Portland Gallery is delighted to be holding its tenth exhibition of Frances Macdonald’s works. Ten shows on, the huge growing support for Frances’ work shows no signs of abating.

The work in this exhibition has again been inspired by Francis’ spectacular Scottish West Coast surroundings. The appeal of these places has never diminished. “It is something about the light,” she says when explaining how she is still fascinated by this landscape, “you get something new every time.”

The rhythms of the palette knife scrape and sculpt their way across the canvas. The textural qualities that Frances produces in her work are her hallmark; the rawness and strength of these strokes effectively conjures up not just the wild Scottish landscape but also the very strata of the rocks. It is not only through the gentle touch of her palette knife that Frances has won an army of admirers; the jewel-like colouring in her paintings shows her powers of observation, recreating the subtle moods of the area that often go unnoticed and unappreciated.

Avant-garde groups such as the French Impressionists and the Fauves, with their spontaneous brushwork and use of vibrant colour, have been a source of inspiration to Frances. Also, Scottish artists such as Joan Eardley and The Scottish Colourists (who used the very same vantage points as Frances from which to paint) have influenced her ideas and methods. She comments, “The Colourists became of interest to me after my second painting trip to Iona when I realised that I had been drawn to the same spot where they had painted.” Her very own expressive application of paint proves, however, that she is not merely a follower of these earlier traditions. This exhibition of work demonstrates that Frances’ new paintings contain all the spontaneity for which she is known, alongside a response of great subtlety to her surroundings.

Portland Gallery
8 Bennet Street
London SW1A 1RP United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 74931888
art@portlandgallery.com
www.portlandgallery.com

Opening hours
Monday - Friday
From 10am to 6pm