Wishart was an Orkadian who had always painted. She was encouraged by artist and poet friends to attend Gray’s School of Art as a mature student. She then taught in Aberdeenshire, Lewis and Orkney before taking a position at Gray’s and moving to a cottage on Ythan Estuary at Howe near Tarty. It is with Orkney that she is most associated and most of her work is still on the islands. She had a studio initially on the pier at Stromness, which became the Pier Art Centre to house the collection of her great friend Margaret Gardiner. After a major refurbishment, the gallery reopened with a Wishart exhibition in 2007. Her home was at Heatherybraes looking over Hoy Sound and St John’s Head: a vista of fields, shores and distant cliffs which was her favourite subject.
We are currently looking for work by Sylvia Wishart, if you have any works you are interested in selling please contact The Gallery.