Nael Hanna

turns his attention to the countryside leading toward Montrose, capturing the shifting drama of sky and terrain with his signature impasto technique. The foreground is alive with textured strokes of ochre, brown, violet, and flashes of blue—suggesting wild grasses, heather, and the rugged ground shaped by weather and season.

A scattering of dark‑toned trees punctuates the middle distance, alongside a small white structure that anchors the scene with a quiet human presence. Beyond this, the horizon glows with a luminous band of pink, orange, and gold, where the sky transitions from deep blue into the warm light of dawn or dusk. This interplay of brooding atmosphere and radiant colour is quintessential Hanna: a landscape not merely observed, but felt.

Hanna’s work resonates strongly with the Scottish Expressionist tradition, echoing the emotional force of Joan Eardley and the atmospheric drama associated with the Glasgow School. Yet his voice remains unmistakably his own—raw, lyrical, and deeply rooted in the landscapes of Angus and the east coast. His paintings are less about topographical accuracy and more about the lived experience of place: wind, light, memory, and the physicality of paint.

The result is a landscape that feels both intimate and expansive. Hanna invites the viewer onto the road itself—toward Montrose, toward the horizon, toward a moment of shifting light that captures the essence of contemporary Scottish art at its most expressive.

Available from Red Rag Gallery - specialists in present day Scottish Art