Born: 9 December, 1921, in St Omer, France.
Died: 2 May, 2008, in Dorset, aged 86.
ALASTAIR Michie was an artist of rare originality, a skilful colourist whose paintings showed a powerful freshness. His abstr
act works were directly influenced by his own experiences and the inspiration he derived from rocks and driftwood near his home in Dorset.
Michie worked in the Edinburgh tradition, producing sensuous and bold paintings. However, he was initially much inspired by American artists of the 1960s (particularly Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell) and then developed his own, individual style.
In 1964, Richard Demarco held his first exhibition in the newly-opened Traverse Theatre at the top of the Royal Mile. It was devoted entirely to the works of Michie. "It was an historic exhibition," Demarco told The Scotsman. "Alastair was unknown and painted abstracts in acrylic – hardly a popular style. But we sold well. Alastair was a hugely talented artist and played a significant part in Scottish life, as did all his family. He was a lovely man: handsome, determined and disciplined with a pawky sense of humour. He was a serious maker of paintings."
Michie was the eldest of three sons. Their father worked as an architect with the War Graves Commission in north France and his mother was the celebrated Scottish artist Anne Redpath. Michie's family moved to Provence and Alastair attended a lycée on the Côte d'Azur at Beaulieu. The family returned to Scotland in 1934 to live in the Borders.
He attended Hawick High School (the same school as his mother), where he played in the scouts pipe band. He won a scholarship to study architecture at the Edinburgh College of Art, but his studies were interrupted by war service in the RAF.
After training in Florida, Michie served as a pilot on the dangerous night patrols which carried out invaluable reconnaissance flights over areas to be, or which had been, bombed.
After the war, Michie got his diploma in architecture, but decided to work as a freelance graphic artist. He had a successful career as a fashion draughtsman for leading magazines – including drawing hats for Jenners' catalogues.
In 1962, Michie visited the Venice Biennale and witnessed the sheer energy and original impulses of Rothko and Motherwell. It inspired him to concentrate on becoming a painter and, despite being in his forties, he carved out a formidable career as a painter and sculptor.
His training as an architect certainly influenced much of his early work. His love of black and white gave his paintings a vibrancy and a feeling of largeness – he called it "architectural movement" – but Michie's early works preserved a distinctive and recognisable atmosphere, which involved a subtle balance of colour, composition and refined discipline.
Michie was a very different artist to his mother. She concentrated much of her output on still-lifes of familiar household objects. Michie resolutely declared: "My mother's work did not influence me."
He developed a beguiling and naturalistic style. His acrylic on board titled The Lost Bouquet is a glorious amalgam of colours, but clearly depicts a tail gunner in a bomber. Similarly the painting that was presented to the National Galleries of Scotland in 1967 (The Far Side of the Field, 1964) is typical of his work: richly hued and textured.
His passion for the outdoors, perhaps inevitably, led him to work as a sculptor. Michie was certainly inspired by the Dorset sea and landscapes. Studland Beach provided him with endless driftwood and scrap, which formed the basis of a sculpture. His best-known pieces included the Shrapnel series, inspired by his war experiences, and Endeavour, a 15ft bronze commissioned by British Aerospace.
Michie's works were seen in the West Country, where he was a Royal West of England academician. He exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1964 (Gold Relief 21) and his pictures have been seen at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh. He travelled to Brazil in 1972 to lecture and exhibited there. In 1994, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and two years later had a solo exhibition at the Mall Gallery, London. In 2000, Michie was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts from Bournemouth University.
His niece Lindsey Michie says: "I adored my uncle from an early age. I last saw him a year ago. He was as gracious and charming as always, with a wonderful sparkle to his piercing blue eyes."
His brother, the distinguished Scottish artist David Michie, said of him: "Alastair was always my big brother, for whom I had an enormous affection. His early success as a draughtsman was followed by similar success as a painter. We all inherited from our mother – and Alastair most certainly – an independent mind. Mother set an example as a person and a serious artist to us all. Alastair defined his own style and developed as an artist of real quality and originality. He was always amusing, gentle and very generous."
Michie was twice married. His marriage in 1944 to Hazel Greenham was dissolved and in 1970 he married Sally Greasley. She and three daughters of the first marriage and a son and daughter of the second survive him.
The full article contains 871 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
