Artist: James Fairgrieve
Catalogue: 40
Material: Acrylic on Board
Dimensions: 120x120cm
Date: 1973, Acquired 1974
About the artwork
This painting depicts a dark interior with a small table at the bottom with a number of objects incluing a picture frame, shell and maple leaf sitting on top. Along the top edge is a cupboard and a bare illuminated bulb dangling from its cable. It was painted in the artist’s attic studio, and was one of a series of paintings using objects collected from the beaches and riverbanks around Berwickshire. Fairgrieve continued to add to his collection of objects, and often objects reappear in his work over the years. The light and cupboard identify where the pictures were painted, as well as the restricted light source in the space.
About the artist
James Fairgrieve RSW RSA (born Prestonpans, 1944) studied and taught at Edinburgh College of Art and is one of Scotland’s leading realist painters. His acute observation and formal arrangement convey poise, balance and calm.