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Artist's Statement
.....My paintings explore interpretations of the visual drama of the Shetland
environment and are concerned with capturing the atmosphere, the play of
light on the sea and coastal landscape, through mixed media.
Biography
Born: 12 July 1972 Illieston Farm Nr. Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland
Training
1990 - 94 Heriot Watt University/ Edinburgh College of Art, BA (Hons) in
Drawing & Painting - Tapestry with 2:1
April - June 1993 Andrew Grant Bequest Exchange to L'Ecole Des Beaux Arts,
Tours, France
July - August 1992 Cyprus Art Summer School, Cyprus College of Art
Memberships
Elected as Professional Member of SSA, Society of Scottish Artists 2003
Committee member of Veer North, Visual artists group based in Shetland.
Awards/Grants
Andrew Grant Bequest Scholarship by Edinburgh College of Art for Summer Term
exchange with L' Ecole des Beaux Arts, Tours, France 1993
Valgra Trading Award, January Exhibition, Edinburgh College of Art 1994
The Elizabeth Ballantyne Award, S.A.A.C 5th Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish
Academy, December 1994
Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust Award, January 1996
LiveWire/Lothian Regional Start Up Business Award, April 1996
2nd Prize British Rail Young Business Travel Award, May 1996
Shetland Arts Trust Art Development Grant Award, 1999/2000
The Hope Scott Trust Grant Award 2000
'Scotland's Year of the Artist Award' Scottish Arts Council/ National Lottery
Fund 2000 for Artist-in-residence on board the SWAN, the 100 year old restored
fishing boat now used for sail training and charter in and around Shetland
Isles from May - October 2000
Finalist for The Gilchrist - Fisher Award 2002, for Young Landscape painters
under 30
HI-ARTS Visual Arts Award 2003
Reviews
Jane Moncrieff Ideas Factory/ Channel 4 'She sells Seas Well'
Peter Davis 'Exhilarating show at museum gallery' The Shetland Times, 13
June 2003
'ENTER the Shetland Museum Gallery in Lerwick at the moment and you will
enter a world dominated by the colour blue; the colour of heaven, of peace,
of coolness, of restfulness, but not always. Blue in the hands of painter
Ruth Brownlee means storm, surging seas and surf. She is a prolific artist
of Shetland landscapes and seascapes, but particularly Shetland skies....
Pick of the Week 'Ruth Brownlee:New works' Scotland on Sunday, 27 October
2002
'Brownlee’s interest in tapestry as a student is accredited to her
aim of creating surface texture in her painting. This approach, unique to
Brownlee, has helped her capture the essence of elemental forces and the
naturalness of light - a style pleasingly illustrated by this new collection
of expressive scenes of Shetland'
Dominic Shann 'Sea, sky and the SWAN' The Shetland Times, April 2001
'It is hard to describe Ruth's paintings because many of the images are so
simple, and it is equally difficult to explain why they work so well. ....She
has a wonderful grasp of perspective and sense of composition which enables
her to recreate a convincing atmosphere through simple images...'
Jamie Thomas ' At Seas' opens at Museum Gallery' Shetland Post April 2001
pp19
'...Ruth's work has a distinctive slightly abstract style. Using a limited
palette of deep blues, whites, dark browns and greens, she creates a very
intense impression of scale and depth and a real feeling of power of the
sea. The cold northern skies are reflected with equal intensity...'
Dominic Shann ' Seeking Solitude at Bonhoga Gallery' Shetland Times 11 August
2000 pp38
'... Words do not do justice to Ruth's work. 'Solitude' is not an exhibition
to read about but one which you should go to and experience for yourself..'
Mike Grundon Art Review, Shetland Times, pp28 May 1999
'... Broad brush techniques and her use of mixed media work together to create
solid stasis in the mass of her land and violent movement in the crash
of her seas....
My favourites are many, like the triptych 'Series of Seas Studies' which
despite being more obvious and accessible than most of its fellows, shows
great depth and an atmospheric use of light. They are, all three constituents,
pictures of the sea and every one gives you the thrill of the chill....
Sally Kerr 'More than a measure of success' Summer Exhibition, Scotch Malt
Whisky Society, Edinburgh' The Scotsman, 10 August 1994
'....Ruth Brownlee's works are all about nature but their brown, orange and
mustard tones with layered paper combine to give a physical sense of the
land'
Collections
Works in numerous private collections throughout UK, Europe and USA.
Also in public collection in Shetland Museum
