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S C O T T I S HA R TS C E N E 100

Our 100th and what a fabulous journey it’s beento arrive at this landmark.

Each magazine has represented a huge amountof personal effort by the featured artists, theiragents, exhibition curators, gallery owners andjournalists and so this one is dedicated toeveryone who has made it the success it istoday. Our magazine goes out to many countriesaround the world. It’s read by artists, galleryowners, collectors and those interested inScottish art.

We’d like to thank everyone who has contributedover the years and that list is very long indeed. Ifyou haven't already, please take the time to visitour very popular Library and see thecontributions they have made. These magazineissues are constantly downloaded and enjoyed.

For this celebratory issue we feature some of thehighly talented artists who helped make ourmagazine what it is today.

We’re sure you will join us in thanking them allfor taking the time to help put this very specialmagazine together.

My thanks to everyone!

O u r 1 0 0 t h M a g a z i n e


India and SE Asia

G e o r g e D o n a l d

In this work, I have painted a scene from Udaipur: avillage girl in a bright pink sari draws traditionalRajasthani symbols with lime on a red clay wall ,witnessed by a young calf.

Born in India into a colonial family, I grew up in thegrey austerity of post-war North East Scotland.

These formative experiences of vivid geographiccontrasts, forged in me a strong sense of how smallthe world is..its accessibility, and the amazing varietyof its civilisations, topography, flora and fauna..and Ilearned at an early age an urgent desire for, and joyof, travel ... feeling both exhilarated and at ease indifferent cultures .

In the 1960s, now an art student on a scholarship fromECA, I travelled overland in a second-hand AustinMini, through the Middle East; Iran; Afghanistan;Pakistan, to return to India for the first time since I wasa boy.

India assaults the eye..an extravagance of saturatedcolour , a blizzard of sensations and unreserved,overflowing imagery. I studied for a while at VaranasiHindu University, and began to comprehend Hinduiconography and the visual symbolism of Ragamalapaintings. This, in turn, fed into my work. I beganemploying high-chroma colours and my personalversions of Indian dramatic visual narrative.

In subsequent trips to the subcontinent, I have beenprivileged to join in village life where drawing and walldecoration is commonplace...untutored, vital,unselfconscious, and a powerful celebration oftradition and belief.


China , Japan, Korea

This image is an impression based on notes fromtravels in China...perhaps the Li River at Yangshuo;the canals and gardens of Suzhou; or the " willowpattern" West Lake on Hangzhou, a city I lived andworked in. The mirror lake and cool blue hazylandscape beyond, are a far cry from the heat anddust of India.

Borderlands are fascinating places...where onenation, one culture, one society melts into another.In Nepal, and north of Kashmir, there is a hint - asuggestion , of the vast Chinese landscape beyondthe frontier. The urge to explore cultures furthereast was strong, and so, in the 1980s, with only achange of clothes and my drawing books, I landed,(with no particular plan), in HongKong, and took abus into China. Subsequent journeys by rail androad, river steamer and plane took me to many andvaried places in that extraordinary country. I wantedto change my palette (metaphorical/literal) andabsorb new imagery. Some years later I would visitagain as a guest of the Chinese Academy of FineArt.

On a similar exploratory trip, I travelled throughoutJapan, many years ago. I expect I had hoped toabsorb something of the studied simplicity of its art,in formal temples, raked gardens, and its highlyrefined artefacts. I doubt that ambition wassuccessful in my case, but, as fate would have it, Iwas to return to Japan many times in the course ofmy working life at ECA, meeting academics andarranging student visits to our International SummerSchool. It is strange to say, I have become morefamiliar with the streets of Kyoto than I am withthose of Inverness or Ayr.


Scotland

Here's an image very much in the 'Wild Caledonia'mould! (not too cheesy I hope). Two women and awaterfall..could be almost anywhere in Scotland. I liketo think the incessant noise of the cascade drowns outtheir quotidian worries to fill their minds with loftythoughts of nature and the human condition...maybe.

