George Melvin Rennie (1874- -1953)

George Rennie was born in Macduff on the 4th September 1874 and died in Edinburgh on 26th June 1953. An accomplished painter in oil, watercolour, pastel, charcoal, pencil and pen and ink, he was particularly recognised for his landscape’s especially of upper Deeside.

Son of an interior decorator and amateur artist, he served his apprenticeship in the family business which was involved in extensive work at Duff House, then owned by the Duke and Duchess of Fife. After the death of his father, he and his brother (John Irvine Rennie) sold the business and moved to Aberdeen. During this time he attended Gray's School of Art as a part-time student under James Hector, and the Aberdeen School of Design. He was already combining business with painting the seascapes of the north-east.

Among his commissioned work were a view of Birkhall House for Queen Mary, some large murals for a restaurant in Aberdeen, Jewish religious scenes for a synagogue and landscapes for Lazenby Hall, Cumbria. His love and knowledge of Upper Deeside and the Grampian mountains enabled him to paint this part of Scotland in all seasons, especially autumn. His work captures the contours and light to a remarkable degree. He also painted extensively in the West Highlands when on holiday, and in the Lothians and Borders.

In 1946 he left Braemar, finally retiring in 1948 to Edinburgh, where he died. He was survived by his second wife and eight children. Apart from exhibiting at Paisley Art Institute, he sold direct to the public rather than through the academies. A posthumous exhibition of his work was held at the MacEwan Gallery in 1990.