Another Glasgow School of Art alumnus, Stuart Buchanan is a contemporary artist working in the fishing village of Catterline in the north-east of Scotland. He is known for his peaceful depictions of solitary characters and silent couples, usually imagine and anonymous, for which viewers can escape the challenges of the outside world.
Upon graduating in 1992, Stuart co-founded the Mansfield Park Gallery in Glasgow where he stayed for 10 years before moving to the north-east where he found inspiration by “just standing outside.”
Experimenting more recently with thick visceral paint, Stuart paints intimate landscapes, usually in one long session. He was familiar with Knockdhu Distillery in Aberdeenshire, the home of internationally renowned whisky brand anCnoc, having passed it and admired the landscape many times. His commissioned painting to pair with the single malt from anCnoc, named ‘Autumn morning Knockdhu’, depicts the distillery as the leaves are turning.
“I went up on a fine autumn day in late October and tried to catch the essence of the place in one sitting” Stuart explained. “It’s a lovely distillery and has been wonderful bringing the distillery to life on canvas. There’s a lovely road that goes past it between Huntly and Portsoy on the Moray coast. I’m looking forward to heading back there again soon.”
Stuart aims to make viewers feel a sense of peace or familiarity when looking at his paintings. They can trigger personal memories or give a feel of a nostalgia. Stuart’s inspiration comes from his own childhood memories and his surroundings and sprawling Scottish landscape that surrounds home in the north-east today.
Stuart can be found in his studio, the Watchie, overlooking the North Sea and finding inspiration for his works in his environment.
