My work is based on recent responses to the rugged dramatic environment of Shetland and its visual drama of constantly changing elements against the coastal landscape and the North Sea.
Born near Edinburgh in 1972 , Ruth graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1994 with a BA Hons in Drawing & Painting/Tapestry.
In 1998, she moved to Shetland to concentrate on her painting.
Ruth has work in private collections throughout the UK & overseas and public collection in The Fleming Collection, London &
Shetland Museum. A multi-award winning artist, Ruth now exhibits in leading galleries throughout the UK.
Recent Selected Solo Exhibitions
Solo show, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh April 2022
Solo show, Beaux Arts, Bath, November - December 2021
Solo show, Beaux Arts, Bath, November - January 2021
Solo show, The Line Gallery, Linlithgow September 2020
Solo show, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, February 2020
Shetland : Land and Sea, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh October 2017
Winter : Shetland, Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow, February/March 2016
Shetland, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh January/February 2015
New Work, The Line, Linlithgow, November 2013
New Work, Shetland Museum & Archives, July/August 2013
New Works Shetland Economic Unit/Shetland Islands Council, Lerwick 2007
New Paintings New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey, 2007
New Work The Line, Linlithgow, 2006
New Work Stenton Gallery, East Lothian, 2006
New Paintings Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, 2005
New Paintings Godfrey& Watt, Harrogate, 2005
New Work Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow,2005
Recent Work Stenton Gallery, East Lothian, 2004
Sea Shetland, Rebecca Hossack/Charlotte Street Gallery, London, 2004
Recent Group Shows
Scottish Exhibition, Stafford Gallery, January 2021
Shetland Gallery, Yell April - September 2021
Summer Postcards 2021, Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow, 2 June - 24 July 2021
‘Outside Inside’ Summer Exhibition, Group show, Tatha Gallery, Newport on Tay2021
North. South. East. West. Landscape Show, Beaux Arts, Bath, July 2021
Solo show, Beaux Arts, Bath November 2021
Affordable Art Fair, London with Beaux Arts, Bath, March 2022
Scottish Exhibition 2019, Stafford Gallery, London 20 January - 3 February 2019
Twenty Twenty Gallery, Ludlow, Shropshire, February 2019
'Sea Escape' Three Man show, Tatha Gallery, Newport-on-Tay, Fife, 30 March - 11 May 2019
Shetland Gallery, Yell, Shetland, Spring/Summer 2019
'Summer Exhibition' The Green Gallery, Buchylvie/Dollar, From 18th May 2019
Coast 2019, Twenty Twenty Gallery, Ludlow, Shropshire, 19 July - 10 August 2019
Summer Exhibition, Beaux Arts, Bath, 24 June - 31 July 2019
Pittenweem Arts Festival with Weem Gallery, August 2019
The Room, An Talla Solais, Ullapool 14 September - October 2019
Winter Exhibition, Tatha Gallery, Newport-on- Tay, November - 23rd December 2019
Winter Show, Kilmorack Gallery, Beauly, Inverness-shire 2019
'On a Small Scale' Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh,
Scottish Exhibition 2019, Stafford Gallery, London 20 January - 3 February 2019
Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen November - March 2019
Godfrey & Watt Christmas, 1 - 9 December 2018
On a Small Scale, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, 26 November - 22 December 2018
Resipole Studios, Acharcale, Argyll, May 2018
Weem Gallery/Pittenweem Arts Festival, August 2018
The Summer Show, The Strathearn Gallery, Crieff, July - 2nd September 2018
Klintegården Butik, Klintehamn, Gotland, Sweden Summer 2018
Summer Exhibition, The Whitehouse Gallery, 47 St Mary Street Kirkcudbright, 1 July - 2nd September 2017
'Land and Sea' Group Show, Craigard Gallery, North Main Street, Wigtown, 17 June - 16 September 2017
Summer Exhibition, The Shetland Gallery, Yell, Shetland, April - October 2017
Bonhoga Gallery, Lower Gallery, Weisdale, Shetland, 8 July - 27 August 2017
Festival Exhibition/Pittenweem Arts Festival, The Weem Gallery, Pittenweem, From 5 August 2017
'Perceptions' Two man show with Ruth Nicol, Line Gallery, Linlithgow, 4 February - 7 March 2017
Spring/Summer 2016, Kilmorack Gallery, by Beauly, Inverness-shire, 19 March - 30 July 2016
Coast III, Twenty Twenty Gallery, Much Wenlock, England, 2nd July - 6th August 2016
Summer Exhibition, The Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright, 2nd July - 3 September 2016
Festival Exhibition/Pittenweem Arts Festival, The Weem Gallery & Framer, 16 High Street, Pittenweem from 5 August 2016.
