alistair smyth

Alistair Smyth was educated at Hawick High School and Perth Academy. Deciding against the acceptance of a place at medical school, he instead went to Edinburgh College of Art, where he studied drawing and painting under the then Principal, Sir Robin Philipson. Alistair went on to become a secondary school teacher of art, leading the creative departments at Plockton High School and, later, Lochaber High in Fort William. In addition to this, he was one of the most respected and long serving assessors in his subject for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Throughout his career in education, Alistair continued to develop his own artist practice. Now retired, he is able to spend more time painting. Primarily a figurative painter, Alistair has an eclectic approach, finding inspiration in the people and landscapes of the West Coast of Scotland, which provide the source material for his social-historical, religious and literary subjects.