Catalogue for Blythe's solo exhibition at Morningside Gallery August 2025
MORNINGSIDE GALLERY
BLYTHE SCOTT
BLYTHE SCOTT JOY 02.08.25 - 17.08.25
MORNINGSIDE GALLERY
INTRODUCTION
It is with great delight that we introduce our second solo exhibition of Blythe Scott’s work, and her first since moving back to Scotland from Canada. This is an exhibition that reveals Blythe’s sense of joy at returning to her home country and her excitement seeing all of the places that have inspired her over the years, this time with new eyes. Harmonious layers of merging colour, abstraction, inventive embellishments and intuitive mark making, all characterise the works in this collection, which range from large scale paintings of Edinburgh skylines and East Neuk villages to smaller quirky Edinburgh buses, jaunty harbours and mesmerising dreamscapes. Blythe has a large following, with many clients returning again and again to connect with her ever creative and authentic approach to painting. She is as energetic and positive as her paintings - spending time with her always reminds me of how true to her self she is in her work. The excitement and delight she takes in working with her materials, making marks, translating the rough sea walls of St Monans into textures on the canvas, it is all conveyed honestly and authentically. Blythe approaches her work with a sense of openness and adventure, delighting in unexpected materials, exaggerated compositions and intuitive mark making. Always pushing herself forwards, her practice is explorative - risks taken and mistakes made become breakthrough moments and the imagination always runs free. Blythe often talks about her childhood with two artists as parents - teachers no less - with drawing and mark making a part of everyday life then as much as it is now. The collector is still there too - buttons, pieces of cloth, all sorts - Blythe collects and gathers materials that will eventually find their way into her paintings to catch the eye here, and lead the eye there. Perhaps most of all though, what we find in Blythe’s work is an unapologetic embracing of playfulness and joy - and an invitation to join her in exploring the world, seeing the familiar in new ways, and imagining new possibilities. This playfulness is not just for decorative flourish but a reminder of the vital force that invites curiosity within us all and opens us up to joy and discovery; life can be an exciting journey if only we let it.
Eileadh Swan, Gallery Director
All paintings are for sale and may be purchased or reserved prior to the exhibition opening. We kindly request that decisions on reserves are made by 5pm on Friday the 1st of August.
Photo Credit: Phil Wilkinson
Photo Credit: Phil Wilkinson
JOY
Joy and happiness are synonymous, related but distinct. They can also be experienced simultaneously and perhaps confusingly, joy can be felt even when we are feeling unhappy. Happiness can be temporary and regarded as a kind of emotional barometer as we respond to our life’s events unfolding. Joy on the other hand, can be a more intense feeling, involving a transcendence of the self. It can be a powerful emotion that is a response to the external world, whether it directly impacts our lives or not. It can be purely about appreciation. Both my parents were artists and so art was a frequent topic of conversation in our home. As a little girl, I asked my father what the purpose of art was. At that time of course, I was unaware of the enormity of that question. However, he answered quite simply that in his opinion, “Art should improve the world.” This made a lasting impression upon me and perhaps because of this, coupled with my naturally positive disposition, a quest for joy has been a constant in many aspects of my practice as an artist. Of course, not all art is joyful. Art can create a wide variety of responses and serve many purposes. Personally though, I feel I have succeeded creatively if my paintings are perceived to be joyous and if they elicit joy in others through an uplifting visual experience. These latest paintings have undoubtedly been inspired by the joy I have experienced in the world over the last year. My perception has felt heightened since returning to Scotland after so many years abroad and what might have seemed familiar or unremarkable before, has now become revitalised. As Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” My intention is to convey the joy I feel through colour, texture, movement and an edited or even fantastical version of the world. There is joy in that creative process itself, even when there are difficulties because as every artist will tell you, the joy to be found in overcoming creative obstacles is enormous! Ultimately, if my audience can perceive this sense of joy, if it resonates with their own experience and feels tangible to them, then the joy can become their own. After all, when someone responds to a painting it is often not so much the visual or literal content that has moved them but rather, a visceral feeling or sense of connection. In this way, the artist can be a conduit for joy that will hopefully be transferred to others. Perhaps in turn, the recipient may pass this joy to others still. As visual communicators, artists strive to speak via their art. It is hugely gratifying to be understood and so perhaps the joy in this whole process does not really transfer as much as it proliferates. In essence, these paintings have been inspired by joy, been made with joy and with the intention of creating joy. I hope this will be tangible and that you will receive joy as a result.
