Lines of Light, Letters of George Mackay Brown exhibition opening at Orkney Museum

On Saturday 4 April, Orkney Museum will open ‘Lines of Light, Letters of George Mackay Brown’, a new exhibition by artist Ian Charles Scott celebrating his creative relationship with the poet.

This exhibition brings together an intimate body of work celebrating the artist’s long, creative connection with the Orkney poet George Mackay Brown. At the heart of this exhibition are Scott’s compelling portraits - works shaped by decades of searching observation, deep respect, and a shared sense of place. These images offer a rare view not simply of Brown the literary figure, but of Brown as seen through the eyes of a friend.

Raised in Wick, Ian Charles Scott has forged a distinctive artistic path that has carried him from Caithness to continental Europe and eventually to New York City, where he serves as a long-standing professor of art at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. His career is marked by bold figurative work, rich symbolism, and a commitment to portraying the human spirit - a quality that has earned him recognition from major Scottish institutions, international exhibitions, and admirers ranging from musicians such as David Bowie and Moby to major collectors. Despite this global journey, Scott’s imaginative world remains deeply rooted in the people and landscapes of the north.

Among those enduring influences is his friendship with George Mackay Brown. Scott has often spoken of how Brown’s contemplative presence and distinctive worldview shaped his own creative thinking. The portraits collected here trace his ongoing fascination with Brown’s character - capturing the poet in moments of introspection, warmth, and quiet humour. They reflect Scott’s sensitivity to inner life, honed over years of working with people from all walks of society, from disabled students to high-risk inmates in Scotland, and later among the diverse communities of the Bronx.

Alongside the artworks, the exhibition presents a selection of letters written by George Mackay Brown to Ian Charles Scott. These documents offer a precious glimpse into Brown’s own voice - his reflections, encouragements, and musings on creativity and daily life. Read today, the letters enrich our understanding of Scott’s portraits, providing the quiet counterpoint of Brown’s words to Scott’s visual interpretations. They illuminate a friendship sustained across time and distance, revealing Brown’s generosity of spirit and the gentle wisdom that shaped his relationship with the artist.

Together, the portraits and letters form a deeply human narrative: the story of two creators whose lives crossed in meaningful and lasting ways. This exhibition invites visitors to encounter George Mackay Brown not only as a poet of international standing, but as someone who inspired, challenged, and accompanied Ian Charles Scott on his artistic journey.

“Lines of Light, Letters of George Mackay Brown” stands as a tribute to an artist whose work continues to be fuelled by empathy, curiosity, and connection - and to a friendship that left a lasting mark on both men’s creative lives. Now, three decades after his passing in 1996, this exhibition stands as both tribute and continuation. It reflects not only the images made of George MacKay Brown, but the values he instilled: patience, precision, and the alchemy of turning lived experience into art. As we honour the thirtieth anniversary of his death, these works celebrate a man whose influence remains quiet, steady, and immeasurably deep - an artist of words who helped shape an artist of images.