Annabelle Pelaez

I am an emerging artist based in Scotland and a recent graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art. My practice explores the shifting relationship between humans and the natural environment. Using layering, erasure, and preservation, I examine how ways of seeing reshape our perception of landscape. My work is process-led, developed through experimentation, reworking, and the reuse of drawings and studies. I focus on often overlooked details and patterns to reflect on human impact, ecological change, and personal responsibility. 

Recent Projects

An on-going project

Her recent on-going body of work developed from observations made during visits to Florence, Pisa and Bologna.

RSA New Contemporaries 2026

People viewing colorful abstract artwork. Installation view of Annabelle Pelaez’s 'Crimson Speckled' painting at the Royal Scottish Academy exhibition.

The works in this exhibition were developed through close observation of urban landscapes, focusing on naturally occurring and man-made patterns, alongside an ongoing questioning of personal responsibility; how everyday actions affect the environment, and what it means to record, use or transform what is seen. These paintings carry an intimate and emotional weight, having been shaped by the artist’s mental state during their making. Emerging throughout the series are themes of ecological fragility and the ephemerality of life. Shifting between micro and macro perspectives, the works reflect moments of instability, care and vulnerability, inviting viewers to consider both environmental impact and personal reflections on noticing, processing and responding to the world.  

Installation view of Annabelle Pelaez's paintings 'Pavement Prisms' and 'Crimson Speckled' at the Royal Scottish Academy exhibition.
Installation view of Annabelle Pelaez's 'Somwhere Above Ground' painting at the Royal Scottish Academy exhibition.

Scottish Society of Artists 127th Annual Exhibition

In 2025, she received the Society of Scottish Artists Graduate Award, recognising her graduating body of work. The award included a two-year membership with the Society of Scottish Artists and an invitation to exhibit in the 127th SSA Annual Exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy.

Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Show 2025

Eager to explore the potential of landscape art as a genre moving forward, I am particularly drawn to the overlooked and under appreciated elements of nature. Simultaneously, I strive to prompt conversations on pressing environmental issues which I believe are inherent to and inseparable from the concept of landscape today. This understanding has been instrumental in laying the foundations for my practice.

Installation view of original paintings by Annabelle Pelaez exhibited at the Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Show 2025.