Poppies and Irises, 2014
Dame Elizabeth Blackadder DBE, RA, RSA, RSW, RGI was a prominent Scottish artist, and the first woman to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy.
Blackadder's superb draughtsmanship captured the intricacies and delicate nature of her chosen subject matter. Her compositions were also careful studies in the use of positive and negative space, allowing each subject a dedicated space, she encouraged the viewer to notice every harmony of colour, and exquisite detail.
Blackadder was born in Falkirk, Scotland in 1931, and studied at Edinburgh College of Art (1949-54) under Robert Henderson Blythe and William Gillies. Whilst there she won scholarships to travel and paint in southern Europe and Italy. In 1956 she married fellow painter John Houston and, from 1962-86, lectured in drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art.