Rupert Copping
It was the artist Rupert Copping, who first had the idea to form an artists' collective in Skye and Lochalsh and he has been a dynamic figure in the group. Rupert is a long established painter living on Skye. He started out as a candle maker before turning to painting. His work is now collected world wide. For a number of years he successfully ran his own gallery in Broadford. He now paints in his studio in Torrin, where he lives. In the past Rupert was known for painting bright and colourful figurative work and landscapes. While continuing to explore these styles when the mood takes him, recently he has leaned more towards the abstract. Sometimes this abstract work will have a reference to the landscape he sees around him; at other times, however, he will paint a picture with no reference to anything but itself, and where the intention is for nothing more extravagant than a harmonious balance of colour, texture and form.