Louise Gibson Annand facts for kids

Louise Gibson Annand-MacFarquhar (27 May 1915 – 6 January 2012) was an amazing Scottish artist. She was known for her paintings and for making films. Louise was a very important person in Scottish documentary films. She was also a strong female filmmaker in a field mostly led by men.

About Louise's Life

Louise Annand was born in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her birthday was May 27, 1915. Both her parents, Emma Gibson and Walter D. Annand, were teachers. She went to Hamilton Academy, where her dad was the head of English. Her younger brother, Walter J. D. Annand, also went there. He later became an engineer.

Louise was married two times. Her first husband was Alastair Matheson. After he passed away, she married Roderick MacFarquhar. He was a secretary for a group that helped the Highlands. Roderick had also been a soldier in the Spanish Civil War.

With Roderick, Louise traveled all over the world. They visited many interesting places. These included Lapland, Cuba, China, the Faroes, Russia, and Barbados. Roderick passed away in 1989.

Louise had other hobbies too. She was part of the Soroptimists, a group for women. She also loved climbing mountains. She was a member of the Scottish Ladies Climbing Club. She managed to climb almost every Munro, which are tall Scottish mountains. Louise was also interested in the SNP, a political party.

Her Education and Work

In 1933, Louise started studying at the University of Glasgow. She finished in 1937 with a special degree in English. While at university, she also took art classes in the evenings. After university, she went to Jordanhill Training College. The art teacher there encouraged her to keep taking art classes.

After college, Louise worked as a teacher in Glasgow schools. In 1949, she started working at the Schools Museums Service. She was an assistant at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. From 1970 to 1980, she was the Museums Education Officer. This meant she helped teach people about the museum's collections.

Louise made many 16mm films. In 1965, she made the very first film about Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He was a famous Scottish architect and designer. She directed and was involved in many other films. But she also spent a lot of time on her art.

She first showed her artwork in 1945. After that, she had many solo and group art shows. Her paintings often showed empty landscapes. These were usually in less-visited parts of Glasgow. Her art style changed over time. She was influenced by a group called The Glasgow Boys. She also painted abstract art. She used different materials, like pastels and watercolors. In 1988, she published her own book. It was called A Glasgow Sketch Book. In it, she drew Glasgow buildings that were going to be torn down.

Throughout her career, Louise was involved in many art groups. She was the Chairman of the Scottish Educational Film Association (SEFA). She also led the Glasgow Lady Artists Club Trust. This group later became the Glasgow Society of Women Artists. She was elected President of this group twice. She was also a Vice-Chairman of the Scottish Educational Media Association. Louise was President of the Society of Scottish Women Artists twice. She was also a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland.

Louise was also a guest lecturer at the University of Regina in Canada in 1982. She was the Chairman of the J.D. Ferguson Foundation for many years. She was also a member of the Business Committee at the University of Glasgow.

In 1993, Louise received special honors. She became an Honorary Member of the Saltire Society. She also became an Honorary Member of Visual Arts Scotland. In 1994, the University of Glasgow gave her an honorary degree. She was also appointed an MBE, which is a special award from the Queen.

Papers about her studies are kept at the University of Glasgow Archives. These include details from Hamilton Academy, the University of Glasgow, and Jordanhill Training College.

Films by Louise Annand

Here is a list of some of the films Louise Annand worked on:

(This list comes from the Scottish Screen archive.)