A Portrait for Dundee

The artist was very honoured to contribute to the cultural assets of Dundee, an extraordinary vibrant and dynamic city. Once an industrial giant who had the insight to commission great portrait painters, masters like de Laszlo, Orpen and Herkomer. Dundee now boasts a marvellous public collection open to all, that enriches the lives of its citizens.

Below are some memories from a number of sittings held at the Dundee City Chambers between 2018 -2019 while painting the Lord Provost, Ian Borthwick.

First sitting, on a very hot day, windows open and fan on.

The Lord Provost inspecting the results at the end of the first sitting.

My always present young apprentice, allowed to lay in the first greens of the splendidly rare Caird Emerald, gifted to the City of Dundee by King George V.

The story behind this extraordinary jewel can be read in this link.

The painting just framed and being prepared to be delivered to its home at the Dundee City Chambers.

PAINTING THE GREAT MARCO FOPPOLI

Final touches to the portrait of one of the greatest heraldic artists of our generation. The Alpine Italian Marco Foppoli, as a Knight of the Constantinian Order of St John.

His outstanding work can be seen in his website - https://www.marcofoppoli.com/index.php

Unveiling at Paisley Town Hall

A civic reception was hosted at Paisley Town Hall by the Provost of Paisley on 26 August to celebrate the Clan Paisley Society's 30th anniversary.

It was a delight to attend the marvellous reception with my family and have my portrait of the Clan Chief, Duncan Paisley of Westerlea, unveiled by the Lord-Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, Mr Guy Clark.

This is an intimate and informal portrait. I started to think about it while I was painting the Lady Westerlea. During one of the sittings with her, I observed her husband standing between the fireplace and a window, the warm and cool lights produced a captivating and charming effect so I sketched it and later painted it in watercolours.

However, I could not achieve the effect I was looking for in this medium. So later,  based on the watercolour sketch, I produced a small painting in oils, a medium that better allowed me to convey the warmth and friendship of my sitter as I saw him that evening.

Some photos of the magnificent event are below.

Clan Paisley and guests at Paisley Town Hall

Unveiling by the Lord-Liutenant

The Much Hon. Duncan Paisley of Westerlea, Baron of Westerlea, Chief of the Name and Arms of Paisley

Unveiling at the Trades Hall of Glasgow

On 18th March 2018 my portrait of Ruth Maltman TD DL was unveiled at the Trades Hall of Glasgow by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Eva Bollander. Ruth Maltman is the first woman to be elected to the office of Deacon Convener since the incorporation of the Trades House in 1605.

The ceremony and speeches were full of sentiment and significance. In attendance were the Lord Provost - Eva Bollander, present Deacon Convener - Alastair Dorward, the Lord Dean of the Guild, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, and many Deacons and Visitors of the Trades House as well as guests.

May I take this opportunity to thank the Trades House of Glasgow for their trust and for the great honour I was given to record with my brush a significant moment in the history of Glasgow, a city I am connected to by the strongest family ties, a city which rests at the core of my heart.

I was touched by Ruth’s speech, as she conveyed her thoughts on the process of painting and my work. The essence of her speech is transcribed below.

“Can I start off by saying how very pleased and impressed I am with Max’s portrait… ‘pleased and impressed’ is maybe not how I expected to feel, when my colleagues first told me there was to be a portrait. But then I think anyone would have to have great self-confidence to immediately welcome a stranger rendering their face on such a scale!

But I could always see the point of this picture – Trades House needs to continue to record its own history and this picture really does mark that major change in the organisation that after some 400 years, women can fully participate…

In the beginning of this commission I was quite sorry for Max, our artist. We chose him because we thought he would be able to meet the brief – and it was a tough brief. His picture had to blend in with the other portraits we had, in both size and general style. It had to show the Deacon Convener’s chain, in all its complicated Victorian glory, and it had to include our historic Deacon Convener’s chair, both in some detail. And just to make his life complete, we also asked Max to include the Adam fireplace (in the saloon next door) and some flowers.

Max accepted our commission and approached it with great enthusiasm and professionalism. He measured... He told us how long it should take and why... He gave us a few options... and then the paints came out. I sat for him several times, and it was a window into a new world for me to see how fastidious Max is with his paints and brushes, and how he built up layer after layer of paint on the canvas to get the effect he wanted – or removed it because it didn’t entirely satisfy him. We chatted away and I learned a great deal from him about portraits, about oil paints, about varnishes and even about picture frames.

