The Northwest Passage is a network of potential shipping passageways that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Maclean's artwork is rooted in the history, archaeology, and literature of the Scottish Highlands and Highland people, as well as his family history and personal connections to the sea. His art, which combines exquisitely hand-made pieces with found or mass-produced objects, strikes an equilibrium between simplicity and complexity, inviting the viewer to linger, admire, and contemplate the universal themes that he investigates.

Will Maclean MBE RSA, born 1941

Maclean, born in Inverness, trained at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen from 1965 to 1965, spending the summer of 1964 at Hospitalfield in Arbroath, Angus. A travelling scholarship enabled him to visit France, Italy and Greece in 1966-67. He studied for three months at the British School in Rome, where he developed an interest in archaeology that is reflected in his art. After teacher-training in Dundee he taught at schools in Fife. In 1981 he joined the teaching staff of Duncan Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee.
Maclean's art is rooted in his knowledge of the Highlands, the area's people and their history. Through his sculptures and constructions, using driftwood, found objects and carved items, he continues to record the history and traditions of Scottish fishermen and the sea.