Blythe Scott, 2025
CITYSCAPES
The starting point for my cityscapes is usually reality. However, during their creation, they quickly take on a quality that is more intuitive and semi abstract. The purpose of these works is to communicate my emotional experience of a city and the impression it leaves rather than to describe it factually. A combination of observed drawing, abstraction and a playful, inventive use of materials, characterise these paintings. Since my return to Scotland, it has been such a pleasure to revisit and immerse myself in the cities I love. At the same time, I have been able to maintain a sense that I am looking with fresh eyes each time since my studio is based in the country. By delving briefly into city life and then retreating to my studio, I still hope to create a pleasing blend of fact and fiction.
Elation, Mixed Media on Canvas, Framed Size 156 x 104 cm, £6600
ABOVE Cock-A-Hoop, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Panel, Framed Size 55 x 55 cm, £1600 OPPOS I TE There are Always Flowers for Those Who Want to See Them, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 99 x 99 cm, £3950
LEFT Effervescent Sky, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Canvas, Framed Size 34 x 95 cm, £2395 OPPOS I TE Euphoria, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Canvas, Framed Size 94 x 126 cm, £5185
Ribbons of Gold, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Board, Framed Size 60 x 60 cm, £1725
LEFT Next Stop, Waverley, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250 R IGHT Speedy Wee Taxi, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250
ABOVE Bright Lights and Branches, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 80 x 80 cm, £2990 OPPOS I TE Bliss, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 104 x 104 cm, £5400
Joy is the title piece of this body of work. It was very intentional that this painting should be pink-forward because I have always found this colour to be so hopeful and positive. Like many of my “Hootenanny” series paintings, this one was inspired by Edinburgh. The cityscape is treated in a rectilinear yet playful and abstracted manner. It acts as a foil to the remainder of the painting which is devoted to fireworks that are described with exuberant and expressive colour, collage and 24 carat gold leaf highlights. The fireworks trace a C-shaped curve and transition to flowers towards the top of the painting, almost creating a bouquet in the sky. From there, petals break free and float down over the city, completing the circular journey for the viewer.
Joy, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 153 x 153 cm, £9720
LEFT Candy Stripe Sky, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250 R IGHT Jaunty Wee Bus, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250 OPPOS I TE Journey of Joy, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 128 x 104 cm, £6200
HARBOURS & THE EAST NEUK
I was born in Glasgow so I grew up visiting the West Coast often. However, it wasn’t until well into my adult years and after so much travelling abroad that I discovered how much I just adored the east coast of Scotland and especially the quirky little harbours of East Neuk of Fife. Jaunty cottages, bobbing boats, curvy coastlines and tangles of fishing paraphernalia have been an enduring inspiration for quite a number of years now. Even on the greyest of days, it is easy to find excuses to inject uplifting, high key colour, fluorescents and varied texture into these paintings. As with all my work, there is a balance between real and imagined, what has been observed and what has taken on a life of its own.
Happy Go Lucky, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 156 x 105 cm, £6600
Dusky Sky, St Abbs, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 60 x 60 cm, £1725
St Monans by Starlight, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 60 x 60 cm, £1725
Ropes, Boats & Floats, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 81 x 81 cm, £2990
LEFT Summer Sparkle, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250 R IGHT Fisherman’s Frenzy, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250
LEFT Happy Place, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Canvas, Framed Size 34 x 95 cm, £2376 OPPOS I TE Jaunty Harbour, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 104 x 128 cm, £6200
The East Neuk of Fife has been an area of much fascination for me for fifteen years or so. As an artist, I could not feel more visually stimulated than when I am there! This painting is composed of contrasting zones, set out in relation to the bold serpentine curve of the seawall. The linear sky, the busy abstraction of the fishing gear and the quirky cottages and boats are all harmonised by an autumnal palette. The painting is also peppered with bright accent colours that are commonplace in working harbours. This draws our attention to the middle zone and accentuates the generous curves further. The water is the quietest area of the painting- a resting place for the eye. Yet this area perhaps has the most impact, having been treated to a lavish application of 24 carat gold. The leaf highlights the varied underlying surface of the painting and lends a warm glow that shifts with the light or as we pass by.
