Interview with Ross MacRae

As long as I can remember, I have always loved to draw. From an early age, I would copy the artwork of my older brother’s comics and I was always getting in trouble at school for sketching in the back of my jotters.

As I got older, I carried a sketchbook with me wherever I went and drew as much as I could. It has always been a place for me to escape to. It is a familiar landscape, a place where I understand the rules and laws of line and form, yet somewhere I know I will never be able to truly master.

I was lucky enough to get into Edinburgh College of Art where I graduated in 2012 and I have been creating ever since. I’ve now been a full-time freelance artist for about 8 years. At first, I would only ever use pencils and ink, as it was where I felt comfortable. But from around 2018 I started learning to paint and that was when I felt things progressed the quickest for me.

I had a lot of drawing practice from my sketchbooks as well as attending life drawing classes for several years. I think it was this which made the transition to painting such a positive experience for me.

2. How has your artistic style evolved over the years? Are there any particular influences or experiences that have shaped your approach to creating art?

I used to spend hours creating detailed and elaborate fantasy-style pencil drawings. I would lose days as I immersed myself in these surreal drawings.

Whilst it was detailed, I felt my work would often feel quite flat. As I began to learn how to paint, my work became far more colourful and atmospheric and with this, gradually I  managed to break out of this 2 dimensional look and I finally got things to feel more in depth. Whilst I still like some of my older work I have now fallen in love with the process and techniques of painting.

I still always use pencils to sketch out my initial concepts and thumbnails for designs. I love the tactile feel and precision you can achieve with a pencil. Very little mess is made, and there is little to no set-up required to quickly draft out ideas. Rendering an entire image  in pencil however seems like madness to me these days.   Maybe I will return to my pencils at some point, but for now, they are gathering dust whilst my brushes need to be replaced every few months.

3. Regarding your new mural at RMKC, could you walk us through your creative process for this project? How did you approach depicting Edinburgh in the 17th century?

I started with a trip to the Scottish National Gallery where I explored downstairs in the Scottish selection of works. In the gallery is a treasure trove of some of the finest Scottish landscape and architectural paintings to have ever been created.

Next, I measured a wall plan on-site at Mary King’s Close and established where the focal points of the mural had to be as well as where the quieter areas could lie.

With the site plan finished I began to sketch up very loose thumbnails and started plotting in the main elements of the scene. I must have looked up around 100 reference images overall, ranging from famous artists’ depictions of the Royal Mile, personal photos of Edinburgh’s streets, archival photographs of Edinburgh’s Old Town, photos of the staff members at Mary Kings Close, as well as costumes, weapons and transport used in 17th century Scotland.

After I had done my sketch I then moved on to colour variations and was then ready to prime the walls and begin to paint the mural itself.

4. What were some of the key sources of inspiration behind the characters and scenes featured in the mural? Did you draw from historical research, personal experiences, or perhaps a combination of both?

For me the Plague Doctor has to surely be one of the most interesting and haunting characters from our history. It was an obvious starting point for me to include this notorious character. Opposite from the plague doctor was my second focal point which I wanted to be in stark contrast to the foreboding presence of the hooked beak of the doctor. This is where Annie felt like the perfect choice.

I took inspiration from so many different sources but the staff members definitely stood out for me. With the staff being dressed in well-chosen and researched 17th-century attire, it made for perfect referencing to include in the busy market scenes of the mural.

5. Can you share any interesting anecdotes or challenges you encountered while working on the mural?

It was an incredible space to work in. Hundreds of people passing by every couple of hours meant there were almost always people commenting and pointing out their favourite areas.

The Question of the week was, “So how long has this taken you to paint, then?”

Luckily, I got to change the answer to this question daily, which mixed things up for me but In answer to that question, as I am sure some of you will now be intrigued, the mural took me about 10 days from start to finish. This included the time spent on the research and sketches for the design as well as priming the walls and painting the mural itself.

I kind of put my blinkers on when I’m painting. But I will always stop and chat with people if they ask a question. It’s a part of the job I really enjoy. I find it is quite often other artists that will stop to ask questions. I love it when someone asks about a specific technique I’m doing or the materials I’m using. It’s great being able to share knowledge. I often learn new things as a result by exchanging hints and tips this way.

For those eager to follow Ross MacRae’s artistic journey and potentially acquire his artwork, visit his website www.rossmacraeart.com. You can also follow him on Instagram @ross.macrae.art