Artists

Ronald Rae (b. 1946)

Ronald Rae was born in Ayr, Scotland and attended evening classes at Glasgow School of Art (1964-66) where he became a technical assistant (1966-68), before studying full time at Edinburgh College of Art (1968-69).

Rae discovered his passion for carving granite at the age of fifteen with his first sculpture, In the Beginning and has dedicated himself to one of the world's hardest stones for forty years. Working intuitively with hand tools, he does not use preliminary drawings. He cites Michelangelo as one of his major influences and, through his creative output which includes writing, drawing and philosophy, he tackles universal themes, his sculptures expressing his feelings about humanity and the natural world.

The granite, which Rae carves by hand, is quarried in Scotland and is over 460 million years old. The age of the stone links Rae's sculptures to prehistoric cave paintings, which he cites as another major influence on his work. He has commented that they are 'the wellspring of all art and I am part of that unbroken chain'.

Rae has exhibited widely in the U.K. and his work is found in public and private collections throughout the country. A major exhibition was held in Regent's Park, London in 1999-2002 and it was at this show that the Jerwood Foundation discovered his work. He went on to exhibit at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2002-2006 and at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh from 2006-2008. His current exhibtion of thirteen granite sculptures at The Falkirk Wheel in Central Scotland runs until April 2010. Rae is a Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors. He lives and works near Cramond, near Edinburgh.

Select Bibliography

Exhibition catalogue, Ronald Rae Sculpture, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2001.
Exhibition catalogue, Ronald Rae Sculpture Exhibition, Regents Park, London, 1999.
Exhibition catalogue, Granite Sculpture by Ronald Rae, Nunnery Square, Sheffield, 1994.