Martin Oates

Martin Oates' landscapes capture a wild and elemental Scotland, a drama of changing sky and sea. The quick, loose brushwork, the deceptively simple palette, the flowing, painterly style bring us effortlessly to Arran, to Mull, to Iona. Jewel - like flashes of colour; evocative moments in the drama of Scotland's "big country".
Martin was born in 1952 in Glasgow and attended classes at the city's Art School as a child. By the age of sixteen, he had been accepted as a student by two Colleges of Art, but was unable to enrol due to family circumstances.
Largely self-taught, bold and experimental in watercolour and oils, strongly influenced by the Scottish tradition of strong colour, Martin's work is unmistakeable, and can be found in many Scottish galleries and in private collections throughout the world. He has tutored in Scotland and in Europe, and now divides his time between studios in Andalucía and Glasgow's West End.