Biography

Considering that Donald Buyer’s work is held in so many collections and of such a good calibre, it seems somewhat incongruous that he is not more widely known. On the other hand, all collectors love a hidden gem, and this artist is certainly one of those! His paintings, mainly in rendered in oils and watercolours capture something of the landscape which few people see; beauty in it’s desolation and splendour in its isolation. There is a fluidity and refined grandeur which places him above other artists who work in the same mediums and subjects.

Sometimes it seems that a person is destined to paint because of their background, it is something which is in the genes. Buyers is similar to this except the artistry missed his parents generation and comes instead from his maternal grandfather, William Stewart, who was a prominent figure within the Royal Academy annual exhibitions. Not to be outdone, on his father’s side there is a link with the famous Scottish etcher James McBey. As well as having these family connections, Buyers was lucky enough during his training to come under the tutelage of Charles Hemmingway whilst at Aberdeen Grammar School, and later Robert Sivell RSA at Gray’s School of Art (1948-51).

As much as Buyer’s excelled as an artist he also had a reputation as an excellent teacher. He held posts at Robert Gordon’s Institute of Technology between 1964and 1985 and then later at Gray’s School of Art. During most of this period he was a regular contributor to most of the major exhibitions in Scotland, and his work is represented in the Duke of Edinburgh's collection and in many public and private collections in this country and abroad. Donald Buyers was selected to the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour in 1973.

His solo exhibitions include most of the prominent galleries throughout Scotland and the ABBO group showed throughout Europe during the same period. There are many public examples of his work held by institutions and trusts such as the Arts council of Great Britain; Art Gallery and Museum, Aberdeen; International Business Machines, London; School Pictures Library, Leeds; Medical Centre, University of Colorado, U.S.A. and Royal Edinburgh Hospitals.