Formation by Margaret Carslaw | Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine Harbourside | Open Wednesday - Saturday (9.30am -4.30pm) until Saturday 22 August 2026.
Our Main Galleries has welcomed burst of colour, intrigue and vibrancy this summer thanks to much-loved local artist, Margaret Carslaw...
Based at Courtyard Studios in an inspiring space with beautiful scenic seaside views, Margaret Carslaw is anything but the traditional coastal landscape artist you might expect!
After raising her children and deciding to go to Glasgow School of Art at the age of 50, Margaret has over three decades of creative experience and art practice to share…
Better yet, her work is expansive and huge with her latest exhibition promising a feast for the eyes across a host of super largescale canvases.
Looking forward to returning to the HAC with her ‘Formation’ exhibition, artist Margaret shares: “I read somewhere, if you want to live a long life, become an artist. I may be living proof as this year
I’ll be 89! I have a deep history with the Harbour Arts Centre going back to the 1980’s when it was a community led organisation, so to have a solo show on my doorstep, with my studio next door at the Courtyard, feels just like home.”
When asked about her creative process, Margaret explains: “I studied at Glasgow School of Art on the BA (Hons) Fine Art course. This transformed everything; my practice, my ambitions and my thought process.
“This is where I started painting on large scale canvases. I loved every moment of it, even the criticism and the challenges - being an artist isn’t easy, it takes courage. Also it’s never too late - I became a student when my children left home, so if you have artistic ambitions do not let age hold you back. Aging is positive!”
With free entry and artworks on display available for purchase, Formation in the HAC’s Main Galleries is an immersive journey into Margaret’s creative process where ideas begin, how they evolve and why a finished painting never ends.
The exhibition will take place from Friday 10 July until Saturday 22 August 2026.
Margaret invites you to step into her beautiful ordinary, the abstract natural world, seen through her powerful large-scale oil paintings accompanied by original source material, drawings, sketches and the written word.
Large expansive canvases in a host of punchy and perfectly imperfect styles will offer viewers the chance to have a moment to breathe in nature and look beyond.
Find out more in the news release: https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/.../reset-and-re...
