Lorna Mackay

Landscape artist Lorna Mackay is inspired by her immediate surroundings and personal response to them. A move to Scotland in 2017 signified a return to living in the countryside and a renewed focus on painting. Lorna repeatedly draws and paints the same scene, looking to capture how the different elements: trees, water, and sky, alter depending on time, her mood, perspective, or the ever-shifting weather. It is this repetition that gradually reveals a hidden structure to a landscape that we might not see on initial observation. There is a growing preoccupation with how the countryside has been shaped. The further Lorna explores this subject, the more she appreciates how the experience of living in a rural setting during childhood, then in a city, and back to the countryside has exacted a strong influence on her practice. She shares, “The fluidity of the paint and ink are used to build a sense of chance and allow a freer interpretation of a landscape to evolve. This mirrors the aim of capturing an often fleeting visceral response to the natural world. As the painting progresses, the sketchbook is no longer referenced and the memory of the place and feeling it evoked is of the most value. I am drawn to the cool tones of the countryside, but vibrant shots of colour add further energy and a sense of the impact and contrast of a human presence. A hint of this presence is beginning to take the form of the hard edges in my painting along with lines that represent the routes we take through the landscape either with our eyes or feet. The hope is that the paintings celebrate these natural spaces and communicate the power they have to lift our spirit.”

See more from Lorna at lornamackaystudio.co.uk