Abigail McLellan

Overview

Abigail McLellan (1969-2009) was known for her pared-down images that were set against richly-worked backgrounds of saturated colour. This limited edition of 100 incorporates a new, original colour etching produced exclusively for this publication from an image created by the artist and authenticated by the artist's widower, Alastair Wallace. The print is packaged with the book in a slipcase.Born in Middlesbrough, McLellan's family moved to Scotland when she was thirteen and her education was concluded at the Glasgow School of Art. McLellan's vision, for all its individuality, drew strongly upon the traditions of Scottish - and, particularly, Glaswegian - art. Her striking simplifications of form and her bold sense of design owed much to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his circle. More contemporary influences included Joan Eardley and Craigie Aitchison.Yet McLellan's vision was very much her own and in her quest to create a comparable intensity of colour she evolved a highly personal technique, building up layer upon layer of translucent, quick-drying acrylic paint in short, stippled strokes.

Author Biography

Matthew Sturgis is a writer and critic. He has written acclaimed biographies of Walter Sickert (2005) and Aubrey Beardsley (1998) as well as Passionate Attitudes - the English Decadence of the 1890s (1995, re-issued 2011). His most recent books are a monograph on the British op-artist David Whitaker (2011) and When in Rome - 2000 years of Roman sightseeing (2011).