News — colour

It is red's affinity with fire and warmth that makes it a shade we seek out in winter - a salve to abate the seasonal blues might you say! So to warm our cockles and cheer us all up this winter, we've selected a variety of artworks that celebrate red in all its splendour.

This autumn, we caught up with Glasgow-based artist Lauren Bryden. Read the full interview, in which Bryden talks of the importance of matrescence and how (m)otherhood has shaped her and her art making, by clicking on the link below.

If you follow Broth, it won't surprise you that one of my favourite things to do is visit artists at their studio. Call me a nosy parker but stepping into an artists workspace is for me like entering Ali Baba's cave- you never know what riches you're going to find. Fiona MacRae's studio in rural Argyll is one such place that never disappoints. Tucked away up a meandering track in mossy woodland, Fiona's studio is a treasure trove of spectacles.Having beachcombed her entire life, Fiona MacRae's studio is a shrine to both natural and man-made forms scavanged from the shoreline. There are whalebones, coloured sea glass, mermaid purses, driftwood and calcified sea creatures, but also a confetti of plastic odds and ends, corroded rubber and knarled bits of oxidised metal. Wherever you look, there's something to marvel at.

Over the years, it has become abundantly clear that beachcombing is an important part of MacRae's practice. It works its way- albeit surreptitiously- into her paintings by means of colour, texture and form, and is used directly in her assemblage artwork. For this reason, I was curious to learn more about her love of beachcombing, how it informs her art-making and where it all started.

Read on to discover more about Fiona MacRae and her delightful art.

We are delighted to present new work by London-based painter and collage-maker, Sara Breinlinger. Moving away from her more representational practice, Sara explores the world of abstraction through the means of collage. Sara studied fine art at Middlesex Polytechnic but then went on to pursue a career as a psychotherapist. For the past twenty years, she has been sharing her time as both a psychotherapist and as a practicing artist, and so it’s no surprise that her artwork draws on the human condition.

Ultramarine, cyan, navy and azure, all names for a colour that we love and adore: blue. In our latest short essay, we look at the history of blue, its significance in different religions and cultures, and just how diverse the beryl hue really is!