Rob Fairley

Rob Fairley was born in 1953 and educated at Edinburgh College of Art. After graduating, he lived in the Scottish west coast port of Mallaig before moving to the island of Shona Beag in 1975, where he lived what has been described an ‘hermetic’ existence. Living as much as possible off the land and from the sea, he focussed his attentions on making ephemeral land-based art. This work was recorded, for the most part, in pinhole camera images (the camera often being made from animal carcases) and was not exhibited until 2011 when Resipole Studios mounted a retrospective of his ‘early work.’ In 1979, he moved to a cottage in Alisary, near to Lochailort, where he still lives and works.

Fairley began climbing at a young age and, as an experienced mountaineer and guide, has travelled far and wide, with many return visits to Nepal. All of Fairley’s work is based on the land. Although very often not topographical, it always relates in some way to the landscape and weather, or to the geology, stories, songs and myths that this encompasses. 

In 1994 Fairley was seminal in establishing ‘Room 13’, which facilitates the work of young artists alongside ‘artists in residence’, providing a studio-based forum where people of all ages can exchange ideas, skills and experience. Originating in Caol Primary school, Fort William, Room 13 has developed into an internationally followed model, with studios all around the world. 

In 2019, his book Prinaka: a day sketching in Dhaka was published by Resipole Studios. It’s a deeply personal and moving story, which, alongside incredible watercolour sketches, recounts the chance encounter between the artist and a young girl on the streets of Bangladesh. It was an event that Fairley had, up until the point of publication, shared with no one, not even those closest to him, but one that would come to deeply effect the artist in both his life and work. In addition to this, Fairley has published two books on the Victorian artist and ornithologist Jemima Blackburn.