'Reflections of Edinburgh' - Oil paintings of The Scottish Capital (2003-2023) by Jamie Primrose

Reflections of Edinburgh

Oil Paintings of The Scottish Capital (2003-2023)

Edinburgh & My Journey

The Scottish capital represents a strong element of who I used to be, who I have become and it is firmly ingrained in my psyche. I am continually drawn to capturing a timeless view of the majestic, historic city I grew up in as a child – whilst also discovering new aspects, vistas and learning more about myself all the time. In my work I am constantly exploring the juxtaposition of dark, haunting moodiness and uplifting, shimmering light through my usage of medium and technique. With this collection my aim was to reflect on my childhood past, and my present in Edinburgh, pausing briefly to mark twenty years back in the city & working as a contemporary Scottish artist since 2023.

My passion for Edinburgh has never faltered. Whilst growing up in Trinity, I explored and loved the surrounding city with its contrasts – light and shadow, Old and New Town, crags and parklands – which I often sketched as a child. Following school, I left to venture slightly further afield to study Fine Art at Newcastle University. By the time I had finished my degree I was preoccupied (like most of my contemporaries) with a need for travel and experience, so I took time away from my paintbrushes – firstly travelling around the world and then working in London.

Nine years passed by and I suddenly had an inner urge to return home to become an artist, with a visceral need to create again. This epiphany was fuelled by a period of travel in Central and South America, where the aweinspiring light and contrasting landscapes rekindled and reawakened my passion for painting.

I was also drawn back home by past memories and reflections on Edinburgh’s unique light and atmosphere, the ‘four seasons in a day’, which are still so inspiring to me. In the past I had always been motivated by the city’s hazy early morning winter mist, the colourful transition from late afternoon towards sunset and the quiet eeriness of dusk.

I knew I wanted to rediscover the city and I made the life-defining decision to return home to begin my artistic journey again. That was 20 years ago and since then painting has become my life, my love and my living too.

Edinburgh continues to have a huge influence on me –as there is so much inspiraton right on my doorstep.

‘I’m constantly inspired by Edinburgh’s unique light and majestic landscape. The city is in my psyche and I love to capture the light, colour and atmosphere when it’s changing most rapidly at sunrise and sunset’ Jamie Primrose, February 2024

Locations in my Work

In this body of work, I am reflecting on my relationship with ‘Auld Reekie’. I revisit and capture familiar locations, which uncover a rich depth of meaning and sense of awareness from my past or present. Some of these places are well-known iconic views –they are all very personal to me.

In my paintings I am expressing my emotional response to these locations. From my past I remember clearly the spires and darkness of the majestic Old Town, the elegant grandeur of The New Town and parts of Stockbridge – where I grew up and went to school. Childhood emotions return with memories of chasing squirrels and feeding ducks in The Botanics, walking my dog in Inverleith Park around the pond and scuffing my feet while following the Water of Leith path to the Modern Art Gallery.

I also vividly recall gazing at the towering New Town mansions overlooking The Dean Village, watching the reflections on The Shore with my Grandpa (a very proud Leither), then sledging down Arthur’s Seat in the sparkling snow and being mesmerised by the haze of colours in the late afternoon sky stretching far beyond the magnificent city below.

Over the past twenty years since being back in Edinburgh again, I have loved rediscovering these locations by myself and with my family, but I’ve also explored new areas, which keep me excited, energised and inspired. I watch ethereal light shadows through the trees and ever-changing patterns of colour on The Meadows throughout the seasons on my daily journey to and from my Stockbridge studio from my home in Marchmont. I also take in the idyllic stillness of the Union Canal from Fountainbridge to Polwarth where I often walk.

I also often revisit the hilltops of Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill and Blackford Hill – to marvel at the breathtaking skyline vistas and gain my own perspective of the ‘Athens of The North.’ As well as the vast well-known magnificent views I also love to paint the tranquil lochs around the crags (Dunsapie and Duddingston). Similarly in The Pentlands, the shimmers of sparkling cool icy blue winter’s snow around Harlaw Reservoir have inspired me.

