TRIBUTES have been paid to a Dumbarton-born artist who was one of Scotland’s leading and best-loved landscape painters.

Mary Batchelor, who was a pupil at St Bride’s School in Helensburgh, died in October aged 73.

As well as building a reputation as one of Scotland’s leading contemporary landscape artists, Mary was a leading member of Helensburgh Art Club.

Anita McLaren, a past president of Helensburgh Art Club and a close friend of Mary, said: “Mary was a long standing member of the club and one of our most prestigious members through her colourful and vibrant depictions, mainly of Scotland’s west coast landscapes.

“She was a lovely, bright, vivacious, person and she will be sorely missed.”

Though Mary Batchelor began painting professionally in later life, her commitment to the Scottish art scene was immediate and she was an associate member and regular exhibitor with Visual Arts Scotland and Royal Glasgow Institute of The Fine Arts and artist member of Paisley Art Institute.

She was also the winner of the Mayfest MacRoberts Prize in 1997 and the recipient of the Mackintosh Residency in Collioure, France in 2011.

The artist lived in many places, including Paris and London, but she was born Mary Robertson to her parents Jack and Rhoda in Dumbarton in 1944 and educated in Helensburgh at St Bride’s School, and later returned to the area of her roots with her family.

Mary’s work is bold, bright and full of energy and vigour.

She loved to travel and her journeys featured in her paintings. But the places she loved most were in her native Scotland, particularly the western Highlands and islands, which featured so strongly and captured the hearts and spirit of those who simply admired them in exhibitions or brought them into their homes.

Showing all over the UK, Mary gathered a loyal and enthusiastic following.

Mary’s love affair of painting began at school, where she excelled in art.

Her hope was that she would head off to art school, but, in the days when schools exerted significant influence over pupils’ choices, she was channelled towards a course in physiotherapy.

Although she did embark on these studies, it was quickly clear that they did not suit Mary and she decided to leave.

Over the years she worked as an au pair in Paris, an air hostess for British United Airways, which later became British Caledonian, and then co-owned a hotel in the Scottish Borders. During this time she also married her husband Chas and had her son and daughter, Charles and Amy.

Busy years of work and family kept Mary thoroughly occupied, but she had never lost her desire to study art and, once her children were settled at school, she began classes at Glasgow School of Art in the early 1990s under the tutelage of Norman Kirkham, Peter Howson and David Linley.

She also admired the Scottish Colourists, especially the use of light and shade, as well as their seemingly effortless, confident approach.

After her time at art school, she began to exhibit, often with friends or as part of group shows and she joined Helensburgh Art Club.

Her style evolved, becoming looser and more assured as the years went by, resulting in an instantly recognisable technique.

Although she initially painted in oils, she found that she was allergic to turpentine and she turned to acrylics, to achieve a similar textural effect. The medium also suited her in terms of rapid and flowing application which dried quickly, allowing her to work further in the moment, giving her the immediacy and spontaneity which she loved.

She mostly painted on canvas or board, though she did also use watercolours for sketches and a series of Italian landscapes.

In her own words, Mary said: “With my work I try to do justice to the land and sea which I see before me, usually in Scotland.

“They are my passion and the reason I never struggle for inspiration. It is Scotland’s ability to surprise, no matter how well you think you may know her, which has always amazed me.”

Steadily her reputation grew and Mary was soon attracting invitations for solo or two/three-person shows from multiple galleries – a particularly memorable exhibition saw her exhibiting alongside John Bellany RA at Duff House in Aberdeenshire.

While she sometimes found preparation for these big shows stressful, she never lost the thrill of being invited and the pleasure of amassing a suitable collection for each occasion. A great supporter of charitable shows and events, Mary frequently donated paintings and prints to help raise money for causes close to her heart.

Mary lost a long battle with illness on October 19, and will be missed by husband Chas, her children Charles and Amy, and her grandchildren Jack and Theo.