Sea, Kilmorack Gallery, by Beauly, Inverness-shire, 16 September - 29 October 2016
Christmas Exhibition, Tolquhon Gallery, by Ellon, Aberdeenshire, 13 November - 20 December 2016
Christmas Exhibition, Godfrey & Watt, Harrogate, 10 - 14 December 2016
On a Small Scale, Christmas Exhibition, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, 28th November - 23 December 2016
Winter Exhibition, Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen, Winter 2015
Postcards 2015, Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow, January 2015
Three man show with Alex Malcolmson & John Audun Hauge at Galleri Allmenningen, Bergen, Norway, April - May 2015
'What Seas, What Shores' Group Show, Woodend Gallery, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, 23 April- 13 June 2015
25th Anniversary Mixed Summer Exhibition 2015, Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen, 20th June - 15th August 2015
'As the Night Draws in' Group Show, The Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway, 5th September - 31st October 2015
Postcards from The Line, Linlithgow, 3rd - 27th October 2015.
The Winter Collection, The Strathearn Gallery,Crieff, 17th October - 3rd January 2016.
'Common Ground', Group show, Shetland Museum & Archives 28th November - 20th December 2015
Winter Exhibition, Gallery Heinzel, 14th November 2015 to March 2016
On a Small Scale, Christmas show, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh 30 November - 23 December 2015
Residencies
Printmaking residency, Center of Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, USA, September/October 2015
Education
B.A. (Hons) Drawing & Painting -Tapestry with 2:1, Edinburgh College of Art, 1990 - 94
Cyprus Art Summer School, Cyprus College of Art, Summer 1993
Awards
Shetland Arts Development, Visual Arts Grant Award 2012
Visual Artist Award, HI-Arts Highland & Island Visual Arts 2003
Finalist for The Gilchrist-Fisher Memorial Award for Landscape Painters 2002
Scotlands Year of the Artist Award 2000
Shetland Arts Trusts Visual Arts Development Award 1999
The Hope Scott Trust Award 1999
British Rail Young Business Travel Award, 2nd Prize 1997
Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust Award Livewire/Lothian,1996
Regional Start Up Business Award, 1995
The Elizabeth Ballantyne Award, S.A.A.C Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh 1995
Valgra Trading Award, Edinburgh College of Art,1994
Andrew Grant Bequest Scholarship by Edinburgh College of Art for Summer Term exchange with
L' Ecole des Beaux Arts, Tours, France 1993
Publications
Gallery Round Up, The Herald, 3 January 2015 pp.6
‘Making Waves’ Homes & Interiors Scotland May/June 2006 Issue 47 pp.90 – 94
Hi-Arts, Georgina Cockburn
‘Artists Groups’ Artist & Illustrator, October 2005 pp. 61
Jane Moncrieff Ideas Factory/ Channel 4 ‘ She Sells Seas Well’ June 2004
‘International Artist’ May 2003
Peter Davis 'Exhilarating show at museum gallery' The Shetland Times, 13 June 2003
Pick of the Week 'Ruth Brownlee: New works' Scotland on Sunday, 27 October 2002
Dominic Shann 'Sea, sky and the SWAN' The Shetland Times, April 2001
Jamie Thomas ' At Sea' opens at Museum Gallery' Shetland Post April 2001 pp19
Dominic Shann ' Seeking Solitude at Bonhoga Gallery' Shetland Times 11 August 2000 pp38
Sally Kerr 'More than a measure of success' Summer Exhibition, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Edinburgh' The Scotsman, 10 August 1994