Details

Name

Angus MacPhee

Brief Biography

1916-1997, Scottish

Occupation

Crofter; Farmer; Weaver; Craft Artist; ‘Outsider’ Artist

Description

Angus MacPhee was raised at Eochar / lochdar, South Uist as a crofter farmer as his father had been and spoke Scots, English and Gaelic. He learnt how to make ropes, pouches and harnesses from the marram grasses/muirineach growing on the island. These were useful for the horses he worked with and loved.
Angus became a soldier in World War II (1939 -1945) and was stationed in the Faroe Islands with the Lovat Scouts. It was there at this time that his mental health deteriorated. He returned to lochdar but was clearly unhappy and unwell on the croft. He was sent from there to Larbert Asylum. In 1946 he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent most of his remaining life at Craig Dunain Hospital, and especially Kinmylies House which was the hospital’s farm as Angus was happiest there working with animals and the land. There he would walk in the grounds and find grass, leaves and twigs out of which he made pouches, harnesses, ropes and shoes, waders, a cat and clothing. He gave no thought to preserving them once finished other than to place them under a hedge and create again.
Joyce Laing, an art therapist, met him in 1977 and collected his work as examples of his craft art and compulsive creativity. In the 1990s Angus moved back to South Uist, and lived at the Old People’s Nursing Home in Daliburgh.
Angus was known for his silence. He would not speak. However, Joyce Laing was able to persuade Angus to sign a document to allow her to take his art with her and add to her Art Extraordinary collection. It was the first time that the hospital staff were made aware that he understood what they were saying as he had not replied to any attempted conversations.