Michael Felix Gilfedder graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1970 and after a post graduate year at Jordanhill College of Education taught for five years in two comprehensive schools. In 1977 he moved to South Uist to teach art and design in Daliburgh School and later was an itinerant teacher in five primary schools and one two year secondary. In 2008 he retired from full time teaching and now divides his time between supply teaching and painting. He is married to a Benbecula girl and they have a family of four.
At art school Michael studied icon painting and stained glass hence, much of his work has been commissioned by churches. Portrait painting and calligraphy have also been a part of his art practise.
Whilst teaching much use was made of the great treasure of Gaelic poetry, hymns and incantations from the Carmina Gadelica gathered by Alexander Carmichael from the oral tradition of the Highlands and Islands. This gave the pupils many themes to work with environmental, philosophical and spiritual. In 1998 an exhibition of the pupils work including a body of Michael’s work based on these themes of Celtic spirituality went on tour to the mainland starting off in An Lanntair gallery in Stornoway and going on to Fort Augustus Abbey for three months. From there it went for a month to the Netherbow gallery on Edinburgh’s High Street, the Church of Scotland’s cultural centre is now refurbished as the Storytelling Centre. The exhibition in Glasgow’s Scotland Street School was the next venue and stayed there for three months.
The exhibition was featured in a television programme and Radio nan Gàidheal featured the exhibition with Ronald Black of Edinburgh University. The Church of Scotland them asked Michael to put on a one-man exhibition at the Netherbow gallery with the subject matter being Celtic spirituality. One of the paintings was bought by them and now hangs in their new Storytelling centre.
Michael has exhibited in many mixed exhibitions throughout the Western Isles and in a number of mixed shows in London with the society of Catholic Artists. Michael’s icons are only made for private commissions and his own personal work is now developing into an imaginative and mystical mix of the icon, the figurative and calligraphy. Michael’s works were exhibited all week at Talla Chidhe in Lochboisdale during Ceolas week.
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