The old adage has it..'tis a fine thing to travel, but betterstill to return.’...I confess I usually feel a littlemelancholic when I contemplate the return journey, andwould happily voyage on. But...to return refreshes atravellers' perception of the homeland.

It is true that we inhabit a land of extraordinary beauty,with a breathtaking variety of landscape and a vigorousancient, living culture. My heritage brings togetherHebridean and Buchan strands; as a youth inAberdeenshire I roamed the hills and learned ahundred fiddle tunes; I worked with art students inEdinburgh for many years , and I have lived severaldecades in the Borders. I inherit a love of Scots musicand literature and am a proud Member of the RSA,which has cultivated, preserved, and promoted thevisual arts and architecture throughout Scotland for twohundred years, and which, today, works strenuously toencourage and nurture young and emerging visualartists.

I draw much inspiration from the land just beyond mystudio door...the play of cloud-shadow over the broadflanks of Lammermuir, or the trickle of a burn in a larchwood......sea spray on rocks by the shore..a distantshower of rain slanting from the bruised clouds overpurple Cheviot. And these immediate impressions mixin the mind's eye with those of far off places...with long-ago memories... so that I often find myself juxtaposingin a single painting, quite disparate images drawn fromwildly differing times and places...Through painting, Ilet memory bring geography and history (my own) andtime and space together before me to contemplateafresh, and I read back from the work, a reflection ofparticular journeys I have enjoyed, traipsing across thisplanet...

Traveller's tales. In all these images, characters inhabitthe composition. I still teach life drawing and anatomy,and I generally warm to art that refers to the humancondition, through figurative imagery and drama .


High Rock and Grass at Low Sunoil, 54 x 72 inches

L i z K n o x

High Rock and Grass at Low Sun is myreaction at a particular time to Cnoc anFhreiceadan/Hill of Watching or Watch Hillby Coldbackie, Sutherland.

A mysterious and dark rock dominating thesandy bay below, indeed a hill of watching.

Painting the landscape is not aboutreproducing that which I see before me. It’sthe sensation, the sometimes sinister evenworrying frisson experienced when standingamong the environment, the exhilaratingfear of the mighty spaces and dramaticshapes.

Of all the bits of land I have felt the need topaint, Sutherland excites me the most.

It’s personal.


Studio Aspectoil 30 x 42 inches

Studio Aspect isn’t a still life. I always thinkof still life as a deliberate placing of a set ofartefacts to be accurately recorded asarranged in view.

This is a collection of marks and objectslying around the studio. It’s about ideaspast and possibly ideas future. It’s acombination of physical and cerebralephemera, of definition and abstraction, todescribe a mood and interpretation of aplace at a specific moment.


Not Quite Dark Yetoil on canvas, 36x60inches

Not Quite Dark Yet is a story, there is ananonymous figure in the approachingdarkness. There are domestic/ personalobjects scattered around and there areflowers.

I had a scenario in mind when painting thisand I painted my concept. I think the viewermust find their own interpretation ofpaintings, there should not have to be anexplanatory document.

For me, painting is usually about thesensation received when experiencing asubject on a particular occasion. Differentoccasions of a subject can create differentaspects of that subject.


After Giotto: PresentationAcrylic on linen, 185x200 cm

2016

R o n a l d F o r b e s

I embarked on a long-term project entitled ABlind Man’s Dreams around two years ago.In this I am revisiting key periods of mywork, treating my entire artistic output todate as my sketchbook. I am referring tothis as a forward-looking retrospective. Theoutcome of this period of work will beexhibitions of the new paintings and films,accompanied by photo-documentation ofmy earlier art-works referred to in therecently created works.

The first series of paintings that wasundertaken in this project involved the workof the artist Giotto. When I was a student Ifirst discovered Giotto’s work work inreproductions in books, and subsequently,in reality on my first visit to Florence. Theeffect on me was overwhelming then, andremains so now.

After Giotto: Presentation is based on thePresentation of the Virgin at the Temple.

