About the Artist
McClure follows the tradition of Kirkcudbright’s beloved Colony Artists, finding inspiration in the town itself and the surrounding countryside. Continuing this theme of shifting impressions, the exhibition’s still-life and figurative work embodies a wide expressive range from close contemplation to unbridled painterly excitement. Whether you’re new to McClure’s work, or a long-time follower, Three Part Harmony gives a lively overview of this artist’s range.
In 2023, McClure served as a judge for The Scottish Prize for Fine Art, where Lewis MacKenzie and James Russell Cowper impressed with their observational skills and poetic sensibilities. ‘I’m delighted to be joining forces with Lewis and James for Three Part Harmony. Art history reminds us to embrace natural kinships and explore commonalities of direction wherever they emerge. It is within informal groupings of friends—and inevitably, friendly rivals—that art movements are born, taste is honed and meaningful differentiation between artists occurs.
My contribution includes several small Kirkcudbrightshire landscapes, capturing place, light, and atmosphere in single outdoor sessions.’
Following his appearances as a finalist on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year,2013, where he painted Michael Kerr, Sophie Dahl and AP McCoy, his rapidly executed realist portraiture has been in steady demand both in the UK and abroad.
He was selected as a finalist in the BP Portrait Award in 2013, and in 2015 was shortlisted for the prestigious Conversations Prize for a multi-figure painting at The Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
Practising observational still-life and landscape painting as well as portraiture, his work hangs in private and public collections including The Robert Fleming Collection, Princeton Theological Seminary and The Royal Scottish Academy.
