About this artwork

Robin Jenkins was one of Scotland's greatest writers. McRae has painted him in a setting reminiscent of his home on the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula, Argyll. There are also references to his life in the East - he lived for long periods in Afghanistan and Borneo - and to his work. The fir cone on the author's lap suggests the title of one of Jenkins's most celebrated novels, The Cone Gatherers, published in 1955. In that work, innocence is pitted against evil, and evil triumphs. Loss of innocence was a recurrent theme in the author's work.

Updated before 2020

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Jennifer McRae

Jennifer McRae