Perthshire artist celebrates Britain’s landmarks

A self-taught artist originally from Perthshire will be unveiling a major exhibition of his oil paintings of the British landscape.

Britain’s most stunning natural and historic landmarks have been captured by artist Francis Salvesen.

As a Patron of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland and a pioneer of green energy in the Scottish boarders, Francis is passionate about the Scottish landscape and hopes his paintings will inspire others to share his awe of these stunning sites in the country.

His immersive and meticulously-observed paintings celebrate the wonder of Scotland’s scenery and historic monuments and explore the effects of light, colour and atmosphere through his vivid an evocative colour schemes.

From John O’Groats to Hadrian’s Wall, Francis’s paintings are passionate tributes to the diversity and beauty of the Scottish landscape and he hopes his works will highlight the environmental importance of these unique sites.

Each painting takes Francis around three months to complete and paintings will be available for bidders to buy – suggesting their own price – via online auction.

With around 50 life-like paintings, the free exhibition captures the wonders of Britain’s most treasured natural sites, including breath-taking views of the British coastline, iconic waterfalls, seasonal woodlands and atmospheric mountains.

Edinburgh Castle by Francis Salvesen

From the White Cliffs of Dover, to John O’Groats, the Giant’s Causeway to water cascades in the Brecon Beacons, the paintings reveal monumental views across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, capturing the transient effects of light and immersive layers of detail.

Historic monuments from Brighton Pavilion to Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands also showcase the remarkable history and architecture of the British Isles. Based on studies, photos and, sometimes, repeated paintings of the same location at different times of day in different seasons, these locations are brought to life through Francis’s vivid and poignant colour schemes.

Part of the long tradition of British landscape painting, Francis’s meticulous and passionate works explore the unique majesty of places he has come to love, while also raising important questions about how these sites can be preserved and maintained in the face of development and environmental threats.

Francis said: ‘I hope that my paintings will allow me to guide you around the country, on my voyage of discovery. Certainly, I found the scenes deeply inspiring. I took photographs as the cloud formations, seasons, lights and colours impacted on my conscious and subconscious, and detailed my thoughts in the poetry that accompanies each painting. I hope my exhibition will inspire others to be passionate about the natural wonders of the British landscape.’

The Galleria is located at Unit 30, Royal Opera Arcade, 5b Pall Mall, London SW1Y 4UY, running from 11-16 November. Exhibition opening hours are 8am-11pm Monday to Friday and 9-6pm on Saturday 16 November. Exhibition entry is free.

Brilliant Brushstrokes has launched an auction website incorporating these paintings has also been launched: www.brilliantbrushstrokes.co.uk. Here, you can bid for paintings or buy them outright, or buy limited edition signed prints. The Paintings can also be viewed on Facebook: ‘Brilliant Brushstrokes’ and Instagram ‘BrilliantBrushstrokes’.

John O’Groats by Francis Salvesen

Sneaking through the school art room window aged 8, to endlessly draw and paint, Francis’s passion for art continued during his career in the army – where free time was spent painting wild scenery.

An entirely self-taught talent, Francis has developed his work alongside diverse careers across many different continents. Encouraged and inspired by his artist Godfather, Francis developed his work painting portraits of family members for fun and as gifts.

Time working as a fund manager made extensive travel across rural parts of the UK necessary and this allowed Francis time to develop his familiarity with the many stunning British landmarks and his skill with landscape painting.

Often working on multiple canvasses at any given time, to allow layers of oil paint to dry, Francis often works late into the night and early morning, spending, three months on average on each painting, with around eight paintings completed over that time. He lives in Berkshire with his wife, Amanda, their two children and red-setter, Titian.

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