Erlend Tait is a Scottish visual artist based in the Highlands of Scotland. He grew up on the Black Isle, spending holidays in Orkney, then studied Drawing & Painting at Grays school of Art. Following this, he focused his attention on stained glass, or ‘painting with light’ and learned the ancient techniques of the glass painter-stainer for over 10 years.
From an early he’s been captivated by the mythology and folklore of the Highlands and Islands and many of these tales relate to anthropomorphic deities within the environment. As a result, much of his work combines portraiture with pattern and symbols such as mountains, clouds and birds, and alludes to themes of ideology and transcendence.
In 2005 he returned to the Black Isle with his wife, the artist Pamela Tait (with whom he also collaborates professionally), and now exhibits his drawings, paintings, and stained glass throughout Scotland and abroad.
“I can not stress enough, how much working with stained glass has influenced my painting…on many levels. I became interested in stained glass, while I studied drawing and painting. The combination of matte colours and finely detailed areas, separated by strong outlines, interested me as tools to create images. I love stained glass as a medium and have concentrated on it for years. It has helped me to understand that I am first and foremost a painter.” – Erlend Tait (Stadtgeflüster Münster)