Now the completed picture is in front of me, I am delighted with it. Max did more than he promised; he captured everything we had asked for in terrific detail, and I am confident that Trades House members and visitors today and in the future will enjoy it. So thank you for your work Max; I greatly appreciate what you have given us, and I really enjoyed sitting for it”.    
 

RUTH MALTMAN TD DL - MRS ALLAN LAPSLEY, DEACON CONVENER OF THE TRADES OF GLASGOW 2015-16

The painting flanked by sitter and artist.

The Trades of Glasgow

It was an honour to be selected last year to paint the Deacon Convener of The Trades House of Glasgow. A historic occasion indeed, as in 2016 Ruth Maltman TD became their first female Deacon Convener ever elected in the over 400 years of history of this organisation!

I am working on this large painting at the moment. The images below will give Members of the Trades House and other interested parties a glimpse of the process I am following for this project.

After thorough discussions with the Trades House and my subject, we were able to chose a composition that included key elements related to the office of the Deacon Convener: the chain and the Convener's imposing chair. We also included in the composition one of the beautiful marble fireplaces designed by architect Robert Adam in the late 18th century.

Before embarking on the final piece, I painted a small study in oils which gives us an idea of what the final work will look like. I carried out a series of measurements and tests in the Hall where the painting will hang. In portraiture there can never be enough planning..."measure twice, paint once".

We've already had three sittings and I will continue to work in order to complete the painting in the autumn, when I will publish more details. Next time I publish an update, the images will show a tremendous difference.

This image shows what the painting looked like at the end of our first sitting. At the bottom right corner, the small oil study can be seen. I always keep this study nearby when I paint. It acts as memory aid. My subject, for example was not standing, but she sat on a platform while I worked on painting the face.

I work from the general to the particular. Blocking shapes and tones, almost carving the figure out of a mass of paint. Usually, I refrain from showing images of my work in progress, because it looks odd to the untrained eye, but I have made an exception here because I know that there are many people interested in seeing the process I am following for this particular piece. I am grateful to my subject, Ruth Maltman, for allowing me to show these images.

About the Trades House of Glasgow

Guilds and Craft Incorporations are the Scottish equivalent of the craft guilds or livery companies, which developed in most of the great cities of Europe in the middle Ages.  

The Trades House of Glasgow was created at the time of reform of Glasgow's local government in 1605.  At that time the electorate was basically divided into two groups, the Merchants and the Craftsmen.

The Craft Incorporations or Guilds comprised the Trades Rank of Burgesses who elected a Deacon Convener every year. The Deacon Convener led the organisation along with a council, which included the craft leaders. This is the body we now recognise as the Trades House.

Today the Trades House still meets in the outstanding Trades Hall in Glassford Street, one of the finest buildings in the country, designed by architect Robert Adam in 1794. Apart from the medieval cathedral, the Trades Hall is the only building in Glasgow still used for its original purpose.

Over the years many of the political and legal duties of the Trades House have been transferred to other bodies, but the charitable functions and concern for the future of Glasgow remain. The Trades House now is still concerned with giving assistance to the needy, encouraging of youth and supporting education, particularly the Schools and the Further Education Colleges in developing craft standards.

On 6th February 2005 the Trades House and the 14 Incorporated Trades celebrated their 400th year of service in Glasgow. Another historic moment occurred in 2016 when the first female Deacon Convener, Ruth Maltman TD, was appointed to lead the Trades House.

Here you can find a link to the Trades House’s official website.

And here is a link to their virtual museum where you can see their painting collection.

Another opportunity not to be missed this year at the Trades Hall is a free Exhibition of Heraldry, hosted by the Trades House, The Court of the Lord Lyon and the Heraldry Society of Scotland, from Sunday 1 October to Tuesday 3 October 2017.

Painting Charles Burnett Esq.

Today, my wife and I met Charles Burnett Esq. at the Royal Scots Club to present him with the oil study that I begun in the Summer of 2016. It was one of those overcast but incredibly bright afternoons, where the clouds formed the ideal backdrop to the skyline of Edinburgh, and the Castle stood proudly, looking down on the chimneys and roofs. It was the first time that Charles saw the painting since he had given me the last sitting in December. Since then I had painted the Tudor style bonnet of his uniform and added his armorial bearings.

This project was born almost a year ago, at the end of May, when a group of members of the Heraldry Society of Scotland were having lunch. I had been pondering over the idea of painting a portrait of Charles, because I admire and respect him very much, and as an artist I was also captivated by the painterly uniform of an Officer of Arms.

