more of her artwork at Joceline Hildrey Illustration or on Instagram @jocehildreyillustration.
Staying in the Outer Hebrides, and not far from Talla na Mara, is the Isle of Scalpay. You can get here via bridge from Tarbert in Harris. It is home to Molly Fitch, a cut paper artist. The first thing that crosses my mind when looking at her work is the patience required to build up the layers that constitute her work! Her subjects range from birds and animals to seascapes, building interiors to fishing related themes. Skimming her website, I am already making note of all the artworks that would look great around my house. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram @mollyfitchpaperart.
My final artists both work in the medium of screen printing with themes inspired by seascapes, wildlife and birdlife. Before settling in Argyll, Scotland, Jane Smith travelled the world creating wildlife films. Accustomed to observing the natural world around her, she chooses to work with screen printing because she says it enables her to simplify and condense her ideas. As she never produces more than 30 copies of each artwork, there is a real opportunity to buy something exceptional. You can find more details on her work on her website and on Instagram @janesmithwildlifeartist.
Deb Wing is a linocut print artist based in Argyll who takes her inspiration from the landscapes of Argyll and of the West of Scotland, using the colours of the seasons to bring them alive. She cuts designs into linoleum and inks them to create original prints, using only the three primary colours—red, blue, and yellow—plus black and white to blend all the colours needed. By using the reduction printing method, the linocut is destroyed in the process, so she can never make any more prints than the 12 she includes in the initial printing. As a consequence of the various Covid lockdowns, Deb has also been delivering “Parallel Printing” programmes via Zoom in which she works with participants from across Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to plan and create prints of Scottish landscapes. You can learn about previous events on her website or email her for more information about future ones. Discover more of her work on Instagram @debwingprintartist.
Susan’s other articles from this series on Artists, Makers, and Craftspeople:
To learn about Bermudian artists focused on sustainability, read this.
To discover a Scottish artist shaping metal into underwater art, take a look at this.
