Originally from Glasgow and now based in Italy, artist Kane McLay creates powerful figurative work that explores the tension between beauty and pain. His paintings combine traditional drawing techniques with expressive, often aggressive, mark-making to produce pieces that are both relatable and strikingly original. With a multicultural upbringing that took him from Spain to Dubai, Kane’s art is informed by a global perspective on the human condition. His recent work delves into themes of materialism and obsession, using the juxtaposition of human figures and giant, sculpted flowers to critique our possessive nature. It is this unflinching look at the complexities of life - finding positivity in difficulty - that makes his art so compelling.

The Spark: A Global Journey to Florence

Gallerfy: Your background is fascinatingly international. Where did your journey as an artist begin?

Kane: "I was born in Glasgow, but by the age of 14, I had attended five different schools across England, Spain, Dubai, and Scotland. This multicultural upbringing really opened my eyes to the different ways people live and look. This led to my obsession with drawing the human figure. I even left a portfolio course after two weeks because we hadn’t done any figure drawing. I’ve always had this stubborn mindset."

Gallerfy: You’ve lived all over the world. How did you end up building your career in Florence?

Kane: "After graduating from university in Scotland, I won a scholarship to Florence through the Royal Scottish Academy for a month of artistic research. I came to Italy with the idea of trying to set up a life for myself here. I knew I wasn't really feeling living in the UK. I managed to find a job and get all my documentation sorted just before the Brexit rules kicked in. Now, seven years later, I’m still here. Italy is the only place I’ve ever been where I felt happy to stay for an extended amount of time. The color and the light here have really had an effect on me. I’m not getting tired of it."

The Philosophy: Flowers, Figures, and the Human Condition

Gallerfy: Your recent work features figures grasping giant flowers. What's the idea behind that?

Kane: "I’ve started combining human figures with these giant flowers I sculpted from crepe paper. Historically, flowers are a symbol of romance or innocence to be admired or gifted, but I want to portray them as an object of obsession that people want to possess. The figures in my paintings are grasping aggressively at these flowers, which represents our culture of materialism and wanting more. You can also link it to how we treat the environment - we want to possess and control it. But you can never truly own something; we're here for a finite amount of time and we waste our lives chasing."

Gallerfy: There's a noticeable contrast in your work between bright, inviting colours and tense, sometimes dark, subject matter. Can you tell us about that?

Kane: "The pain and difficulty in life are where we learn the most, I find. To celebrate this, I use bright, positive colours to paint with. When you first see one of my pieces, it's warm, inviting, and vibrant. But when you look closer, you see the tension in the figures; they're going through something that isn't actually positive, maybe even dark. This contrast is something I constantly meditate on - the importance of thinking positively during difficult times. The practice is a reflection of my day-to-day life."

“The pain, the difficulty is where we learn the most in life, I find. So to celebrate this, I use bright colors that are quite positive.”

The Craft: A Process of Destruction and Creation

Gallerfy: How do you approach a new piece? What's your creative process like?

Kane: "Every day is basically a trial and error process. I'll have an idea and get it on the canvas. If it goes well, I continue. If not, I absolutely destroy it and start a new idea right on top. My best pieces have maybe three or four failed paintings beneath the finished layer, and parts of them show through in the final work. It can be a very slow and frustrating way to work, but it keeps me interested. If I knew the step-by-step process every time, it would get boring really quickly."

Gallerfy: You have a very hands-on approach, even making your own canvases. Why is that important to you?

Kane: "Doing everything in-house is less expensive. I save thousands of euros each year building my own canvases and frames. The whole process of creating the work is very personal. The best technical advice I ever got was from the workshop technicians at university, not the tutors. That practical advice is something I use to this day."

“My best pieces have maybe three or four failed paintings beneath the finished layer. And from those three or four failed pieces, there are parts of them that show through in the final part.”

The Journey: Surviving the Art World

Gallerfy: What are your thoughts on the traditional gallery model?

Kane:  “In theory, it’s beautifully simple: when the right artist and gallerist team up and there’s a bit of luck involved, it can lead to something lasting. I genuinely love working with passionate gallerists. People who are fair, honest and truly care about the work. Those are the ones worth protecting and supporting. But let’s be real - not all of them are like that. Some are straight-up thieves. In general, I wish galleries were more approachable. Not just for artists but for art lovers too. I often walk into galleries and get hit with this weird coldness. It puts people off. Sometimes it even makes them nervous to step inside in the first place. I always try to encourage people to go in anyway, even if it’s empty. I really believe the more welcoming and down-to-earth a gallery is, the more people will feel comfortable engaging with the work.”

Gallerfy: How do you handle criticism or attachment to your work once it leaves the studio?

Kane: “I’m not especially attached to my finished pieces. For me, it’s the day-to-day studio practice that matters most. The process itself is what I truly feel protective over. Life throws so many curveballs that can interrupt it, I take those disruptions more personally than any critique of the work itself. The real challenge is just making sure I show up and prioritize that time in the studio. So when a piece is finally finished and heading out the door to a client or an exhibition, it feels like a win.”