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Jean Gillespie
Born 1951
Lives and works in Edinburgh, UK
www.jeangillespie.com

Jean Gillespie’s portraits are infl uenced by both the
character of the sitter and the colours and textures
of the surrounding landscape and seascape. She
attempts to show how the sitter refl ects the colours
and textures of their surroundings.
Preferring to talk to the sitter and get to know
them before starting the painting, she produces
numerous drawings of them and, if appropriate,
of where they live or work. Getting to know their
stories means that she can add layers and depth
to the fi nal painting.
Gillespie uses a palette knife or sticks, sometimes
printing objects into the paint; in fact anything
she thinks will help her to achieve the effect that
expresses something essential about the character
of the sitter and their surrounds.
The Orange Scarf was completed in 2012 after
reworking a previous portrait Gillespie was unhappy
with. Her intention was to capture the sensitivity,
intelligence and femininity of the sitter. The whole
image seems to grow out of the paint, the bold
colour of the scarf complementing the sitter’s hair
colour, while the combination of colours has a very
Scottish fl avour.
The portrait of Whaler Jimmy was completed on
site in a coastal community where a small group
of fi shermen's huts sits quietly on the shore. Gillespie
became interested in the site and worked on
a number of drawings and paintings there. This
allowed her to get to know the fi shermen and,
in particular, one old whaler who had lots of
interesting stories to tell about his life at sea. The
painting was done quite quickly because within
the hut there was very little light and also because
the sitter was unable to keep still for very long due
to a back injury. Using a palette knife, the surface
of the painting has been left deliberately rough as
this seemed appropriate to the character and life
of the sitter.
Left: The Orange Scarf, 2012, JEAN GILLESPIE graduated from with a BA (Hons) Degree in
Oil on Canvas. Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art (2001) after
h: 125cm w: 80cm d: 24cm, which she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Drawing
Private Collection. at Wimbledon School of Art (2003). During her studies there
Jean won a scholarship with Art Space Portsmouth, where
Right: Whaler Jimmy, 2012, she spent a year working and teaching on their Education
Oil on Canvas. Programme. After this she travelled and worked in China for
h: 66cm w: 66cm d: 24cm, 3 years and now lives and works in Edinburgh. Her work is
Private Collection. now in private collections internationally.

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