Andrew Mackenzie – Within Trees

This winter, Velarde presents Within Trees, an exciting new collection of works by Scottish artist Andrew Mackenzie. This new series of panel paintings responds to woodlands near the artist’s home in the Scottish Borders. Each piece explores our complex relationship with trees, whether depicting Scots pines by a winter reservoir, a disused quarry, or young self-seeded growth on a building plot.

Abstract line drawings, sometimes subtle, sometimes bold, run through the treescapes, suggesting human-made frameworks that create tension with the natural forms. Colour is used subjectively to evoke both beauty and unease.  Surfaces are slowly built through layered oil paint and intricate marks, lines, dots, and dashes, producing tonal shifts that reflect a process of change. The work references the tradition of landscape painting while quietly challenging it, drawing on the artist’s direct experience, readings, and influences from both historical and modern art.

“Being within trees reminds us of who we are and where we came from. The word ‘within’ implies ‘without’. Without trees, humans would not exist, let alone survive. Our existence is interwoven with trees. They are not merely a resource, though they have provided a means for us to build and to keep warm since the dawn of human time. The biosphere, the air we breath, exists as a result of photosynthesis. We are in the biosphere, there is no out of it. Trees are a vital part of the lives of many living things, beyond humans. Our lives are within trees.”  Andrew Mackenzie