See the Light: new Robert Kelsey exhibition opens in May

“Light is generally the most important quality,” says artist Robert Kelsey who specialises in coastal paintings, mostly of his native Scotland.

Kelsey’s work reflects his love of light, colour and the vast beaches and skies of the islands off the west coast of Scotland. Walking in the footsteps of the famous Scottish colourist painters such as Peploe, he travels widely in Scotland, Suffolk, Cornwall and the Mediterranean, and his recent scenes of London have proved very popular with his collectors.

Now a landmark 25th exhibition at Thompson’s Gallery in London from 5 to 21 May will highlight the continued relevance of one of Scotland’s leading contemporary artists.

Born in Glasgow in 1949, Kelsey attended the Glasgow School of Art from 1966 to 1970 studying painting under David Donaldson, James Robertson and Alexander Goudie. A career in art education followed until 1995 when he decided to paint full time. Since then he has been in demand both north and south of the border for solo and group exhibitions and has served as an artist member on the councils of the Glasgow Art Club and the Paisley Art Institute. In 2009 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and collectors of his work include the Duke of Bedford.