Sylvia Wishart Explained

Sylvia Wishart
Birth Date:11 February 1936
Birth Place:Stromness, Orkney, Scotland
Education:Gray's School of Art

Sylvia Wishart FRSA (11 February 1936 – 4 December 2008) was a Scottish landscape artist.

Early life

Wishart was born and raised in Stromness, Orkney.[1] [2] [3] She grew up as a neighbour to poet George Mackay Brown (1921–1996).[4]

Career

Wishart worked in the post office, but painted as a hobby. She was eventually persuaded to train at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, where she shared a flat with fellow Orcadian, jewellery designer Ola Gorie. From 1969 to 1987 she taught painting and drawing at Gray's. Her drawings illustrated George Mackay Brown's An Orkney Tapestry, published in 1969.[5] [6] [7]

In 2005, Wishart was made a full member of the Royal Scottish Academy.[8] In 1992, 2007 and 2011, the Pier Art Centre in Orkney held shows of her works.[9]

Many of her paintings and drawings depicted landscapes and seascapes in Orkney, especially views of Hoy Sound from her cottage window.[10] Later works incorporate mixed media techniques. Artists' patron Margaret Gardiner was a friend.

Personal life and legacy

Wishart and Brown had a long friendship involving frequent drinking, occasional violence, and Roman Catholicism (they converted together). She died in 2008, aged 72 years.

Works by Wishart are in the collections of Robert Gordon University, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Pier Art Centre, the University of Leeds, the Scottish Maritime Museum, and other institutions.[11] A book about Wishart, Sylvia Wishart: A Study, was published in 2012.[12] Also in 2012, the Royal Scottish Academy held an exhibition of Wishart's works.[13] A documentary film, Reflections – The Life and Art of Sylvia Wishart (2011), featured interviews with her colleagues and friends.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: John Cumming. 11 January 2009. Obituary: Sylvia Wishart | Art and design. The Guardian. 2 March 2016.
  2. Web site: Artist profile: Sylvia Wishart. 2 March 2016. Herald Scotland.
  3. Web site: Sylvia Wishart. 2 March 2016. The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
  4. Book: Ferguson, Ron. George MacKay Brown: The Wound and the Gift. 2014-08-05. Saint Andrew Press. 978-0-86153-727-3. en.
  5. Book: Brown, George Mackay.. An Orkney tapestry. 1969. Gollancz. Wishart, Sylvia (illustrator). 0-575-00318-9. London. 9448544.
  6. Book: Brown, George Mackay. For the Islands I Sing: An Autobiography. 2014-01-23. John Murray Press. 978-1-84854-945-6. en.
  7. News: Lincklater. Eric. 1969-07-10. Island Man. 8. The Guardian. 2020-07-30. Newspapers.com.
  8. Web site: Sylvia Wishart. 2020-07-30. Grampian Hospitals Art Trust. en-GB.
  9. Book: Wishart, Sylvia, 1936-2008.. Sylvia Wishart : paintings 1987-1992 : looking North, West & South.. 1992. Pier Arts Centre. Brown, George Mackay., Peacock Printmakers., Pier Arts Centre (Stromness, Orkney, Scotland). 1-870530-50-0. Stromness. 1008253677.
  10. Web site: Reflections II by Sylvia Wishart. 2020-07-30. Art Fund. en.
  11. Web site: Sylvia Wishart. 2020-07-30. Art UK. en.
  12. Book: Gooding. Mel. Sylvia Wishart : a study. Firth. Neil. Pier Art Centre. 2012. 978-0-9531131-0-1. Stromnes, Orkney. 855491671.
  13. Web site: The Art of Sylvia Wishart RSA. 2020-07-30. Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture.
  14. Web site: 2012-07-17. Reflections. 2020-07-30. SPLICE FILM. en.