HE is a renowned Scottish artist who has exhibited his work around the world.

Now Ron Lawson has revealed the inspiration behind his paintings was a childhood holiday, the impact of which is so enduring, he believes that from now on, he may only paint the beauty of the Hebrides for the rest of his life.

Speaking ahead of a new exhibition of his work, Mr Lawson said he was shocked to hear from customers from around the world who have chosen to visit the Hebrides simply after seeing his paintings, saying he feels his unique perspective on the landscape enables the islands to be seen in a new light

Perthshire-based Lawson, who grew up on a farm in Midlothian, spent 34 years working at DC Thomson’s art studios and while he painted and exhibited for the last 40 years, he decided in 2010 it was time to pursue his passion for painting full time.

Since then, his work has featured at exhibitions across the UK, US, Singapore and Hong Kong, while he opened his own gallery, the Ron Lawson West End Gallery in Dundee, in 2019.

He said he hopes he will soon have his very own cottage on his favourite of the Hebrides, South Uist, which could serve as a sanctuary for further inspiration. 

He said: “As an absolute must, I always want to get there every spring time, April through to May, I always want to be in the Hebrides. So every single year, the minimum I spend is as a fortnight, the maximum can be right up to a couple of months, I really spend as much time as I possibly can.

“It’s now an ambition of mine, at some point, to be able to have a place of my own on South Uist. I speak to some locals and ask them ‘What’s it like going through the winter here’? It’s not always a rosy picture, but it doesn’t put me off. At some point, I’m going to get some kind of roots put down on South Uist.

“That pull is what inspires me to keep painting. I can find no greater source of painting inspiration, and I love it. I just love every aspect of the place. Even when it's raining. I just love it.

“There's nothing that tempts me anywhere else to paint at this time, I just feel that I'll probably spend the rest of my working career focusing very much on The Hebrides, because I'm still kind of trying to perfect my version of it. Sometimes, sometimes the paintings are pretty close now. I'm very pleased with them. But I still think I've got a little bit of a way to go yet.”

He also learned that his interpretation of the ara has served as inspiration for people across the world to pay a visit to the Hebrides.

He explained: “The amount of Americans who buy my work is really quite incredible. And, you know, as most Americans of course, they've all got some link with Scotland.

“Just recently, I spoke to a group of American tourists at my gallery and they were thrilled. They were obviously here on holiday, but they actually made a point of coming to my gallery before going off exploring.

“Some of them have even gone to the trouble of actually coming over and visiting The Hebrides. There’s something about my paintings of the islands, they definitely do have a global appeal.”

Despite having travelled to some of the world’s most captivating cities to display his work, it is the islands that have Lawson’s heart and have been firing his imagination since he first visited as a young child.

The 62-year-old revealed his love of the isles dates to childhood, adding: “When I was a child we would holiday on the West Coast and in the Highlands. If you go to the Isle of Skye, you can see the Outer Hebrides quite clearly on a reasonable day. They’re both close, but slightly different.

“I’d always built up this mystique about the islands because we stayed on the mainland. I was always intrigued, you looked over and saw these islands and I just knew I had to get there one day. As soon as I possibly could, I did.

“My very first journey to The Hebrides was such a culture shock. I was just blown away by the place.

"I came home not quite sure if it was quite the place for me. I thought it was quite difficult. But, I went back and I continued to go back. Something kept pulling me there. That pull is what inspires me to keep painting.

“Ever since then, I've been trying to capture my impression and feeling of The Hebrides into intimate paintings. And so it's just an integral part of who I am, what I paint, is The Hebrides.”

After having his eyes opened by the islands at a young age, there’s always been an emotional connection between Ron and The Hebrides and subsequently his work. The 62-year-old describes his draw to the islands as ‘destiny’, with his artistic mission being to highlight the beauty of a remote and perhaps at times unforgiving part of Scotland that is so often overlooked.

He added: “I’m very lucky in that the stars have always aligned when it comes to painting. I’ve never really excelled at anything else. I’ve been keen on hobbies and I’ve done things quite well. The only consistent thing that I’ve actually ever done in my life is painting.

“The fact that I paint and I end up on those Hebridean islands, it was like it was some form of destiny that I just happened to be in the right place.

“To see something I was so interested in, something I was so passionate about, take off, it delights me to do it every single day as a job. It’s like the old cliche, it’s not really work. If you’re doing what you want to do, it’s hardly a hard job.

“Obviously you put a lot into it but it’s not like some physically demanding thing that you have to do on a daily basis. It’s almost bordering on a dream come true for any artist, being in the position I’ve found myself in.”

His latest exhibition at the Strathearn Gallery is ‘Looking Back’ at Ron’s career, life on the Hebrides and his trips over the last 40 years with over 50 new paintings.

And the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff is set to host the famed landscape artist's new exclusive solo exhibition from October 22 to November 13.

Since opening in 1994, Perthshire’s Strathearn Gallery has built a reputation for showcasing original work and supporting Scottish artists and owner Susan Bennett is excited for the gallery to host Lawson and his hugely popular works this autumn.

She said: “We exhibit what we believe to be the very best of Scottish contemporary art and we are absolutely thrilled to continue that by exhibiting the works of a truly defining Scottish artist this autumn.

“Having worked with Ron for previous exhibitions, we’ve developed a great connection with him and I know he now feels Strathearn Gallery is a home for his art and a place where he can really tell his story and share his journey, in particular his incredible connection with The Hebrides."

“There’s a growing sense the Strathearn Gallery is being seen as a tourist destination in its own right and we know that Ron’s works have both a local, Scottish appeal and have gained interest further afield too. As such, we feel our upcoming collaboration will bring a diverse audience to the exhibition and we look forward to welcoming them in October.”

Many of Ron’s most popular paintings centre around striking white cottages, often isolated in a stunning landscape, surrounded only by sheep and the unique Hebridean environment they find themselves in.

Ron Lawson’s solo exhibition will be at the Strathearn Gallery, Crieff from 10am on 22nd October to 13th November 2022. Images for the exhibition will be online at 4pm on Friday 21st October.

To register interest ahead of the exhibition, contact the gallery at: info@strathearn-gallery.com or call 01764 656100. Exhibitions can be viewed at www.strathearn-gallery.com