• Andrew Mackenzie's new lithographs developed with Edinburgh Printmakers are called Woodland Structure 1 and Woodland Structure 2, after a large-scale sculpture Andrew made in 2021 at Marchmont House in the Scottish Borders. The sculpture makes physical the distilled, modernist line drawings which often feature in his drawings and paintings, passing through and between trees.

     

    The new lithographs sprang from a 2024 series of drawings and paintings based on revisiting the sculpture and the surrounding woodland at Marchmont, but simplifying and transforming them further.

     

    In addition to two full editions, a selection of colour trial proofs are also available to purchase, which have emerged from the experimental and collaborative process of producing these prints.

  • (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
  • The sculpture combines a scattered series of geometric orange-painted steel linear structures running between the trees, based on the shapes...

    The sculpture combines a scattered series of geometric orange-painted steel linear structures running between the trees, based on the shapes of walls and doorways derived from the nearby house, with 3 bronze casts of felled trees gathered nearby. The tree casts are also painted orange, rendering in 3-dimensions motifs frequently used in Andrew’s paintings.

     

    The drawings and paintings made in 2024, on which these lithographs are based, comprised a series of colour-studies in soft pastel and gouache on paper, re-interpreting and editing the form of the sculpture and its relationship with place, in different seasons and at different times of day, with subjective colour ideas. These drawings led to the development of a large-scale oil painting on panel, and two works on paper which were exhibited at the British Art Fair. The new lithographs are closely related to this series but developed their own unique characteristics as a result of the processes of lithography.

     

    ‘ ….the readily identifiable architectural scaffolds of earlier pieces have given way to increasingly abstracted linear forms. Each one is nestled seamlessly within the geography of the local landscape. With this visual shorthand for the human made Mackenzie has found a method of disrupting commonplace ideas of nature as separate from us - something to be looked at and admired from afar. Instead, these succinct hieroglyphs point to a continuing history of place creation where humans and their environments are unshakeably interwoven. Parallel to the topographies he depicts Mackenzie’s work evolves slowly as a result of both human intervention and the twists and turns of unpredictable material processes.’ - 

    Valerie Mclean; artist, educator and art writer. From the catalogue of DUSK, Mackenzie’s solo exhibition at the & Gallery, Edinburgh, 2022.

  • 'Working with Edinburgh Printmakers on a co-publication is always a pleasure, and always opens up a fascinating and engaging series... 'Working with Edinburgh Printmakers on a co-publication is always a pleasure, and always opens up a fascinating and engaging series... 'Working with Edinburgh Printmakers on a co-publication is always a pleasure, and always opens up a fascinating and engaging series...

    "Working with Edinburgh Printmakers on a co-publication is always a pleasure, and always opens up a fascinating and engaging series of visual puzzles - layering up to five separate images together in a way that, after much trial and error, finally makes sense."

    The lithographs began with Andrew making 5 black gouache drawings on acetate, in his studio in the Scottish Borders. These were then exposed onto separate litho plates, and a long process ensued over several months, working closely with Alastair Clark, of experiementation and discovery as the prints slowly revealed themselves.

     

    "I really love the open process of discovering how the print should be. There is a sense of satisfaction when all the complex elements (colour, tone, transparency, surface, depth) eventually fall into place and all the layers finally work together, but this is hard to arrive at."

  • Colour Test Proofs

    The editions of Woodland Structure reveal not only the final colours selected, but also some of the many variations explored on the way in a series of CTPs (Colour Test Proofs).

  • Andrew Mackenzie

    Biography

    Andrew Mackenzie was born in Banff, north east Scotland, and graduated with an MFA from Edinburgh College of Art in 1993.  

      

    His practice includes painting, drawing, lithography, public art, and sculpture, and seeks to explore entangled relationships between the built environment and personal perceptions of nature, with a repeated interest in presenting woodland and human activity as inextricably linked.

     

    He is represented in several public and corporate collections, including The Fleming Collection, Marchmont House, The University of Edinburgh, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, Edinburgh City Art Centre, Royal Academy, London, Edinburgh College of Art, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Art in Healthcare Scotland, Fidelity Investments, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Hepworth Wakefield (with the Tim Sayer Bequest), T Rowe Price Collection, London. 

     

    Solo exhibitions include Between Concrete and Wood, the & Gallery, Edinburgh, 2024; Vertical Forms, Paul Kuhn Gallery, Calgary, 2018; Silver Between the Falls, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London, 2012; Approaching the Verge, an Talla Solais, Ullapool, 2013 and Between States, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, 1998. 

     

    He is represented by The &Gallery, Edinburgh and Paul Kuhn Gallery in Calgary, and shows regularly with Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London. 

     

    He teaches painting and studio practice at Leith School of Art in Edinburgh.