After marrying an architect, James Beattie Michie (1891-1959), in 1920, she moved to France, where she lived, raising her three sons rather than painting, until 1934 when she separated from her husband and returned to the UK. In 1949 she settled in Edinburgh. Until 1950 Redpath painted mostly still-lifes, such as The Indian Rug (1942), and Scottish landscapes. After this date she began to paint scenes of Mediterranean life, such as The Poppy Field (1963), based on her travels, adopting more vigorous brushwork and more intense colors. Redpath was an intriguing and complex character.
Although she had a strict congregationalist upbringing in the Scottish Borders, she developed a passion for Catholic architecture and ornament. She traveled the world and had a weakness for Parisian couture, yet she remained a committed Scot with strong left-wing views. These dichotomies in her life were reflected in her work, which combines the sensual with the intellectual and the familiar with the exotic.
Her paintings display an exceptional degree of individuality and masterly skill, and her use of color and contrast, shadow and light confirm her standing as Scotland's greatest woman painter of the mid 20th century and arguably, one of Europe's finest artists.
