Meet landscape artist Lorna Mackay

Lorna Mackay is a landscape painter inspired by the wild and quiet places of the British Isles. Her paintings are characterised by heightened colour, strong shapes and expressive mark-making. She is drawn to the cool tones of the countryside with vibrant shots of colour adding further energy. Lorna enjoys the process of creating work in response to collector’s favourite locations and capturing the elements that are so special to them.

Here we chat with Lorna about her journey into the art world..

Can you tell us your backstory and how you got into the art world?

I originally trained in ceramics, I loved the physical making and painting of the sculptural forms with the patterns and colours that I found in the urban areas around me.  Knowing I loved the process of making, and that I wanted to work with others, I trained as an art teacher and was committed to this for 15 years, squeezing in my own work whenever time allowed.  

In 2016 I moved to Scotland with family and to be with family. This placed me firmly back in a rural area and with the opportunity to focus on my painting.  I now paint daily, have a garden studio alongside teaching in a local art school.  Over these last 8 years I have been developing my work, sharing it with others and connecting with collectors.  I love it. 

How would you describe your signature style and technique?

I am inspired by the wild and quiet places of the British Isles.  Being outdoors and travelling is an essential part of my inspiration and I use my sketchbook to record observations of the landscape, lochs and coastlines that I experience. This sketchbook work, alongside the memory of the place and the process of using the materials, inspires my painting. 

I work with acrylic paint and inks as they are so versatile. The fluidity of the materials are used to create a sense of chance, allowing for a freer interpretation of a particular place to evolve. As the painting progresses the sketchbook is no longer referenced but the memory of the place and the feeling it evoked is of the most value. It is the cool greens and blues of the countryside that I am drawn to but increasingly vibrant shots of colour add further energy. I could absolutely not stick with one particular palette but greens, blues and pink are a thread throughout my work. 

My paintings do have a sense of place, the identity of the landscape is there but more than anything I strive to communicate that visceral response we have when in landscapes that move us. 

Can you tell us about your latest work? Where did you find inspiration and what is the story behind it?

My most recent work is a culmination of a 100 day project of drawing trees.  I most recently displayed these drawings during my Open Studio and found that they really invited questions and prompted memories of landscapes important to each visitor.  

The painting ‘Mother Tree’  is inspired by the connections that trees make beneath our feet and how they support and provide for each other. I wanted a piece that was full of energy, didn’t quite make sense but was tangled and bound together. Inspired by a particular walk and line of trees the research on these networks has informed this piece but more than anything our emotional connections to trees and their surroundings is what truly inspired it.

It is important to communicate the meaning behind my paintings but I believe the strength of my work is that others can connect with it, this can be hard to put into words and what I have tried to communicate may not be what others see.  

Simply put trees for me are magical and I hoped for something of this in the painting. 

Are there any exhibitions or events you are planning? Feel free to promote anything…

I am delighted to share that I recently has a piece selected for the Visual Arts Scotland Exhibition at Dalkeith Palace in August.  

I enjoy working to commission and have just completed a large painting of a beautiful Northern Island beach which is now at home in Monaco. Current commissions are Scottish based and include the stunning view from Conic Hill looking over Loch Lomond, I totally recommend this climb and the wind blows away the midges!  

I open my studio regularly and welcome this, seeing art in person, in the place it is created is wonderful and meeting others who like to chat is equally so.  

What is the best advice you received as an artist?

Any advice that keeps you in control I listen to and often it relates to perseverance and persistence.  Simply do the work, turn up and if you can get to the point where you love your work that is gold.

 ‘I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free’.  Georgia O’Keefe 

Limited edition prints are available on many of Lorna’s paintings and one-off, large scale prints can be arranged of the majority of her paintings. For more information and to view Lorna’s latest work please visit lornamackaystudio.co.uk

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