On Saturday 15th May the City Art Centre reopens with a retrospective of a Scottish artist we should all know about.
First off, it is great news to be seeing that the City Art Centre on Market street is reopening after the lockdowns. Home to historic and modern Scottish painting and photography, as well as contemporary art and craft, the central venue has been greatly missed.
Earlier this week I had the chance to visit their new exhibition about an extremely talented and driven Scottish artist who I hadn’t previously heard of. But I am not alone and Mackie biographer and researcher Pat Clark told me the exhibition is a long-overdue tribute to one of Scotland’s outstanding and unjustly neglected artists.
The exhibition brings both private and public pieces together and is an exclusive chance to see the artists wide range of work in one place, from small Scottish rural scenes, to large Venetian oil pieces.
Born in Aldershot and brought up in Edinburgh, Mackie traveled and painted around Europe and the UK, creating beautiful art using a wide range of materials including watercolours, wood block printing and oils.
I loved sing the original watercolours along side wood block prints of the same scene. The wood block process reminds me of more illustrative pieces, the colours are strong and bright.
I took my pad and made notes and sketches, just totally loving being in a gallery again and the injection of inspiration that gives me. Welcome back City Art Centre 🙂
Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light runs from 15th May 2021 – 10th October 2021, at the City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh. Admission is free, but pre booking is essential for the time being. You can do this via the website below: