ADDITIONAL WORKS
In her home on the south side of Edinburgh, Elizabeth Blackadder works quietly away, taking no heed of the awards and accolades with which she has been bestowed. For her the studio life, a life she shared with her husband and fellow painter John Houston, has been all consuming. The challenges of each artwork whether oil, watercolour or print are the sole focus of her attention. This modest collection of works on paper does not attempt to tell her story, or highlight any particular aspect of her oeuvre. Rather each work, from early still lifes to recent etchings, allows us to see a master in full command of her craft. Her favourite subjects are the things that surround her everyday life; souvenirs of foreign travels, flowers from the garden, the quirks of the boisterous Toby, Fred or Amalia or fresh fish from the market. Born in Falkirk in 1931, Blackadder studied at The University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art. In 1954 she was awarded a Carnegie Travelling Scholarship and travelled throughout southern Europe with fellow painter and her future husband John Houston. She travelled widely with Houston throughout her career, including several trips to Japan.
Blackadder first exhibited with The Scottish Gallery in 1961 and it is a relationship which continues to this day. She was elected a Member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1972, and was made a Royal Academician in 1976 (she was the first woman ever to be elected to both institutions). She has four honorary doctorates. In 2001 she became the first woman in the 300 year history of the office to be made Her Majesty’s painter and limner in Scotland, and was later awarded a Damehood in 2003. Public and private collections include Tate Britain, The Scottish National Gallery ofModern Art in Edinburgh, Glasgow Museums and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. She was the subject of a major retrospe tive at the National Galleries of Scotland in 2011 to celebrate her 80th birthday. She lives and works in Edinburgh. Elizabeth Blackadder will be the subject of a major exhibition at The Scottish Gallery in August 2016.
Crabs and Lobsters watercolour, 72 x 59 cms signed lower right
Fish Market, Venice, 2012 etching, 20 x 29 cms, edition of 50
Four Fish, 2013 screenprint, 30 x 39.5 cms, edition of 80
Venice Dog, 2013 etching, 37 x 34 cms, edition of 40
Venice Cats, 2003 coloured etching, 30 x 36 cms, edition of 80
Amalia Sleeping, 2003 etching, 30 x 36 cms, edition of 80
Fred, 2003 coloured etching, 30 x 36 cms, edition of 80
Duomo, San Petronio, Bologna, 2000 etching, 10 x 15 cms, edition of 50
Achiltibuie, 1970 pastel, 40 x 49 cms signed and dated lower right Provenance: Private Collection, Channel Islands
Lilies and Poppies, 2003 screenprint, 63.5 x 93 cms, edition of 45
Laeliocattleya Chinco ‘La Tuilerie,’ 2009 etching, 60 x 52 cms, edition of 50
Irises, 2012 etching, 48 x 69 cms, edition of 50
Wild Flowers, 2013 screenprint, 72.5 x 89.5, edition 65
Irises, Lilies, Tulips, 2013 etching, 37 x 41.5 cms, edition of 40