The Jetty Gallery
Fiona MacDonald Holt
Fiona creates atmosphere and emotion in her paintings.
A special fleeting moment; peace and calm or the wild and dramatic force of wind and storm on sea and land. Capturing the ever changing and evolving landscape, the sense of space is explored through paint, the mood, the light, the colours.
Exploring the process of layering or distressing the surface, like the elements that mould and erode the landscape, emotions about a place are transferred to the viewer.
Her painting is primarily in oils, preferring the earth like textures that oils can create.
The Artist is drawn to thin places, places full of energy, where heaven and earth come close, and the vastness of blue spaces are felt and experienced. Fiona is interested in the juxtapositions of inside and outside, taking shelter or being exposed to the elements, safety, and vulnerability. Dwellings have become a focal point in her recent practice, exploring spaces that create experiences and hold memories. Tracing her heritage to her great grandfather’s ruined croft on Island Flodda, Benbecula highlighted for her a sense of time, memory and emotion, and a feeling of connection. “This place has become a thin place, a spiritual place full of stillness and energy”.
Biography
Fiona was born in 1968, in the North East of England. She completed a foundation in Art and Design at Jacob Kramer College of Art, Leeds, (1993). Following this she achieved a BA (hons) in Fine Art at Staffordshire University (1996).
After completing a HND in Graphic Design Fiona worked for many years as Designer and Studio Manager in the publishing industry. She has always maintained her art practice and following a career break to raise her family, Fiona decided to pursue her passion for painting. She has gone on to exhibit and sell her work nationally in galleries in Scotland and England.