Roses and Carnations

Mhairi McGregor RSW, is an avid traveller since winning a number of travel scholarships. This has been as an undergraduate student and professional artist (the GSA, the RSA and the RSW). She has lived for extended periods in Paris, Florence, Languedoc and New Mexico. Her work was accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London on her first attempt. She continues to be recognised by her peers an exceptional artist.

Influenced by Barbara Rae and Jimmy Robertson, her tutors at Glasgow School of Art, Mhairi’s careful planning and preparation of colour and composition are crucial to her artistic process. Once this initial stage is complete she works quickly, standing up with the canvas laid flat on a table so the paint doesn’t slide.

In the main, Mhairi works in oils and gouache. Though she uses watercolours for still-life and landscape sketches. She loves oil paint for its dramatic strength of colour, especially when thickly applied, and its ability to also be applied as a thin wash. Mhairi doesn’t tend to give paintings a second chance. She decides quickly if a work is acceptable or destined for the bin.