McLellan's inspiration for many of her paintings comes from nature. She paints pictures of plants, but she is not a ‘botanical artist’. Instead, McLellan attempts to convey the essential character of a plant. On first glance her works seem to be painted against a flat background of single colour, on closer inspection the viewer finds the background is made up of a painstaking layering of delicate brushstrokes of many colours. In this way, McLellan looks back to the strong decorative traditions prominent at the turn of the twentieth century in Glasgow, championed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Her work is also heavily influenced by Japanese art and culture.

Abigail McLellan, 1969-2009

McLellan trained at Glasgow School of Art from 1987 to 1991, and exhibited in many group and solo shows after graduating. Her paintings attracted much attention, and she won various awards, including travelling scholarships to Paris and America.
McLellan's art belongs to a long line of Scottish painting that continues through contemporary artists including Craigie Aitchison and looks back to the strong decorative traditions prominent in Glasgow at the beginning of the twentieth century and championed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Her work was also heavily influenced by Japanese art and culture; in 2000 she visited Japan. McLellan passed away in 2009, aged 40.