Mairi Clark is a Scottish artist based on the East Coast of
Fife, known for her evocative semi-abstract paintings of landscapes and
seascapes. Her work explores colour, texture, and atmosphere, capturing the
ever-changing interplay of sea, sky, and land.
Her painting practice is intuitive and immersive. Preferring
to work from memory, Mairi allows each composition to remain fresh and
spontaneous. Many of her paintings begin with textured underlayers or washes,
onto which she applies oil paint in energetic, layered strokes. By scraping,
scratching, and building layers, she creates surfaces rich in depth and
vibrancy. This method imbues her work with a sense of movement and life,
reflecting the dynamic moods of the Scottish coast.
Mairi’s subjects range from rugged seascapes and tranquil
beaches to expressive interpretations of light and weather. Influenced by
William Turner, Van Gogh, and Joan Eardley, her layered technique and intuitive
mark-making echo aspects of the Abstract Impressionists while maintaining a
distinctly personal style.
Trained at Chelsea College and Central St Martins School of
Art in London, where she earned a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, Mairi has exhibited
widely across Scotland and the UK. Her paintings convey both atmosphere and
energy, creating a vivid sense of place that draws viewers into the landscape.
As Mairi explains: “It is very important to me to capture
a free and energetic mood in my work. I like to convey the feeling and
atmosphere of a place that viewers can identify with.”