Elspeth Buchanan (1915-2011)

               Elspeth Buchanan was born in Renfrewshire, west of Glasgow and moved to Edinburgh whilst still a child. She was the daughter of Evelyne Oughtred Buchanan (1883-1978), a painter known for her landscapes who had studied at Newlyn under Stanhope Forbes, and had been influenced by her contact with fellow students Laura Knight and Lamorna Birch.

Elspeth followed her mother by choosing to pursue art, initially receiving a scholarship to attend the Edinburgh College of Art (1933-1938). She won a scholarship to travel after her studies and finished her artistic training in London, Paris and Germany. Early watercolours created whilst she was still studying show that she was considering a career as a commercial illustrator. Her early career in fine art developed in tandem with her mother’s, and they were both elected to the Scottish Society of Women Artists in 1937. Her career was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. She returned to Scotland and took up a teaching post at Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen. She continued to paint and exhibit alongside her other during this time, and had two still-life paintings accepted for the annual Royal Academy’s annual show in 1941, and was subsequently elected to the Society of Scottish Artists. In the same year she was recruited as a cartographer by the Naval Intelligence Division in Oxford, working alongside Ian Fleming for Rear Admiral John Godfrey (Fleming’s inspiration for the character “M”) in the creation of the “Naval Intelligence Handbooks” series. These books aimed to accurately synthesise the latest geographical knowledge and intelligence to help inform the war effort. The books continued to be published after the war ended due to the quality and usefulness of the information they provided.

At the end of the war Buchanan felt herself estranged from fine art. She had received tuition from artist Bernard Meninsky (1891-1950) whilst in Oxford, but still felt that a period of retraining was required. She therefore enrolled at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in 1946 where she was taught by Lawrence Gowing (1918-1991) and Victor Pasmore (1908-1998) who were both associated with the Euston Road School of artists who supported a return to naturalism and realism in the wake of abstract avant-garde art movements. Their influence on Buchanan is perhaps best seen in her portraits, which are perceptively personal in tone. She considered her time spent at Camberwell as vital to reopening her eyes to the art world. However, her mother remained the strongest influence on her art. Elspeth taught art in Essex before returning to Edinburgh in 1950 and joining the Scottish Society of Artists. She taught and painted in Edinburgh for the rest of her life, living, working and exhibiting alongside her mother until Evelyne’s death in 1978. Elspeth continued working late into her seventies, predominantly in watercolours, pen and inks, and continued drawing until her death in her nineties.

She had her first solo exhibition in 1972, at the Great King Street Gallery. During her career she also exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, New English Art Club, London Group, Aberdeen Artists' Society, Royal Scottish Academy, as well as the Scottish Society of Artists and the Scottish Society of Women Artists.