As part of the RSA 182nd Annual Exhibition, Mary Gillies has been awarded The Highland Society of London Award (￡500), for the best work in any discipline by a Highland artist) for her work entitled Midwinter. Mary was brought up on the Isle of Barra in the Western Isles where she attended Castlebay Secondary School, then later, The Nicolson Institute in Stornoway. After graduating from Gray's School of Art in 1993 she received the RSA John Kinross Travelling Scholarship to Florence.

“This instigated a love for travel and over the years I have found great inspiration from visits to European cities such as Budapest and Prague. Recently, I have been drawn to more local subject matter and have been painting scenes from areas around the highlands and islands. However, I am still greatly influenced by my early visit to Italy and very often find inspiration in the figurative work of Renaissance artists such as Botticelli and Fra Angelico.” Mary Gillies.

In October of 2007 Mary had her first one-woman show at the Riverside Gallery in Stonehaven, and thanks to winning the RSA Scottish Arts Club award in the same year, she is currently working towards her second solo show, due to take place at The Art Club in Rutland Square, Edinburgh, in October of this year.

About the RSA 182nd Annual Exhibition 2008: Including curated show ‘New Scots’ 10 May - 25 June 2008. All RSA Galleries, Admission ￡4 / ￡2 Conc.

The RSA Annual Exhibition is a highlight of the exhibiting year for artists, architects and members of the public. Showcasing around 350 works by the best of both established and emerging artists from across the country, it aims to present a comprehensive cross section of contemporary art in Scotland.

In addition to selected works, expect to see RSA Members such as Elizabeth Blackadder DBE, Calum Colvin, Bill Scott, Adrian Wiszniewski, Michael Visocchi and Barbara Rae. The exhibition takes up all 12 of the magnificent RSA Galleries and includes painting, sculpture, film making, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation. There are also a number of cash prizes and awards in kind available to artists. Most works are for sale.

About our sponsors:

The Royal Scottish Academy is delighted to acknowledge State Street and Skene Edwards as sponsors of the RSA 182nd Annual Exhibition. State Street Corporation is the world’s leading provider of financial services to institutional investors. As part of the company’s commitment to supporting the communities in which it invests and works,
State Street has contributed more than ￡68 million (US$120 million) to community development programs worldwide, since the State Street Foundation was established in 1977. Locally, State Street’s support of Scottish based community organisations include Scottish Community Foundation, North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Prince’s Trust, Granton Baptist Church, Music at the Brewhouse, South Edinburgh Amenities Group, Fairbridge Scotland and Project Scotland.

In 2008 Skene Edwards WS celebrate 150 years of providing legal services in Edinburgh’s city centre. Founded in 1858 by William Forbes Skene and William Peacock Edwards, the firm has gone from strength to strength and commands a loyal following of clients throughout Scotland and beyond. We take particular pride in offering a personal and tailored service to our clients in the fields of commercial business and property, residential property purchase and sale, personal wealth management and estate and tax planning. Skene Edwards has enjoyed an association with The Royal Scottish Academy, both as legal advisers and patrons, extending for over one hundred years, and we are delighted to be a sponsor of its 182nd Annual Exhibition.


For further information please contact:
The Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL
T 0131 225 6671