Fionna Carlisle's work is typified by bold composition and an uncompromising use of colour. In her later works, like this one, the influence of years spent in the Balkans and Crete are evident in the warmth and vibrancy of the colours. In this example of one of her figural group works, the whole picture surface is infused with an energy conveyed by long sweeping brushstrokes.

Fionna Carlisle, born 1954

Carlisle was born in Wick, Caithness, and studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1972 to 1976. In 1976 she was awarded an Andrew Grant Postgraduate Scholarship. Since her first one-woman exhibition at the 369 Gallery in Edinburgh, in 1978, she has exhibited in numerous group and solo shows in Scotland and London. In the late 1970s Carlisle's work was Matisse-like in its use of flat areas of colour and black contour lines, but since then her technique has become much more fluid. In 1984 she discovered Greece and lived for many years in Crete. Her paintings from this period are infused with the spirit of the country. The pictures, both still lifes and figure groups, are colourful, joyful works, full of energy.