Michael Clark, RGI, RSW, PAI was born in Ayr, Scotland 1959. He studied at the Edinburgh College of Art from 1979 - 1983. A love of film led him to work for the BBC in Glasgow for six years. On moving to London in 1989, he worked as a freelance Art Director and illustrator; he also began to paint again with much success.
Although Scotland was his birthplace and now his home, it is his love of France – it’s life and culture – which has so often provided the inspiration for his painting. From his first visit to Paris as a student at the Edinburgh College of Art thirty years ago, his inspiration now takes him back to Paris, and beyond, to regions such as the South West of France and Provence.
Following the Scottish Colourist tradition, he produces flattened scenes of everyday life with swathes of vivid colour. Influenced heavily by his travels throughout Paris and the South West of France, Clark ranges in depiction, from tranquil moments in lush parks to bustling street corner cafés and markets. Picking up on the small and beautiful details of daily living, Clark renders moments in time that reach far beyond a mere pretty picture. Standing strong against a colour-blocked background, the figures and objects in Clark's paintings vibrate with contrast and an energy of their own.
Clark is one of Scotland's most popular painters, beloved for his unique, harmonious works. His chosen subjects, along with his graceful rendering, captivate his audience, along with his painterly touch and fondness charming locations.
He has had many solo and mixed shows with Galleries in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Suffolk, Norfolk and Oxford.
Michael, his wife Karen and their three children returned to Scotland in 1999. He now paints from his studio in Ayrshire which overlooks the River Doon.