Charles MacQueen RSW RGI

Charles MacQueen RSW RGI (b. 1940, Glasgow) is a Scottish artist based in Fife. He was educated at St Aloysius College and then studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1958 to 1962. After graduation, he pursued a successful career as an art teacher. Throughout his teaching years, Charles continued to paint and exhibit his work. In 1990, he retired and became a professional artist full time.

“The forms I use are forms remembered or dreamt about. The stark visual contrasts of moving between strong blinding sunlight and dark bazaars full of rich reds, golds and turquoise inhabit my paintings. This is like being put down to sleep in a darkened room with strong sunlight streaming through the shutters. This is not representation but an evocation.”

Charles is an acclaimed artist with many prestigious accolades. He has won many art awards over his long and distinguished career including the Council Award of the RSW, The Torrance Award and the Teacher’s Whisky Travel Award (both at the Royal Glasgow Institute). He was elected a member of the Royal Glasgow Institute in 1983 and elected a member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour in 1984, serving the latter as Vice President for the East of Scotland. His works can be found in public, private, and corporate collections worldwide.