I visited the Duncan Shanks Sketchbooks Exhibition : Poetry of Place, at the Hunterarian Gallery in Glasgow.  I had never heard of him before, as apparently he shuns publicity, and I probably wouldn’t have visited if it wasn’t for a friend who suggested it because he sketches in the South Lanarkshire area where she lives.

“Working in harmony with nature in my notebooks has been an act of faith and an adventure which has taken me to and beyond the poetry of a place on a personal odyssey.”  Duncan Shanks 2014

When I saw the sketchbooks of Duncan Shanks, it was somewhat of a eureka moment for me.  All the exercises I’ve done so far for my OCA course, all my research of other artists, finally made sense when I saw his sketches.  So this is what is meant by knowing your subject inside out and using materials as second nature to bring it to life.  Absolutely stunning work; every sketch a stand alone piece of work, regardless of whether it was intended as a prelude to a finished piece of work or not.  There is a vibrancy to it and a liveliness, and whilst the sketches are figurative and describe the landscape perfectly, the colours he sees in the familiar countryside are surprising; bright oranges, pinks, reds and blues.  It is almost abstract, he simplifies shapes and patterns, however the image still remains true to nature.

“Painting, like nature, cannot be rushed and, working with landscape, I have learned to be patient.  It is a journey which doesn’t readily reveal it’s destination.”  Duncan Shanks

http://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/visit/exhibitions/focus/duncanshankssketchbooks/