Andrew Law

Born in the little Ayrshire village of Crosshouse in 1873, Andrew Law's painting skills were admired throughout his working life. In particular his portrait painting was in considerable demand. All eleven Kilmarnock Provosts from 1908 to 1954 were painted by this remarkable artist and commissions of this nature became one of his main sources of income. He retained a studio in Renfrew St, Glasgow until his death. He did not exhibit widely outside of Glasgow and the West of Scotland and the only record of a one man exhibition was in 1958 when he was aged 85 and as a result his true merit as an artist was never realised. A modest and unassuming man, he has been described as "one of Scotland's unsung heroes of the art world". 

His early education in the 1890's coincided with Glasgow's emergence as one of the new artistic centres of Europe. Patronage of the arts was high and with encouragement from his family it seemed the right time to enter into such a profession. Born, the son of a miner, Andrew was one of a large family, and their house at Orr's had earlier been the birthplace of Andrew Fisher, another miner's son, who had went on to become Prime Minister of Australia. 

Andrew's family moved to Kilmarnock when he was still quite young, his father now working in the licence trade. Over the years his father developed his business, owning a number of public houses in the town. Andrew attended school in the town and continued his studies in the evening in the Science & Art Dept. in the old Kilmarnock Academy. In 1891 he was awarded the National Medal for Success in Art and in the same year was accepted as a student at the Art School in Glasgow where he attended until 1896. The school's Director and Andrew's tutor was Francis Newbery who encouraged him throughout his education there. During these years the 'Glasgow Style' was emerging within the Art School. Andrew, his friend Herbert MacNair and two sisters, Margaret and Frances Macdonald were became known as 'The Four' or 'Spook School' because of their ghostly images associated with the Art Nouveau style. Although he was not part of this new wave the situation seemed to reflect all that would happen in Andrew's later life. He was always on the edge of the main stream, his painting style never reflecting the artistic fashions which shifted so frequently around him. Newbery recommended Law for the Haldane Travelling Scholarship, which he was awarded in 1896. He used this to study for six months in Paris, during the day with a young American Robert Henri and in the evening at the Academie Delecluse. 

After returning to Kilmarnock, he embarked on a series of private commissions including the portrait of Kilmarnock Provost Mathew Smith. It was during this time he met Elizabeth Wilson who worked as an assistant in Robertson's arts supply shop in King Street in the town. They were married in 1912 and moved to Jane Street in Glasgow, near the School of Art where their only daughter, Margaret Law was born in 1914. Andrew continued to work on commissions and he became a part time lecturer at the School of Art which supplemented his income and exhibited regularly at the Royal Glasgow's annual exhibition. By the late 1920's he had established himself as a portrait painter. Glasgow Rangers F.C. commissioned him to paint the legendary player Alan Morton, a full length portrait which was exhibited in Paris in 1930 and still hangs in the main stand at Ibrox Stadium. At this time he would still paint street scenes and rural settings in and around Kilmarnock and life studies, particularly of cut flowers, between commissions. He had a great love of fauna and would spend much of his time at Wilson's Zoo in Argyle St, Glasgow. Many of the animals and birds would be taken to his studio to study. One of his favourites was Nancy, the pet monkey who was a regular visitor, sometimes staying at the studio for weeks. She is depicted in the picture 'The Pet Shop'. In 1957 Glasgow Art Club elected him as an honorary member but was never fashionable enough for his name to be regarded as 'synonymous' with the Scottish painting tradition this century like many of his contemporaries. What he has provided is a legacy of images recording people and places painted in a style rarely seen today.