Lavish, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 153 x 153 cm, £9720
LEFT Wee Trio, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250 R IGHT Happy Wee Red Boat St Abbs, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250
Dynamic Sky, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 60 x 60 cm, £1725
Afternoon Stroll, Pittenweem, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 81 x 81 cm, £2990
Night Sail, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250
DREAMSCAPES
The starting point for each artwork in the Dreamscape series is observed study of existing Scottish landscapes. Thereafter, I allow a more dreamlike, intuitive and romantic approach to take over my process. The work is intended to allow the viewer to escape to a place outside of reality, where time of day, season or even a need for plausibility, melt away.
Harmonious layers of merging colour, abstraction, embellishments and mark making as well as an enjoyment of contrasting surfaces and textures, all characterise the works in this collection.
Having moved in the last year to the Scottish Borders, it is unsurprising that elements from the local landscape have been consciously and sometimes unconsciously, been integrated. Expansive and undulating farmland, textured fields, twisted hedgerows, clusters of cottages and the Eildon Hills, have all made an appearance.
ABOVE Cold Snap, Melrose, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Panel, Framed Size 65 x 65 cm, £2200 OPPOS I TE Evenfall, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 104 x 104 cm, £5400
LEFT Twilight Cascade, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Canvas, Framed Size 34 x 95 cm, £2395 OPPOS I TE No Matter Where, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Canvas, Framed Size 128 x 104 cm, £6200 PREV IOUS The Joys of Spring, Mixed Media with Gold Leaf on Linen, Framed Size 136 x 80 cm, £5940
This dreamscape was inspired by the undulating patchwork fields surrounding the town of Melrose. While the bare trees create a strong wintry horizon and there is a nod to snow, the painting becomes increasingly colourful as it progresses towards the town. Playful mark making and colourful patterns suggest energy, life and hope. These winter blues are defiantly vibrant and they remind us to find joy in every season.
Winter Blues, Mixed Media on Panel, Framed Size 95 x 95 cm, £3950
On the Cusp, Mixed Media with Metal Leaf on Board, Framed Size 80 x 80 cm, £2990
Clustered Cottages, Mixed Media on Board, Framed Size 50 x 50 cm, £1250
BLYTHE SCOTT
Blythe Scott is a Scottish artist now living in the Borders, following a number of years living and exhibiting in Canada. Blythe graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1991. She went on to study Design Management (also in Glasgow) and then on to a PGCE in Art and Design Education. Blythe has been exhibiting regularly in Scotland and the UK since she graduated and more recently in Canada and the US. Throughout this time she also taught Art and Design to adults and children, both in Scotland and in Canada. Blythe is a mixed media artist with a firm grounding in and appreciation of the importance of drawing. Much of her drawing is created through the laying down of texture pastes, stucco, sand or collage. This is to create a strong composition, along with textural intrigue. Blythe is drawn to creating contrast, both in her colour choices and in her use of different textures. She enjoys creating crumbled sandy textures next to high gloss palette knife work or highlights of distressed metal leaf. Each painting is a unique creation, combining both modern and traditional techniques. Blythe’s starting point is always reality but her paintings finish up as a combination of fact and fiction. Her Edinburgh cityscapes afford viewers an opportunity for both recognition and dreaming. Blythe seeks to create a positive and optimistic view of the world through paintings that combine harmonious colour, textural interest and often a whimsical or dream like atmosphere. Her love of texture runs through all of her paintings. For Blythe, there is pure pleasure in watching the life of the surface and the way surface texture interacts with the light. Now that we live in a world of flat digital images, this expression of texture can feel even more special.
Photo Credit: Phil Wilkinson
MORNINGSIDE GALLERY 94 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BY 0131 447 3041 | art@morningsidegallery.co.uk | www.morningsidegallery.co.uk
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