Those who know Charles Burnett will see all that he stands for; his encyclopaedic knowledge on heraldic and historical matters and the great contribution he has made to the Scottish culture. Yet, during our sittings, I got to know more about the man himself, a genuine gentleman of extraordinary warmth, who gives of his time and knowledge generously and who treats others with great deference and empathy. Once more, I feel that my life has been enriched by painting such a gentleman.

On a philosophical level, portraiture is a response to the human inclination to think about others and oneself. Therefore, I feel that my work consists in balancing this apparent dichotomy so each portrait represents the subject seen through my eyes. The painting conveys my interpretation and what I was able to capture, not at one moment, but over a period of time. 

I would like to thank Charles for being so encouraging and coming over to Fife for the sittings. I am also grateful for his tremendous help with my personal heraldic research and petition.

Many thanks to The Much Hon. Duncan Paisley of Westerlea for suggesting the idea to Charles.

Finally, I am very grateful for the generosity of those who contributed to the beautiful frame:

• Dr Joseph J. Morrow QC, Lord Lyon King of Arms
• Liam Devlin Esq., Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms
• The Much Hon. Charles Ross of Biggar
• Dr. Marten Baumgartner
• and a generous lady who contributed but chose to remain anonymous.

2017, Study in oils on panel (18 x 24 inch. 45 x 61 cm). Private collection.

“Charles John Burnett Esq. (b. 1940)
Ross Herald Extraordinary (2011-2015), Ross Herald (1988), Dingwall Pursuivant (1983), Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St  John of Jerusalem (1990), Knight of the Italian Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus (1999), Knight of the Italian Order of Francis I (2002), Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (1964), Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1992-95), Curator of Fine Art, National Museums of Scotland (1985), MLitt., University of Edinburgh (1992), Chamberlain of Duff House, Banff (1997-2004), Founder, Third President and President Emeritus of the Heraldry Society of Scotland (1989), Trustee of the St Andrews Fund of Scots Heraldry (1995-2015), President 27th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences in St Andrews (2006). Holder of The Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals and the Service Medal with two Clasps of the Most Venerable Order of St John. Author and co-author of one hundred and fifty-two books and articles on Heraldry and Scottish history. Married to Aileen Elizabeth Burnett (Nee McIntyre) with whom he has a daughter and two sons.”

— "Officers of Arms in Scotland 1290 - 2016" - The Scottish Record Society

A wonderful day of work

A few days ago Charles J. Burnett Esq., former Ross Herald and current President Emeritus of the Heraldry Society of Scotland, gave me one more sitting in Falkland. Sittings are an important part of the process of painting a portrait from life as they allow me to collect visual and non visual information. 

I began painting a colour study of Burnett a couple of months ago which would be useful when painting a larger portrait, perhaps depicting him wearing the painterly tabard of the Scottish Officers of Arms. When my noble guest first sat for me, I painted my subject just as I saw him, wearing an elegant day suit and tie. But as I pondered over the sketch alone in my studio, I felt it would be much more appealing to include his former uniform of an Officer of Arms, which is of an intense red, and would add more vibrancy to the whole study.

Before arranging the second sitting, I met Burnett in Edinburgh at a lecture where I got his latest book: "Officers of Arms in Scotland 1290 - 2016" published by the Scottish Record Society. I asked him if, perhaps, he could get hold of the uniform, otherwise I was going to improvise a costume with the many pieces of velvet cloth that I collect as my props.

Fortunately, the Lord Lyon allowed my sitter to borrow the livery jacket of a Scottish Officer of Arms. So during our second sitting I had much fun covering over the business suit with Venetian red and Vermilion paint and suggesting the medals and decorations of my subject (The bonnet will have to be painted from imagination and relying on a couple of photographs. After all, this is a study and I must always remind myself that I don't have to finish everything in a study, that often, less is more).

In my previous article I included two photographs of the first sitting which give an idea of the stage at which we left the study. The following two images illustrate what we achieved by the end of our second sitting.

What the images cannot convey is the non visual information that one gathers during a sitting; conversation being an important way of becoming acquainted with the subject. Of course, it does help when the subject is engaging and there are common interests to ignite informative discussions. In this case, our common interests were probably more of a hindrance for me, who had lots of questions on heraldry that Burnett kindly and patiently answered.

I found myself so absorbed, that I ended up painting an additional medal on his jacket and I even rinsed my paint-loaded brush in my cup of tea by mistake! That, of course, was less hazardous than if one had drunk from the cup of mineral spirits. Another argument in favour of those who argue against eating and painting at the same time!

Indeed, it was fun and a most wonderful day of work.