Ewan McClure

Ewan McClure is a Scottish artist who graduated from Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, in 1997 under the tutelage of Sandy Fraser. Gaining national recognition through the BP Portrait Award and Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, he was later shortlisted for the Conversations Prize at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 2015. Beyond portraiture, his work extends to observational still-life and landscape painting. From 2018-2023, he served as artist-in-residence at Hornel’s former studio in Broughton House, Kirkcudbright. His practice is defined by exceptional draughtsmanship, a profound understanding of oil painting, and a respect for the medium. His work is held in notable collections, including The Fleming Collection, Princeton Theological Seminary, and The Royal Scottish Academy.

He is a painter deeply connected to the history of belle peinture and if he recalls any single Scottish painter it is Samuel John Peploe, in his early period: the given of brilliant draughtsmanship, the understanding, and respect for the medium, the confidence to eschew the conventional but without relying on contrivance. Guy Peploe