Other areas with strong childhood memories I have discovered again include: the sweeping clouds over Portobello Beach at sunrise and sunset, with pools of water glistening water along the bay beneath. Continuing west along the Forth coastal shorelands, past Newhaven Harbour - with boats gently bobbing in the bay and the crisp wintry stillness of The Shore in Leith, Cramond gently calls too, with its rocky outcrops.

My Inspiration & Process

As well as being drawn to specific Edinburgh locations, I have an obsession for the fleeting nature of light. I aim to encapsulate the city’s unique light and shade on its landscapes and waterscapes in the development of my work, whilst capturing and expressing luminosity and atmosphere.

I find that with the quality of light in autumn and winter – the water glistens brightly, the trees are sculptural, the clouds evocative, the buildings are cold, stark structures in front of vibrant transitory skies beyond. I see rich warm emerald hues turn to winter light dancing on snow. I take a series of photos of the same vistas or motifs at different times of the day and over many days. I get lost in the varying light and sky formations, my thoughts, reflections and ideas about each location.

I also aim to capture that special, fleeting, single moment in time or ‘snapshot’ from dawn onwards and from sunset to sundown, at the most dramatic and transient times of the day when the light is changing rapidly. It is my emotional response to and my perception of the relationship between the light in the sky, the myriad of colours, the atmosphere, architecture, landscape or water – which I am conveying at that very moment. Sometimes my feelings are communicated through a brilliant shaft of light streaming through the clouds, the eerie calm before a storm or the very last glimmer of light through twilight.

Whilst concentrating on light and shade and the transition of these two contrasting seasons, motifs in my work include vast skyline beyond the city’s bold silhouette, a closer architectural perspective on individual streets or my keen interest in the more natural elements of the city’s open spaces, parklands, shimmering lochs and waterways. To me, each artwork is a historical snapshot as I leave out the most elements of modern life (except the architecture which is constantly evolving). I want what is happening to the light, sky, land, water and other natural elements to come alive and shine fourth.

For my oils I start off working with thick textured impasto, gradually building up with multi-layers of thinner translucent glazes over the top of the thicker oils. In the studio I work on one series of artworks at a time in a day – with each piece playing off one another. Whilst letting these dry for a few days I start a further series… and so on, going back to rework the first…until the entire collection evolves over many months.

Calton Hill Sunset Skylines & Atmospheric Skyscapes

Oil on canvas 100cm x 140cm

Ephemeral Skies

“Jamie Primrose has an incredible feel for the light of his native Edinburgh” The Sunday Times

Sunset skyline over Edinburgh

Oil on canvas 80cm x 80cm

Vivid sunset over Edinburgh

Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Nocturne over Leith Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Snow clouds over Leith Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Sunset over The Pentlands

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Misty evening over The Pentlands

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter blues

Oil on linen 50cm x 50cm

Afternoon haze over North Bridge

Oil on linen 50cm x 50cm

Late afternoon over North Bridge

Oil on canvas 90cm x 90cm

Arthur’s Seat & Blackford Hill Vistas

Sunset over the city from Arthur’s Seat Oil on canvas 80cm x 100cm

Last light from Blackford Hill Oil on canvas 100cm x 140cm

Last light over Arthur’s Seat Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Last shadows over Arthur’s Seat Oil on linen 50cm x 50cm

Autumnal drama over the city from Blackford Hill

Oil on canvas 60cm x 100cm

Lochs & Ponds at Dunsapie, Duddingston & Blackford

Winter light over Duddingston Loch Oil on canvas 80cm x 100cm

Late afternoon glow over Dunsapie Loch Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Sunset over Blackford Pond

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Dunsapie Loch reflections

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Winter sunrise over Duddingston Loch

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Last light over St. Margaret’s Loch Oil on canvas 80cm x 80cm

Springtime vista over Arthur’s Seat

Oil on linen 30cm x 40cm

Sunrise from Arthur’s Seat

Oil on linen 30cm x 40cm

Winter vista over the city from Arthur’s Seat Oil on canvas 60cm x 80cm

Winter sunset over The Pentlands from Arthur’s Seat Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

