Thomas Macgregor

I am a London based painter.I explore themes of futility in my work, drawing inspiration from my time living in Bolivia near a Parachute regiment training base. The imposing camouflage structures, once meant to emulate airplanes, had deteriorated due to poor-quality concrete and were regularly painted over. Immersed in this world, I created a significant body of work.

Initially, my paintings followed a formal representational style influenced by Scottish figurative painters of the 90’s and the artists that influenced them. However, as time passed, my studio became a space of transformation. When I returned to London and joined a shared studio program, I sought ways to simplify and create immediacy in my work, making it accessible without losing its essence.

By reducing soldiers to red silhouettes, I introduced ambiguity and allowed for diverse interpretations. I incorporated these figures into re-imagined versions of Renaissance frescos, bridging art history with contemporary themes. This dialogue with past artists allowed for tangents and ambiguity, resulting in a cohesive yet open-ended approach.

Through my paintings, I aim to provoke introspection and evoke emotion. Tactile impasto technique brings paint to life, while vivid ...

2018-20 Turps Banana Studio Programe
2017-18 Turps Banana correspondence course
1995 -99 BA(Hons) Fine Art, Drawing and Painting.
Edinburgh College of Art

Solo Exhibitions (recent and selected)
2022 Futility Helmets, (down the barrel of a gun), APT
Gallery, London
Darbyshire award for emerging art 2020 in association
with Turps art school, Darbyshire studio, London
2021 The Spoils, Pictorem Gallery London
2018 Soldado, tête gallery, berlin
Aguatero, Centro cultural arte Urquidi, Calle Colombia,
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Seguridad ll, Proyecto mARTadero, 27 de Agosto con
Ollantay, Cochabamba, Bolivia
T.D.MacGregor, The stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh
2017 Patron saint of dogs, Palm Tree gallery, London
T.D.MacGregor Paintings, hucks café, Walthamstow
2016 Leyton Painter, Pictorem Gallery, London
2009 ‘Se cambian Bolivianos’, Kiosko, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
‘Seguridad’ Martadero, Cochabamba, Bolivia
2008 ‘T.D.MacGregor’, Caja Verde, Cochabamba, Bolivia
2006 ‘Big Gay Paintings’, Bongo club, Holyrood Rd,
Edinburgh
1998 T.D.MacGregor at the Stand comedy club, permanent
exhibition, Edinburgh


Group Shows (recent and selected)
2023 8AM in London, midnight in LA, Turps at Thames-side
studios
...