Interview
Eilidh Stewart
Eilidh is an impressionistic painter and creative educator, living and working on the east coast of Scotland. Her main studio is in her garden, and her art gallery is in North Uist, in the Outer Hebrides.
Eilidh aims to make recordings of her journeys to dramatic coastal locations, and tries to relive these experiences through painting.
Painting brings peace and offers her a place to meditate the beauty of our natural world. Eilidh would like to share this experience and viewpoint with others through her work. Much of her work aims to highlight the notion of weathering and memory of place.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I trained in fine art on the Island of North Uist, where I initially started my journey from school at the age of 17. What I loved about the transition from school to college was the creative freedom. Suddenly, art did not have to be picture perfect. In fact, this was discouraged. We were encouraged to loosen our approach and explore mark-making in new and exciting ways. I love how inspiring my tutors were, and their genuine passion for the Hebridean landscape was evident across all our projects. I remember being taken out to draw and paint a dead whale on the beach, and being encouraged to consider the interesting surface qualities of the whale rather than drawing the whale as a whole. I feel this was a turning point for me.
We would often be encouraged to go outside with our drawing boards and allow the elements to dictate our work, always injecting a magical element. After completing my degree in fine art through the University of the Highlands and Islands, I started teacher training. I have been practicing as a professional artist and teacher since 2014. I love the opportunities that teaching and practicing as an artist bring to each other. As a teacher, I'm constantly learning new skills and increasing my abilities to reflect as a practitioner. Reflection and awareness skills are essential for growth as an artist.”
What inspires you most?
“I’m inspired by natural beauty from places rich in, such as shorelines with beautiful rock formation and various seaweed folds amongst the rocks, bringing contrast and reflections in rockpools. Combine this with interesting moody elements, such as skies and sea, and you get an inspiring scene. I enjoy walking through the landscape and sketching elements such as wind, rain, snow and ice, exploring how these fall on our landscapes and manipulate our perceptions of these places.
My main source of inspiration for my work is coastal locations with vast vistas and little signs of human influence.”
“Through their work, artists are major influencers on how we perceive the world, and how we feel and experience it. Art has the power to move people and encourage them to think about worldly issues which cannot be conveyed through words alone.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I pursue themes of weathering and coastal erosion, often through examining rock formations and sand dunes. I like to convey the force of the wind and tide within my works as a key element of weathering and erosion along Scotland's coastlines.”
How would you describe your work?
“My art is energetic and lively. My works often aim to combine an element of calm alongside busy mark-making. I feel this contrast is essential for narrative and strong visual impact.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I have been influenced by many artists for various reasons. One of my main initial influences was Maggi Hambling and her wave paintings, I love her use of rich textural brushwork. There is real evidence of process in her work, revealing all the intricate details of the wave as it rises, falls, and disperses. I love how she describes her work as her ‘best friend’. This is something that always rings true. The various challenges and joy that working as an artist presents is rewarding and fulfilling, but also frustrating at times. It’s a constant problem solving experience.
I have also been influenced by Per Kirby, and his interesting use of line and surface qualities to depict natural surfaces in semi abstract forms. After visiting the Jenny Saville exhibition in Edinburgh, I was blown away by her use of scale and brushwork. The ways in which Saville layers and manipulates her paint application is exquisite and incredibly inspiring. The notion of layering and revealing is something which is ingrained heavily in my practice.
What I enjoy most about these artists’ work is the fact that they create paintings which are expressive and intended to play around and manipulate materials. They create work whose painterly qualities sing, rather than appearing tight and precise in their notions of representation.”
What is your creative process like?
"Often, the creative process begins by walking and photographing places of interest, such as the landscape of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides. Creating 10-minute sketches is very important for capturing fleeting moments and movement, focusing on mixed media such as watercolor and chalk pastel. These marks are recorded and often included in larger works at a later stage. At times, photographs are taken and then reassembled to create works that extract elements of interest, and which evolve into a new take of a scene.
I work mostly in my garden studio, where I develop my collection of investigation work into larger-scale oil paintings, using palette knives and mixed media to create a sense of depth and variation. Collage is a distinctive feature in many of my developed paintings. Collage can be embedded to enhance surface qualities and enhance a sense of detail, which encourages the viewer to examine surface qualities to a greater extent.
My process is primarily concerned with surface qualities and paint manipulation to suggest the mood of a place. I want people to be transported to this specific place and feel the elements, as if they are reliving an experience.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I work as high school art teacher. I feel art has a very important role to play in teaching children about the world and culture, helping them to feel inspired and connected with our ever-changing society. Artists have the power to change societies’ perceptions and encourage people to keep exploring, as well as challenge their own views of the world. Artists need to keep making work to enrich the lives of children and encourage the next generation to experience the endless opportunities and fulfillment that art and design brings to everyone's life.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“During 2017, I had my first solo exhibition, ‘Tides’ in Glasgow, Scotland. This was my initial breakthrough. Since then, I’ve been holding an annual solo exhibition during the Summer in my own gallery on the Island of North Uist.”
