Brian McFie

Brian McFie

Brian McFie was born in Beckford lodge, Hamilton on the 16th June 1960.  His primary education took place at Gartsherrie Academy between 1965 and 1972.  His secondary education continued at Coatbridge High School between 1972 and 1978.  After leaving school he spent a year working in county buildings in Hamilton as a trainee graphic designer for the careers service under a youth opportunities scheme during which he prepared a portfolio for entry to Glasgow School of Art.  Whilst studying there McFie developed an already present love of abstract art.  Having discovered the works of the great exponents such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Klee, le Corbusier, Rauschenberg, Twombly, de Kooning, Mitchell, Frankenthaler, et al, the seeds of his devotion to abstraction were sown.

On leaving Glasgow School of Art in 1983 with a BA (hons) degree in fine art, he pursued a successful career in the music business as a guitarist.  Early forays to London in the early 80’s, cassette demos in hand, secured his first band the week of wonders a short term singles deal with A&M records.  Shortly afterwards he joined The Big Dish who toured extensively in Britain and Europe and released three critically acclaimed albums before splitting up in 1991, the Last Satellites yielding the hit single Miss America.  McFie then pursued a career as a session musician playing and recording with many artists including Craig Armstrong, The Almighty, Hue & Cry, Stiltskin, The Silencers, The Bluebells, Maggie Reilly, The Christians, Desmond Dekker, James Grant (continues today) and many more.  In 2002 he was asked to join Marianne Faithful’s live band for a world tour lasting into early 2003.  He continues to be musically active to this day.  Since 2014 he has co-written songs with Chanteuse Louise Reid, preforming and recording the fruits of their writing collaborations with Lola in Slacks, a band consisting Lesley Mclaren (drums), David Irvin (bass), Fi Shannon (keys and synths), occasionally augmented by Andy Alston of Del Amitri on various instruments.

In 2006 he revisited the discipline of drawing and after a few years of re-acquaintance with visual art, decided to take the practice seriously.  He has made a steady living as a visual artist ever since and has stated several self-financed exhibitions in the intervening years.

The path of his work has had the effect of revealing a deepening spirituality and like Agnes Martin, believes inspiration to be the great gift to the practicing artist, often identifying with her rigorous work ethic and citing her in having ‘no ideas’, thus space for pure inspiration.