AN EXHIBITION selling Scottish artist’s artwork to help raise money for charity will open in Edinburgh this month, with three generations of painters showcasing some of the talent on show.
Returning for its 22nd year, the Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show will take place at the Corner Stone Centre in the heart of the city beginning on November 30 until December 1.
The event aims to showcase Scottish talent from across the country while offering art lovers the opportunity to buy artworks at an “affordable” price while helping to donate “vital” funds to the charity.
At least 50% of sales go directly to charity and the event aims to combine the promotion of Scottish artists and raise awareness of the disease, as according to Cancer Research there are more than 385,000 new cancer cases each year in the UK.
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the biggest UK charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people and their families who are affected by cancer.
The organisation also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, and campaigns for better care for those who suffer from the disease.
Meg Forrest (below) is just one artist featured in this year's show as she has returned with her daughter, Janet Hunt, and granddaughter, MaryAnne Hunt, after exhibiting at the Macmillan Art Show more than 20 years ago.
“If it wasn’t for my grandmother, or Gaga as I called her, I wouldn’t have known about or got involved with the Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show,” MaryAnne explained.
“It’s not just her keen sense of doing things to help good causes but also how she has, in some ways, shaped our approach to art for me and my mum.”
Forrest studied at the Edinburgh College of Art and her paintings have been influenced by her childhood memories, as they often focused on the activities of children in farming environments.
When approached over two decades ago to partake in the fundraiser, Forrest was “very happy” to provide work, and organisers said that “undoubtedly” her name helped to shape the fundraiser into the success it is today.
MaryAnne is exhibiting at the show for the third time and has persuaded her mother, Janet, to join her.
“For an artist, it’s great to know that your painting is helping others. It goes directly to aiding the amazing work that the charity does,” she said.
“It’s also fantastic at building an artist’s profile. My mum, Janet, is such a brilliant artist. “The detail in her botanic works is breathtaking.”
MaryAnne often specialises in intricate line drawings based on her childhood memories, like her grandmother.
This year she’s exhibiting an expansive landscape entitled Lamb which is the view from her family’s home and evokes her memories of being a child in North Berwick.
“While a lot of my work is figurative, landscapes give me a freedom to express my message of life experiences,” she said.
“It’s what I’ve tried to capture with Lamb. Not just the landscape but what it means to me.”
While MaryAnne was inspired to focus on childhood memories from her grandmother in her artwork, Janet inherited her love of nature.
Janet’s paintings focus on both wild and cultivated flowers from her garden at home and after completing a diploma in Botanical Illustration at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens she has focused on highly detailed studies of plants and foliage.
“I’m really proud that my mum is exhibiting at the show. She works so hard on her art. She really, really deserves it and I know Gaga would be happy we were both involved,” MaryAnne said.
An online gallery will also be available and a store will be open during and after the show.
For anyone who wishes to donate or find out more about Macmillan Cancer Support can do so here.
