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Pottinger, Frank, RSA

1932 – 2022

Pottinger's working life started as a fitter apprentice in an engineering firm. He served his National Service in the Army, returning to the trade and to three years of further education whilst preparing for entrance to Edinburgh College of Art where he studied sculpture (1958 -1963). Awarded a post-diploma scholarship he travelled to Greece and Turkey. From 1973 until 1985 he lectured in art at Aberdeen College of Education alongside Fredrick Bushe RSA and Barbara Rae CBE RA RSA. After 1985, he became a full-time artist concentrating upon large wooden abstract sculptures, ceramic pieces and constructed prints.. He exhibited at the RSA since 1974, he became an Associate Member of the RSA in 1979 and an Academician in 1991. He married his ECA contemporary Pat Semple RSW in 1970 but later divorced in 1989 after which Semple became the second wife of Derek Clarke RSA RSW. Between 1988 and 2002 he served on various committees including Kinross Scholarship Committee, as RSA Governor of ECA, Finance Committee, Nasmyth Fund and Spalding Fund Committee, Member of Council, Diploma Collection Committee and RSA representative on the National Trust for Scotland Council. In 2003 he was Convenor for Sculpture during the 177th Annual Exhibition, plus serving on the Hanging and Arrangement committees of the Annual and Student Exhibitions on several occasions. He was the winner of many awards and residencies. He was a member of the SSA and exhibited widely in the UK and abroad. In 1991 he was involved in a series of sculpture workshops organized by Arthur Watson PPRSA to run in tandem with NGS EIF exhibition Virtue and Vision.



An image from the RSA collection.