Peter McLaren (b.1964)

Born in Edinburgh and schooled in Fife, Peter then studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. While there Peter won the John Kinross Scholarship, from the Royal Scottish Academy, which allowed him to study in Florence, and the Richard Ford Award, from the Royal Academy in London, to study the works in the Prado, Madrid.  Early influences include the collection of Scottish Colourists and post war expressionist paintings found in his home town of Kirkcaldy's Museum. As a student he travelled by bicycle to see collections in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Paris and London. Post graduation, Peter won an Andrew Grant Scholarship which introduced him first hand to American art. Wyeth, Pollock, Lichtenstein and Warhol.  In 1989 he won the inaugural British Airways Most Promising Artist Award. This award allowed him to travel and exhibit worldwide for the first time. These experiences have largely influenced what and how Peter has painted ever since.