Photo by Sarah Louise Irving

I am a painter based in Central Scotland, working primarily in oils, but occasionally I also enjoy the immediacy of working in acrylic paints. I also draw using traditional charcoal, chalk, and sanguine primarily as a way of constantly improving and grounding my painting practice.

My main interest is in capturing a personal emotional response; whether it’s to the atmosphere of the landscape or evoked by a piece of music, where I like to work intuitively to capture mood, rhythm and melody.

My influences are many and varied – from the atmospheric light of my artistic hero JMW Turner, whose work has been a huge inspiration since childhood, to the late colourfield work of Mark Rothko, and the raw Canadian landscapes of The Group of Seven.

I have exhibited across the UK and my work generates interest from lovers of contemporary and traditional styles alike, which is something I am very passionate about. The boundary between traditional landscape and contemporary abstract painting is something I like to break down.

If you would like more information about me, my art or my methods; or to purchase a piece, please do not hesitate to contact me by using my feedback and contact form

I have a Facebook page at Neil McChrystal Art where I often post sketches and works in progress, and I am one of the administrators on the annual drawing challenge 28 Drawings Later which takes place every February.

 

I have included a selection of internet links that inspire and influence me which I hope you will find interesting:

Turner at Tate
Mark Rothko at Tate
Alison Watt – Phantom
A selection of works by Wassily Kandinsky 
The Group of Seven

Brian James Waugh – artist working in a pre-raphaelite style 
Nichol Wheatley – artist and tutor
Martin McInally – artist and tutor
Cynthia Bowles – artist and tutor
Benny Merris – artist and tutor
Jill Ashforth – artist
Lynn Howarth – artist and tutor
Julie Arbuckle – artist and tutor
Peter Gillies – artist
Yvonne Taylor – artist

Living in NZ – the photography of John Watt
TwistyFoldy.net – Photography by Michael Gallacher

The music of Marillion
The music of Steve Hackett
Claude Debussy
John Coltrane
Philip Glass

The five-piece series [REDACTED] was commissioned for the album of the same name by Also Eden

Maryhill Art School – sadly now closed and sorely missed
Glasgow School of Art

Wassily Kandinsky’s “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (in public domain) : free eBook download