Behind the inspiration

The barn is the quintessential image of rural America, there’s an undeniable, innate charm connected to these types of buildings. There's something about them that reminds most of a simpler time and a slower pace of life.

When you picture a barn in your mind, chances are it is red. This bright, bold red colour traditionally associated with these structures, plus blues and greens of the bodies of water surrounding a lighthouse translate beautifully in this body of work.

If you look up some of the locations of buildings, the inspiration is clear and uniquely through the artist’s eyes and imagined in a bold, colourist style and approach. Creating a mood, drama, and intensity using colour.

Red Barn, Iowa

A traditional barn in Iowa

Sprawling throughout the rural landscape, barns are an iconic symbol of American forefathers’ tireless labour and ingenuity. Found in many shapes, sizes and variations, these barns are a contemporary equivalent to pyramids, built by agricultural ancestors.

This iconography and motif is the main focus in our current exhibition by Mhairi McGregor RSW; an avid traveller who’s search for new inspiration took her across the pond to Midwest America.

Amish Barn, Kalona

Dairy Barn in Muscatine County

These seemingly simple structures were precisely designed and crafted to fit the needs of the farmer and the farm, and changed to suit the trends of farming over time.

They have become one of the quintessential icons of American architecture, yet a fading memory. However, there’s been a slow renaissance of these rustic spaces in recent years, from private residences and trendy alternatives to hotels to wedding venues.

McGregor's distinctive paintings combine a wonderful eye for colour with the depth and power she generates from her confident application of brightly coloured paint - reflecting the founding principles of the RSW, which is to 'encourage the bold, free and colourful qualities of Scottish Painting'. Her works are full of vibrancy, layered with a complexity and intensity.

For Mhairi, it’s about the contrast between the natural and the man-made, the change that people have made to the skyline for their own, different purposes - to house crops and animals, to warn ships, for worship.