Joan Gillespie
Portrait of a Woman in Blue
| price | £ 3700 |
|---|---|
| type | Oil |
| size | 18 x 13 inches |
| location | Stow on the Wold 01451 832563 |
View more Scottish Joan Gillespie art
Portrait of a Woman in Blue is a vivid and characterful example of Joan Gillespie’s contemporary figurative style. The sitter, defined by Gillespie’s trademark sculptural outlines and simplified Read more
planes, is set against a richly textured ground of vibrant colour. Blues, yellows, greens, and violets interact with bold contouring to create a portrait that feels both intimate and energetically modern.
The figure’s calm, centred posture contrasts with the expressive movement of the background, a hallmark of Gillespie’s ability to balance psychological stillness with painterly dynamism. Her flattened spatial treatment and confident brushwork emphasise form over detail, inviting the viewer to engage with mood and presence rather than literal likeness. The result is a portrait that is unmistakably hers—bold, distilled, and emotionally resonant.
Joan Gillespie, a graduate of Gray’s School of Art, is widely recognised for her sculptural approach to the human figure and her distinctive use of colour. Exhibited extensively across Scotland, her work is held in private and public collections and is celebrated for its expressive clarity, structural strength, and contemporary reinterpretation of figurative painting.
