Iain Brady

Scottish artist Iain Brady studied painting at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen before spending 25 years living and working on the Isle of Lewis.

 

The landscape, wildlife and culture of the Outer Hebrides became a major influence on his distinctive work, which often combines painting with three-dimensional and natural materials including peat, sand and wood.

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Iain created two much-loved public artworks in Stornoway. His sculpture overlooking Perceval Square was installed after he won a competition to create the piece, while his South Beach sculpture, commissioned in 2004 and installed in 2005, offered a contemporary interpretation of the Stornoway Town heraldic shield. Created using fibreglass and resin alongside acrylic paint, dried peat, sand, wood and aluminium, the pieces became familiar landmarks within the town.

 

After years of exposure to the Hebridean weather, both had deteriorated and were restored by artist Chris Rutterford, with Iain’s support, before being unveiled in April 2025 as the first restored works in the Stornoway Cultural Mural Trail.