Robert Macmillan (born 1974)
Born in Glasgow, Robert was fascinated with drawing and painting from an early age and with the Kelvingrove Gallery close by he was able to study many of the old masters in their collection.
Choosing to study Fine Art (painting) at Duncan of Jordanstone (Dundee) he initially focused on portraits and figure compositions.
In his final year (1997) he had a sell out degree show as well as winning the prestigious John Kinross scholarship, allowing him to study in Florence for several months as well as giving him the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and visit many of the great art galleries.
Returning to live and work full-time as a painter in Dundee he started to become more inspired and influenced by the surrounding landscape. He often travels to Tentsmuir forest, Lunan Bay and the beaches in St Andrews to make studies and take photographs-
“Over the last ten to fifteen years I started to make landscape studies; inspired in part by the magnificent views close to where I live. The work I make also demonstrates the influence of a number of landscape painters who I greatly admire: JMW Turner, James McNeill Whistler, George Innes and many of the American Tonalists. There has been a great desire to recreate the tones and especially the atmosphere found in the works of these painters and also seen daily in my surrounding landscape. My paintings have thus developed into intimate studies of the relationship between light, colour and form in the Scottish landscape”
Robert has exhibited throughout the UK winning several prizes including the John Eadie Award for Painting and The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine arts Exhibition award. His work is held in many private collections including the Royal Scottish Academy, Duncan of Jordanstone the author J.K Rowling and collections in the USA, South Africa, Egypt and Norway.