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 - 1994 Heriot Watt University/ Edinburgh College of Art, BA (Hons) in Fine Art - Tapestry
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
Member of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS)
Secretary & Founding member of VEER NORTH, the 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
Press Reviews
Georgina Coburn ' Kilmorack Gallery Three Man show Review' Hi-Arts, July 2005
'Shetland artist Ruth Brownlee combines a beautifully controlled palette with a powerful sense of the forces of nature'
... ' She is an expressive and accomplished artist not only in capturing the play of light and shade over unique land and seascape, but also mesmerising the viewer with the surge of the ocean and the elements that act upon it'
To read full review, click
http://www.hi-arts.co.uk/Default.aspx.LocID-hianewl2w.RefLocID-hiacfy00403s.Lang-EN.htm
Jane Moncrieff Ideas Factory/ Channel 4 'She sells Seas Well'
To read full article, click here
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....
To see full review, click here
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'
Publications
Cover page for 'New Shetlander' July 2003Collections
Works in numerous private collections throughout UK, Europe and USA.
Also in public collection in Shetland Museum and The Flemings Wyfold Collection