Linda Farquharson

“I still get a thrill every time I lift the paper”.

Linda Farquharson creates art of whimsical lyricism. Hers is a distinctive graphic style of pared down compositions and delight in pattern making, contrasting the monochrome qualities of relief printmaking with the evocative possibilities of colour. A gentle humour pervades much of her work: lolloping hares; a worm tugged from the earth; a coy Eve with her apple; the last leaf on an autumnal tree; mermaids arranged like sardines in a can. She is an instinctive ‘makar’: storytelling is at the heart of her work and she draws on motifs and inspiration distilled from a childhood growing up on an Aberdeenshire farm. Reflecting a time when rural life was marked by tradition - the farming and church calendars punctuated by festivals, picnics and flower shows, ponies, the tattie harvest, spying out birds’ nests and local seaside holidays – Linda’s work reveals a profound love of nature, leavened by the quirks of humanity.

Linda studied Illustration at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, graduating B A (Hons) in 1986. She specialised in relief printmaking and continues to work primarily with lino printing and wood engraving. For many years she worked as a commercial artist based in Edinburgh, while also exhibiting her prints nationally. Recent commissions include W B Yeats’ Irish Fairy and Folk Tales (for The Folio Society 2007) and Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of The Lake (for The Association for Scottish Literary Studies 2010). Now based in Highland Perthshire, her work remains infused with the outdoor world and inspiration is never very far from her back door. A recent series of prints features birds in flight, experimenting with repeat elements through collage and cut-out techniques.

Selected Exhibitions

2022
The Earth Goddess, The Rowley Gallery, London
2010
The Line Gallery, Linlithgow
The Castle Gallery, Inverness
The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle Upon Tyne
McGill Duncan Gallery, Castle Douglas
2009
Chapel Row Gallery, Bath
Frames Gallery, Perth
2008
The Line Gallery, Linlithgow
Bianco Nero Gallery, Stokesley
Studio One Gallery, Edinburgh
Mansfield Park Gallery, Glasgow
2007
Broughton Gallery, Broughton
Paper Tiger, Edinburgh
2006
The Castle Gallery, Inverness
2004
Bonhoga Gallery, Shetland
Thompsons Gallery, London
The Strathearn Gallery, Crieff
2002
The Line Gallery, Linlithgow
2000
The City Art Gallery, Leicester
Panter & Hall, London
1999
Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
Frames Gallery, Perth
1998
Broughton Gallery, Broughton
1997
Peter Potter Gallery, Haddington
1996
Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
Roger Billcliffe Fine Art, Glasgow