Seasons in The Meadows

Luminous shadows in The Meadows

Oil on canvas 90cm x 90cm

Evolving Moods in The Meadows

Oil on canvas 60cm x 100cm

Morning shadows over Jawbone Walk

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Sunrise on Coronation Walk

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Ethereal afternoon on Middle Meadow Walk

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Autumnal morning in The Meadows

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Light on Boys Brigade Walk Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Morning autumnal glow in The Meadows

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

of light on Middle Meadow Walk

Middle Meadow Walk shadows

Streams

Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Streams of light through the trees

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Patterns of light on Middle Meadow Walk

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Autumnal burst of light

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Light and shade on Jawbone Walk

Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

Luminous haze on Coronation Walk

Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

Morning shadows over Coronation Walk

Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

Ethereal silence

Oil on canvas 90cm x 90cm

Glistening light on The Meadows

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Dappling light on Coronation Walk

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Looking down Coronation Walk

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Spring shadows on Jawbone Walk

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Dancing shadows in The Meadows

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Spring light looking across The Meadows

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Morning looking down Middle Meadow Walk

Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Snow shadows looking towards Arthur’s Seat Oil on canvas 40cm x 60cm

Morning light over The Meadows Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Twilight skies over Bruntsfield

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter skies over Warrender Park Terrace

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Last light over Bruntsfield

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter glow over Bruntsfield

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Waterways : Union Canal & Harlaw Reservoir

Early morning light on The Union Canal Oil on canvas 80cm x 80cm

haze at Polwarth

Viewforth shadows

Oil on linen 30cm

Autumn

Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

x 30cm

Afternoon reflections on The Union Canal

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Autumn sun on The Union Canal

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter light reflecting on Harlaw Reservoir, The Pentlands

Oil on canvas 60cm x 80cm

Icy reflections on Harlaw Reservoir

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Shimmering light in The Pentlands Oil on linen 30cm x 40cm

Forth Shorelands : Cramond, Portobello & Leith

Last light at Cramond

Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Sunrise reflections at Portobello

Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Winter sunrise on Portobello Beach

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Red sky at night

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Twilight skies over Cramond

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Reflections on The Shore

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Sunrise skies over The Shore

Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

Edinburgh’s Old Town

Winter lights looking up Victoria Street

Oil on board 50cm x 50cm

Nocturne skies over Victoria Street

Winter reflections at Bristo Square

Night shadows from The Lawnmarket

Night lights over The Grassmarket

Nightfall on The Royal Mile

Old College, The University of Edinburgh

Oil on board 50cm x 50cm

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Sunset from the city from The Museum Terrace

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Looking towards St.Giles from The Museum Terrace

Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Scott Monument Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

Sunset from The Castle Esplanade

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter sunrise looking towards The Pentlands

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Afternoon light on The Ross Fountain Oil on canvas 50cm x 50cm

Snow shadows on The Grassmarket

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Early morning shadows on Victoria Street

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter sunrise from The Castle Esplanade

Oil on canvas 60cm x 100cm

Sunrise over Edinburgh Castle Oil on board 30cm x 30cm

The Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Park/Pond & Water of Leith

Botanic Pond reflections

Autumn reflections at The Chinese Garden

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Spring sunset over Inverleith Pond

Oil on canvas 60cm x 60cm

Autumn reflections on the Botanic Pond

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Winter skies over the pond

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Light and shade at The Botanics

Early morning reflections on Inverleith Pond

Sunset over The Stockbridge Colonies

Before sunrise looking over Inverleith

light over The Colonies

Shimmering light on Inverleith

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Hazy

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Pond

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Pond

Oil on linen 50cm x 50cm

Autumnal shadows in Inverleith Park

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Light and shade in Inverleith Park Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Autumnal sun in Inverleith Park

Oil on linen 40cm x 40cm

Last light over Inverleith Park

Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Sunset over Inverleith Park Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Morning clouds over Inverleith Oil on linen 30cm x 30cm

Spring blossom reflections over Inverleith Pond

Oil on linen 40cm x 60cm

Spring afternoon clouds over Inverleith Pond

Oil on linen 40cm x 60cm

Biography

Jamie Primrose

Jamie Primrose is a highly collectable and acclaimed contemporary Scottish artist, having created over 40 highly successful new solo collections in Edinburgh and London since 2003, with past sell-out exhibitions to his name.

