Andrew McIntosh

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Art

Dilapidated Mom-and-Pop Shops Stand Alone in the Scottish Highlands in New Paintings by Andrew McIntosh

In Dreamers, Andrew McIntosh simultaneously conveys the plight and resilience of small businesses, rendering lone shops and inns among desolate landscapes. The Scottish artist (previously) often taps into nostalgia and the forgotten, and he’s known for using the highlands of his childhood as a backdrop for his mysterious scenes in oil paint.

This new body of work, which is on view this month at James Freeman Gallery, pits the inhospitable landscape against the needs of commerce with a heavy dose of irony. A travel agency towers above a small island requiring a trip by boat to reach, a tanning salon glows amid a foggy forest, and a lawnmower repair shop stands amid an overgrown field. Often outfitting the buildings with flaking paint, neon signs, and graffiti, McIntosh positions each as a relic of a former era, positing that like the Romantic notions of a wild, untamable nature becoming outmoded, so is “the postwar idealism” of capitalism and enterprise.

If you’re in London, stop by the gallery to see Dreamers from May 18 to June 10. Otherwise, find more on Instagram.

 

Art

Abandoned Caravans and Castles House Mysterious Illuminated Portals in Andrew Mcintosh’s Paintings

In abandoned sheds, tiny campers, and imposing, hilltop castles, Scottish artist Andrew McIntosh (previously) nestles glowing entryways to mysterious new worlds. The illuminated portals are central to the artist’s ongoing interest in exploration, curiosity, and a never-ending desire to uncover the unknown, and they offer a tiny window into what lies beyond the immediate landscapes. Each of the compositions exudes a ghostly air, with fog or storm clouds hanging above the once-occupied spaces.

Whether the focus of the work or tucked in an enclave, art historical references proliferate many of McIntosh’s oil-based paintings. He positions the renowned works often preserved in institution halls within the context of outdoor settings or dilapidated travel trailers, a subversion that establishes his conceptual framework. In his most recent series, the artist reimagines the “Tower of Babel” as a rugged termite hill and places the catacombs of the Colisseum into a paint-chipped caravan, a vehicle he sees as “the perfect symbol of human hardiness and the intrepid desire to explore, an instinct that exists no matter how small or humble the being.”

Some of the paintings shown here are part of McIntosh’s solo show God Shaped Holes, which is up through October 30 at London’s James Freeman Gallery, and you can explore a larger collection of his works on his site and Instagram.

 

Art

Vibrant Sunsets Hover Inside Abandoned Scottish Castles and Homes by Andrew McIntosh

Scottish painter Andrew McIntosh (previously) paints bridges, castles, and forgotten homes, repurposing the structures’ windows and arches as vibrant portals into another world. The deep red and orange sunsets found in these negative spaces serve as the heart of each work, which each cast an intense glow into the surrounding desolate landscapes. The works are centered around scenes found in his native Scotland, areas that don’t necessarily elicit awe or intrigue from the average viewer.

“McIntosh is drawn to the plain and ordinary – a Victorian lodge, a simple tower house, or an unremarkable castle set in scenery that is not immediately picturesque or inspiring – subjects that wouldn’t usually attract an artist’s attention,” writes Dr. Richard Davey in an essay about McIntosh’s paintings. “They are born from deep knowledge of the land, painted by an artist who wants to probe the limits of landscape painting, who knows that nature is much quieter than it is more usually portrayed, and that capturing the undramatic, ordinariness of nature, is more difficult than it may seem.”

The confined sunsets serve as secretive elements of power to each crumbling form of architecture. McIntosh intends for these private moments to remind the viewer of everyday wonder, and to search for these moments during the mundane aspects of the day-to-day. The painter has an upcoming solo exhibition of his work at Beaux Arts London opening October 19 and running through November 18, 2017.

 

Art

Radiant Sunsets and Landscapes Hidden Inside Forgotten Places by Andrew McIntosh

Scottish painter Andrew McIntosh (aka Mackie) takes ubiquitous structures often abandoned on rural homesteads like travel campers or sheds and reveals hidden worlds within: radiant sunsets and expansive skies that appear like portals into another place. Drawing inspiration from a childhood spent in the Highlands of Scotland, the London-based painter gives unexpected life to derelict buildings set against the backdrop of mist-filled woods and frozen mountains. From his artist statement:

My paintings are an exercise in attraction. Through them I am constantly searching for new ways of communicating with the viewer. By seducing them with my imagery, I try to create a new visual language with the power to pique their attention and make them stop to ask: why? Desolate landscapes, decrepit houses, and incongruous moments of glory come together to suggest the presence of a narrative that exists as much in the viewer’s mind as in the painting. This is how I aim to use my works: as the space for an imaginary dialogue between strangers.

McIntosh most recently exhibited a new body of work with bo.lee gallery last month titled “Where we Belong” at Pulse Miami. You can see many more recent paintings in his online portfolio.