Joan Gillespie

their forms simplified into bold, expressive shapes. Surrounding the arrangement, fruit rendered in confident colour blocks adds rhythm and balance, while the lively background—alive with abstract marks and shifting tones—creates a sense of movement that energises the entire scene.

Gillespie’s characteristic use of strong outlines and flattened planes gives the work a modernist clarity, yet the textured brushwork keeps it richly tactile. Her palette, both harmonious and daring, transforms a traditional subject into a contemporary, emotionally charged study of colour and form. The result is a still life that feels joyful, dynamic, and unmistakably hers.

Joan Gillespie, a graduate of Gray’s School of Art, is widely recognised for her expressive, architectonic treatment of both the human figure and still‑life subjects. Exhibited extensively across Scotland, her work is celebrated for its bold colour sensibility, structural strength, and the emotional immediacy she brings to familiar forms.