20 Glorious Years Painting the East Neuk of Fife

by Jennifer Thomson

This year, I celebrate 20 years of painting The East Neuk of Fife with an exhibition of my latest paintings.

Twenty years ago whilst I was working as a full-time Art teacher at Madras College, I was encouraged by my mother-in-law, Anne Dunlop, to have my first solo exhibition in the East Neuk village of Elie. Anne, who lives in Elie and is a keen artist herself, felt sure the exhibition would be a success. The exhibition was a complete sell-out and it was at that point that I began my career as a full-time artist.

Since then I have exhibited regularly in Elie, Pittenweem, St Andrews, and Edinburgh. My reputation grew throughout Scotland, then the rest of the UK, and before long I was sending paintings as far afield as the USA, Hong Kong, and Australia. My work is collected by organisations such as The Royal Bank of Scotland, The City Arts Centre, and The British Golf Museum; I have been commissioned by Scotmid, Scotrail, The Ladies Golf Union, Toyota, and Esso, to name a few.

My style is unique, packed full of colour and joy. At Art College I studied the work of the Naive Artists, with their bright colours, positive uplifting message. My aim as an artist is to paint the happy moments in life, capturing a sense of love and connection – with family, friends, and our surroundings.

Art enhances people’s lives by bringing joy, a sense of connection, even at times, a healing quality. My goal is to contribute further to this process if I can.

Over the last few months I have been busy painting a new series of East Neuk scenes, which I plan to launch in August. I never tire of painting the East Neuk. It is such a beautiful place with a potential painting around every corner. This area of Scottish coastline sums up the essence of my work as it is home to so many colourful, happy times spent with the people we love. During lockdown I was inspired to paint a scene of the Thursday evening “Clapping For Our Carers”, which has raised over £10,000 for Charity so far through an auction, donations, and print sales.

If a physical exhibition is not possible in August, then I will have an online exhibition launching new work. For more information please join my mailing list at : www.jenniferthomson.com