Born in Saint-Raphaël in the south of France to artist parents, for Michie inspiration was everywhere. An avid traveller throughout his life, the collection of sketchbooks from this bequest serve as a visual diary of Michie’s experiences and observations. Colour was central to his work, his expert use of oils and watercolour capturing scenes from nature, garden compositions, as well as people going about their everyday activities.
In this sketchbook, Michie captures a variety of vibrant scenes from ‘John and Liz’s garden’ - the garden of his good friends and eminent Scottish artists John Houston and Elizabeth Blackadder. The contents of this book range from close-up studies of individual blooms (such as page 16) to scenes of the garden that capture a plethora of colours and textures that seem to leap from the page (page 29).
