Sam MacDonald | Biography


Back to Sam MacDonald | Work

Media Description: Brass, Copper, Pewter, and Goldleaf

Born 1964, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Trained at Camberwell School of Art BA(Hons), London

Brought up on Lewis and later Orkney in Scotland, MacDonald's work is understandably marine based. Working with age old metal work techniques, he strives to produce contemporary and unique pieces of art. His artistic endeavour is to observe and capture fleeting moments of nature, from the calm and tension before a trout strikes to the pure excitements of the sudden, synchronised turn of a mass herring shoal. The result is the expression of an emotional response to something very private, a moment shared between human and nature, suggesting a balance and a suspension, using the brooding colours of the background to saturate the work with a contemplative stillness.

The move from Orkney to Perthshire, Scotland brought with it a new dimension to Sam's work. The influence of the move can be seen in the inclusion of trees, insects and birds, which give his pieces a sense of time and season.

MacDonald, who works as a wildlife sculptor known for his stunning contemporary portrayals of fish. MacDonald's sensitive feel for his subjects flows directly from the insights he has gleaned from being an ardent angler and naturalist. MacDonald is currently featured in a three-man exhibition (including painter Ewoud DeGroot and Henry Bismuth) at Visions West Gallery in Bozeman, Montana. The show runs from June 8 through July 11, 2012.

MacDonald's work is avidly collected in America and adorns the second homes of many art collectors in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho who spend their summers in the northern Rockies chasing trout.

MacDonald grew up at Lewis and lived on the rugged Orkney isles of Scotland pursuing his love of fishing and the outdoors. "Observing and catching the fish enables me to study and contemplate the sculptural form of a fish, from the glint of the scales to the structure of the skeletal remains on the plate," he says.
He adds that he enjoys presenting some subjects as if they were fossil specimens, suddenly revealed in a rock that has been split open.

Artist's Statement
I use the old traditional metal work techniques to produce contemporary and unique pieces. My artistic endeavour is to observe and capture fleeting moments of nature, trying to express the emotional response to something very private, a moment shared between man and nature, suggesting a balance and a suspension with the brooding colours of the background saturating the work with a contemplative stillness

Solo Exhibitions
2012 The Gallery, Cork Street, London

2010 Alexander Meddows Gallery , Edinburgh

2006 Stenton Gallery, East Lothian

2005 Stenton Gallery, East Lothian

2004 Maclaurin Art Gallery, Rozelle House

2003 Stenton Gallery, East Lothian

2003 Queens Road Gallery, Aberdeen

2002 Depth, The Orkney Museum, Kirkwall

2001 Fish, The Weem Gallery, Pittenweem, Fife

2000 Fish, Pier Arts Centre, Stromness

1983 - 2009 Group Exhibitions at various galleries, including the House of Bruar, CLA Game Fairs, Royal Scottish Academy and Wykeham Gallery.

Public commissions
2001 - Pier Arts Centre Stromness

2006 - Institute Of Medical Science ,Aberdeen

2008 - Stornoway, Isles of Lewis

2009 - P&O Azura