INTRODUCTION

Flight | Paul Bloomer

A 25 Year Retrospective

This retrospective by Paul Bloomer marks 25 years of work created in and inspired by Shetland, presenting a rich survey of paintings, prints and etchings. It offers an opportunity to reflect on an artist whose practice has become deeply woven into the cultural and natural heritage of the isles.

Paul Bloomer’s artistic journey began in the industrial heartlands of England’s Black Country, where the glow of furnaces and coal-darkened landscapes forged his early imagination. His studies at Nottingham Trent University and the Royal Academy Schools, London, gave form and focus to that vision, shaping an artistic language that is distinctively his own.

In 1997, drawn north by a recurring vision of a storm-lit sky, Paul Bloomer moved to Shetland. There, the drama of the islands — their shifting light, wild weather and bird-filled skies — met the memory of his industrial past. From this encounter grew a practice that draws inspiration from both the grandeur of the landscape and the intimate details of daily life. His art is rooted in direct observation of nature and people, yet equally shaped by a deep curiosity about place, memory and movement. Birds, landforms and shifting skies recur throughout his work, not only as motifs but as symbols of journey, transition and continuity — qualities that resonate strongly with Shetland itself.

For 25 years, Paul Bloomer has lived and worked in Shetland, teaching at Shetland UHI, where he was latterly Site Leader for the BA (Hons) Fine Art course. His practice has evolved into a meditation on place and belonging, exploring the relationship between the inner and outer worlds. The title Flight reflects these enduring themes: migration and change, but also stillness and reflection. Across paintings alive with colour, finely crafted etchings and prints of striking clarity, the exhibition traces Paul Bloomer’s artistic development and his ongoing dialogue with Shetland’s environment. Works from private and personal collections reveal a journey shaped by resilience, faith and the transformative power of nature.

Shetland Museum and Archives are delighted to present this retrospective of Paul Bloomer’s work — an opportunity to celebrate his remarkable contribution to Shetland’s artistic life and to reflect on how creativity deepens our understanding of landscape, community and ourselves.

Karen Clubb | Exhibitions Officer

Shetland Museum and Archives

Paul Bloomer, Fish Farm, Woodcut, 61 x 76cm, 1997

Paul Bloomer, Curlews and Snipe, Woodcut, 76 x 60cm, 1997

Paul Bloomer, Even The Fish Cried, Egg Tempera, 100 x 100cm, 1998

Paul Bloomer, They Came To Pray I, Egg Tempera, 61 x 80cm, 1998

Paul Bloomer, They Came To Pray II, Egg Tempera, 61 x 80cm, 1998

Paul Bloomer, Flight, charcoal on paper, 182 x 365cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, We Saw Them Fly, Woodcut, 182 x 61cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, Jonah, Woodcut, 122 x 122cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, Listen, Woodcut, 74 x 61cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, Flight (A Picture For Molly), Woodcut, 74 x 61cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, Fertile Island, oil on canvas, 121 x 152cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, View From My Studio, Woodcut, 61 x 76cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, Flight (lapwings), Woodcut, 92 x 122cm, 1999

Paul Bloomer, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, Woodcut, 121 x 182cm, 2000

Paul Bloomer, Fertile Island, Woodcut, 121 x 182cm, 2001

Paul Bloomer, Bigton Sunsets, Gouache, 60 x 84cm, Works in Progress, 2004-2006

Paul Bloomer, Birds, Lovers & Northern Lights, oil on canvas, 121 x 152cm, 2007

Paul Bloomer, Alone Except For The Sound of Golden Plover, oil on canvas, 70 x 100cm, 2008

Paul Bloomer, The Meeting of Waters, oil on canvas, 120 x 150cm, 2008

Paul Bloomer, David Danson Black, charcoal on paper, 84 x 59cm, 2008

Paul Bloomer, How Then Shall We Now Live, charcoal on paper, 182 x 365cm, 2010

Paul Bloomer, The Loch That Ebbs And Flows, oil on canvas, 121 x 121cm, 2010

Paul Bloomer, I Dreamt I Heard Geese Flying through Northern Lights, charcoal on paper, 182 x 365cm, 2010

Paul Bloomer, The Cry of the Rain Goose, etching on paper, 21 x 15cm, 2018

Paul Bloomer, Laverick, etching on paper, 21 x 15cm, 2018

Paul Bloomer, Valayre, oil on board, 121 x 121cm, 2018

Paul Bloomer, Migration, etching on paper, 15 x 21cm, 2018

Paul Bloomer, These Hares Drink Here Because The Water Is Good, woodcut, 30 x 42cm, 2021

Paul Bloomer, Gathering, etching on paper, 15 x 21cm, 2018

Paul Bloomer, Snowdrops, woodcut, 30 x 42cm, 2022

Paul Bloomer, Oil, charcoal on paper, 152 x 213cm, 2022

Paul Bloomer, Spirit Salmon, charcoal on paper, 152 x 213cm, 2023

Paul Bloomer, A Prayer For The Guillemots, oil on canvas, 152 x 121cm, 2024

Paul Bloomer, Water Song II, oil on canvas, 213 x 121cm, 2024

Thanks to Paul Bloomer and Karen Clubb for making this opportunity available to us. art-scot is delighted to share such an important exhibition with our readers. And don’t forget, the on-line experience is a pale imitation of the impact of seeing these huge works in the flesh. The show runs until the beginning of January! All images are the copyright of Paul Bloomer.