Ruth Brownlee graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1994 with a BA Hons in Drawing & Painting & Tapestry, and four years later moved to Shetland.
‘When I first visited Shetland in July 1998 to teach a mixed media workshop, I had no idea that this one weekend would change my life. I remember thinking: I have to come here to paint, the place I was meant to be. I am obsessed by the expanse of sky, the sea and northern light. The shifting weather dominates my work to convey the wildness of the place.’ – Ruth Brownlee
The exhibition title, 60° North refers to the fact that Shetland is geographically located 60 degrees latitude north of the Equator, the same latitude as Alaska, Greenland and Oslo. This is Brownlee’s first solo exhibition at the Gallery – she first exhibited here in group show The Northern Isles in 2022.
Vividly visceral, the blustery wind and threatening rain in December Gales, Westside captures the kinetic energy of a wild storm brewing, with an intuitive grasp of weather as an untamed natural force. Through the frantic flurry of scratch marks, it would seem these threatening black clouds have suddenly swept in off the Atlantic.
The medium is acrylic, as it dries quickly, building up layers, occasionally adding ink, as well as materials like paper, or sand from the beach. The scene feels alive with squall, sleet and sharp light shining on white foaming waves while the clear sky over the distant horizon suggests that the gale will blow over as quickly as it appeared.
Around the Gallery, several seascapes picture the dying light at nightfall, as seen in December Pink Dusk, Quendale, located in the southern tip of the mainland, near Sumburgh. A cool palette creates a striking interplay between the rain clouds bathed in silver-icy hues, blending with pale pink, spreading like an ink blot. The fluidity of movement across the sky depicts a cold brisk wind, while a shaft of light reflects on the calm surface of the sea. A bold splash of paint, in cinematic close-up, focuses on the rosy rays of the winter sun.
Troswickness, on the south-east coast of Shetland, features an important archaeological site with a standing stone dating from the 3rd or 2nd millennium BC. A melancholic mood pervades the view of High Seas, its unusual perspective guiding the eye far into the misty distance, but also the frothing surf cascading over the craggy rock. Such a contrast in light and shadow, from the jet black horizontal rolling wave to a fleeting glimpse of coral-tinted clouds. This is a dramatic, astutely-observed scene which oozes the authenticity of experience, by an artist who clearly knows this landscape intimately.
‘I like darkness and drama. Around the September equinox when the heather starts to turn, I can feel the creative spirit seeping back into me. It’s as if black storms bring me this strange energy.’ – Ruth Brownlee
With an almost monochromatic palette of inky blue and charcoal grey, Sea Swell, Ness portrays the raw force of nature with loose, flowing brushstrokes. Ness means a headland and the curving slither of coastline gives spatial depth to frame the channel of translucent water, which merges seamlessly into the overcast sky. Contemplative, solitary and deeply immersive, there’s a palpable sense of physically being there on the wild shoreline, enveloped in the salty air and roar of the sea.
The exhibition expresses in paint the experiences brought to mind in the poetry of Christine da Luca, who was born and bred on Shetland, and the image of the sea is a constant presence in her poetry. Discontinuity is written in Shetlandic, a blend of Old Scots with Norse influence:
Only da sea can greet an sing at da sam time:
shade an licht: cobalt, ultramarine an dan
da lönabrak – a tize, a frush o whicht.
(Only the sea can cry and sing at the same time; da lönabrak – a breaker, surging wave; a frush o whicht – a splash of white.)
Da Luca aims to describe the feeling of being out in the landscape – colour of waves, sound of rain, wild music of the weather. Likewise, Brownlee’s artistic expertise lies in her ability to render nature with such real emotion, observing the coastline on inspirational daily walks.
‘I’ve always been trying to capture that atmosphere; to try and put the Shetland I see and feel onto a canvas.’ – Ruth Brownlee
Burra is the collective name for two slender islands off the west coast of Shetland. With less frenetic energy, Winter Seas presents a quiet introspective view in its linear pattern of shoreline, sea and sky, the low horizon tinted a pale salmon-pink. The surface almost seems etched with intricate textured lines from the splattered swirl of clouds to the carved black rocks. Her technique is expressive but also highly disciplined. With luminous tranquillity, there’s a hint of Peter Doig’s romanticised, nostalgic landscapes. Perhaps evoking the calm after the storm, Winter Seas, Burra glimmers with brooding, dreamlike stillness.
With even more of an abstracted vision, Tide Lines, Quendale exudes a shimmering intensity, focusing on the ebb and flow of the waves. Soft shades in powder blue, slate grey and ecru, evoke the crisp clarity of pure light of a winter seascape. The subtle transition in tone across sea and sky, and the layering of paint, create depth and texture. Sweeping horizontal brushstrokes create a silky-smooth sheen to reflect the constant pull of the tide, passing of time and rhythmic seasonal change.
The serene, meditative mood of Tide Lines illustrates the artist’s soulful response to the bleak beauty of these remote, rugged islands, 60° North.
A video about Ruth Brownlee’s artistic process can be viewed at the Gallery and on its website (see left). A beautifully illustrated catalogue is available, with introductions by Christina Jansen, Managing Director, Scottish Gallery, and Ruth Brownlee.
With thanks to Vivien Devlin for this review.
