Ewen Macdonald

My watercolours are products of a unique ecosystem of creative stimuli.

They are set in the cities of Istanbul or London and situated in industrial locations often in the shadow of ancient neighbourhoods. They portray the imprints left by human endeavour and the wear and tear of time. The results are a type of 'genre' style set in an industrial or urban environment. The presence of human toil in the productive process creates contexts unique to a time, culture and location. As the physical forces of erosion sculpt landscapes, so the forces of need, economy, time, skill and craft sculpt the scenes and objects I paint.

A ringside place in workshops, garages and yards enables me to enter into dialogue with those who inhabit the scenes I paint; their lives and stories often haunt the finished visual images. This dialogue serves to enrich the journey of exploration and invites further connection between the artist, viewer and craftsperson.

Although my depictions of shoes, boots, gloves and tools are realist, they emphasise abstract shapes and lines which emerge after placing a compositional frame upon an everyday scene of industrial objects or location. Texture and colour are used to create depth and mood.

David Poxon, Angus McEwan ...

Ewen has a degree from University College London and a teaching diploma from the Institute of Education London University, he was born in the UK in 1967, worked in London, China and Istanbul.

2023 Liminal Arts Co-operative Autumn Exhibition - To Dwell, Hanbury Hall, Shoreditch, London, UK (https://liminal-arts.org/)

2023 Trinity Art Galleries Summer Show, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London. July - August 2023 (https://www.trinityart.gallery/)

2023 Liminal Arts Co-operative inaugural Exhibition - Threshold, Hanbury Hall, Shoreditch, London, UK (https://liminal-arts.org/)

2023 Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 211th Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London (http://royalinstituteofpaintersinwatercolours.org/)

2023 1. Balat Modern Art Exibition, Keras Art Gallery, Balat, Istanbul, 11th-20th March

2022 Urban Iconography, Keras Art Gallery, Balat, Istanbul, 13th-25th November - Solo Exhibition

2022 'Outside the Lines', The Gallery, Holt, Norfolk, 15th September-22nd October 2022 (https://thegalleryholt.com/)

2022 Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 210th Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London

2022 'Kırılgan Gelecek' - Fragile Future, Istanbul International Arts Association Group exhibition, Fener/Balat, Istanbul (https://www.istanbulsanatdernegi.com/)

2021 Topraktan Gelen Sesler - Voices from the Earth, Istanbul International Arts Association Group exhibition, Fener/Balat, Istanbul

2021 Royal Ins...