Art with an edge? No, but there is much to enjoy here

Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, who died last year, was a versatile and gifted artist who, along with her husband, the painter John Houston, was part of a leading double act on the Scottish arts scene for decades.

For aficionados, the subject matter of Blackadder’s work is well known: cats, plants and flowers, Mediterranean townscapes and still lifes all came under her delicate but intense scrutiny. A series of visits to Japan in the Eighties extended her vision markedly so that gardens and shrines also became part of her repertoire. She was a draughtsperson par excellence

Blackadder’s relationship with Glasgow Print Studio went back to 1985. The results of her many collaborations with its staff, including Stuart Duffin and Scott Campbell, form the basis of this show.

One of the earliest works is an etching, Orchidaceae Masdevallia (1987) — part of a series of studies of orchids that hark back to Blackadder’s childhood hobby of plant collecting. While not exactly botanical illustration, her light touch and observational gifts blend the craft of the botanical illustrator with the compositional expertise of the artist.

All of Blackadder’s interests are represented here in a variety of print media. Etchings of Venice and Rome (including their feline inhabitants) can be found alongside studies of fish and crustaceans. Fish Market — Venice (2012) is a kind of compositional stylisation of the subject that creates a still-life “sketch” that has real vibrancy. Her studies of koi carp in Kyoto show an understanding of Zen, where spatial relationships and the notion of emptiness are key.

For those who like art with an edge, Blackadder’s approach can seem saccharine. It is an argument that might be applied to one of her great influences, Matisse, whose proximity to the Second World War did not, apparently, have an effect on his subject matter. The same might be said of Blackadder, whose immense talents never focused on more difficult social or political issues.

That said, there is much to enjoy here. Art for art’s sake has its place.

The Elizabeth Blackadder exhibition is open until May 28, www.gpsart.co.uk