Born in 1972 and brought up in Trinity, Jamie attended The Edinburgh Academy (1977-1990), where he won a clutch of awards. At 17, he gave up a place to study at the prestigious Goldsmiths in London (where the focus was on conceptual art), instead opting for a more traditional drawing and painting degree at Newcastle University (BA Hons Fine Art 1990-94).

Remarkably, he then travelled the world, lived in Australia and then worked in London – without lifting a paintbrush for almost a decade. His roles included Senior Travel Consultant for Trailfinders and more creative roles such as a Senior Account Manager at Getty Images and in Creative Acquisitions at Digital Vision Picture Library.

In 2003, a trip to Central and South America (with stunning vast landscapes) was the catalyst, which inspired Primrose to return home to the Scottish capital to become a professional artist. This was the beginning of two decades of prolific work – Edinburgh’s unique clear light a key source of inspiration, then as now. He has since then achieved outstanding success, chosen as one of Scotland on Sunday’s ‘Rising Stars’ and shortlisted for the prestigious Jolomo Award in 2007, for his Scottish landscape paintings. The talented artist’s sought-after work can now be seen in many exclusive collections across the UK, Europe, North America, The Middle East and Australia and he has attracted an ever-growing UK and international clientele, receiving critical acclaim.

In 2013, Jamie celebrated his 10th Anniversary as an acclaimed painter working in the Scottish capital for a decade at the vast Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh. This was a major stunning showcase of over 120+ original artworks across the North and South Galleries, with impressive success.

In 2023, Jamie celebrated his 20th Anniversary with three retrospective exhibitions at The Dundas Street Gallery including his first ever Fringe showcase ‘Visions of Edinburgh’. Each collection featured a different theme – his fascination for the ephemeral nature of light never wavering, as he highlighted luminosity and atmosphere in his acclaimed work.

Contemporary Scottish Artist

‘As a professional artist I feel it’s important to constantly develop creatively, explore, experiment and to my hone my craft. I like to challenge myself in a diversity of locations, medium and motifs.

My aim is to maintain honesty, integrity and passion for my work - which is constantly evolving. This is deep-rooted in the traditional forms of drawing and painting and I take inspiration from the past - in particular artists such as Whistler, Turner, Monet and the colourist tradition of rich Scottish landscape painting’

Original Painting Clients say:

“I would definitely recommend Primrose’s work to others.”

“The picture was a lovely surprise for my wife’s special birthday.”

“We love our Primrose paintings. Thank you for making the experience so enjoyable for us.”

“I’m so glad I made the decision to buy the beautiful painting as a special gift. My husband loves it.”

“I wanted to write to say how delighted we are with your wonderful work.”

“The paintings are in pride of place on our wall and much admired by all.”

For artwork enquiries and availability please feel free to contact me:

t: 0131 446 9510

m:07939 062 459

e:jamie@jamieprimrose.com

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Limited Edition Print Clients say:

“The print arrived safely and it is even more stunning than I expected.”

“I am so happy with my beautiful prints - please pass on my thanks to Jamie.”

“The print arrived and my husband loved it as his special anniversary present.”

“I have my new prints hanging on the wall and they look lovely, so pleased.”

“I remain completely in love with my print - definitely one of the best presents I’ve ever had.”

“The service was exceptional. Every detail was masterfully handled and executed brilliantly.”

www.jamieprimrose.com

“Jamie Primrose has an incredible feel for light” The Sunday Times

“ Primrose’s paintings exude a heaven-sent sense of calm” The Herald

“Jamie Primrose is a well-known contemporary artist” The Times

“Primrose’s work is seen as highly collectable” Scotland on Sunday

“Jamie had had an astonishing degree of success with his atmospheric paintings” Galleries Magazine

“Jamie has a growing reputation and an ever-expanding band of collectors snapping up his work” The Herald

“Jamie Primrose’s paintings display an atmospheric, ethereal quality that makes his work so sought-after” Scottish Field Magazine