Alan Watson

Alan Watson, a Scottish artist and gifted story teller was descended from an East Neuk of Fife fishing and sea faring community. His art work inspired by his love of life, the lives at sea of his fisher ancestors from Cellardyke, his experience of the bird culture of St Kilda, his research into the East Coast fishing, herring and whaling industries. He also loved to paint landscape including Mull of Kintyre, the Howe of Fife and Ireland, trees and gardens including Great Comp, near Sevenoaks.

A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, Watson's work is included in many public collections including the City Art Centre, Edinburgh; Fife Council; Glasgow Museums and Galleries; McManus Gallery and Museum, Dundee; The Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther; The Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine; The University's of Dundee, Stirling, Cambridge and Niagara. His work is included in many private collections in Europe, UK, USA, Russia and Chile. Watson created a series of drawings to illustrate George MacKay Brown's tale of the Maid of Norway 'The Sea Kings Daughter'.

Watson exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions with the 369 Gallery, Edinburgh, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, and The Crawford Centre, St Andrews. 369 Gallery toured his work throughout Scotland, from An Lanntair, Stornoway to the Barbican Arts Centre, London, Clare Hall, Cambridge and took his work to art fairs in the USA and China. Watson participated in the official art exchange and exhibitions in Moscow and Edinburgh, 1989 and 1991, along with Caroline McNairn and Fionna Carlisle.

Alan Watson's most recent major solo retrospective exhibition was of his 'Navigatio' series of drawings in 2017 at The Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther. The earlier work from this series of paintings was first exhibited at Kirkcaldy Galleries. The largest works from this series were included in '369 Remembered' at Summerhall Arts Centre, Edinburgh in 2019. Watson's paintings are currently on display at Kirkcaldy Galleries, The Scottish Fisheries Museum Anstruther, The Scottish Maritime Museum, Dundee University and Art UK,