I found unsettling undercurrents in thesubject matter – a girl child, surrounded byold men and ”offered,” and I explored theidea of the vulnerable being observed. Ipicked up on Giotto’s use of isolatedelements of architecture, framed byemptiness, creating a kind of theatricalspace, which reveals the narrative to us theviewers. My painting typically collagesnumerous elements, all of which thereafterbelong to this newly established setting or“reality.”


Young Woman at a WindowAcrylic on linen, 137x117 cm

2017

The second series of works I haveundertaken in A Blind Man’s Dreams payshomage to another artist, Vermeer, whohas been immeasurably important to methroughout my career. I was surprisedwhen looking back at images of my earlyworks, just how many paintings I had madethat referenced works by Vermeer.Perhaps there are some formal affinitieswith Giotto – the spare but eloquent ”empty”space in a room and the sublimelycomposed groupings of human figures,architectural artefacts, furniture and objects.In my early works I often replaced one ofthe items depicted by Vermeer with an itemfrom life today, for instance a spinet with aTV set.

In Young Woman at a Window, whichalludes to Vermeer’s Young Woman with aWater Pitcher, I have re-invented the figure,played with ideas of the depiction of light,and attempted to use several visuallanguages together while remainingcoherent. I have also referred, with theinstructional arrow, to the plethora ofmaterial available that analyses thegeometry of Vermeer’s painting –sometimes in ways that I find totallybaffling!


Still from the film, Fugue2017

I am working on my new film, Fugue, whichshould be complete in December 2017.Fugue contemplates ideas of memory,identity and reality and fits with the thrust ofA Blind Man’s Dreams.

Fugue is a narrative fiction that purports tobe documentary in veracity. It tells usabout an artist, Dlanor Sebroff, whoacquired a reasonable reputation, butwhose career was blighted by a singularevent. Early in his career, he awoke withan astoundingly powerful image in his mindfor an outstanding painting that he feltwould give him greatness. As the dayprogressed he found, to his dismay that theidea was simply departing from his mindand disappearing into the ether. He wasnever able to retrieve the memory. This lossbecame seminal in all his creative output,and most of his personal relationships,thereafter.


Ceres and Proserpine102cm x 150cm, oil on canvas

2017

H e l e n F l o c k h a r t

I became interested in the story of Ceresand Proserpine after seeing an image ofWatteau's painting "Ceres" :

Ceres was the Roman goddess of harvest,Proserpine her adored daughter. The storygoes that one day Proserpine was capturedby Pluto and taken to the underworld. Itseemed if you ate in the underworld youcould never leave. It was discovered thatProserpine had finally succumbed tohunger and eaten some pomegranateseeds. However a bargain was struck thatshe could leave, but only for half of everyyear. When she had disappeared, cropsfailed and plants withered as a brokenhearted Ceres searched fruitlessly for herdaughter. When Proserpine returns, plantsbegin to grow again. Hence when shecomes back to the world spring arrives,when she retreats to the underworldautumn and winter fall. It is an ancientstory constructed to make sense of theseasons, of the cycle of life, death andrebirth.


Flight50cm x 71cm, oil on board

2017

In Flight, Proserpine is making her escapefrom the underworld. The flowers in thebackground do not simulate plants whichexist, they are crafted from my ownimagining. I think of them as pod like, asthey grow up they ripen and burst into whatcould ambiguously be flower or flame.


Pomegranates40cm x 26cm, oil on board

2017

I've always found pomegranates potentboth visually and symbolically. Redolent offlesh and sinew, their essence oozes lustilyfrom a burnished casing. It is an almostalarmingly fecund fruit.

Woven through the myth are my ownmeditations on youth and ageing, fertilityand decay, innocence and experience, andthe bond between mother and child.


Deeper than the ocean

J a m e s C o s g r o v e

I was asked recently, by a former student ofmine from my days as Director of First YearStudies at Glasgow School of Art, to considercontributing a single piece of work to anexhibition entitled ‘Fully Awake’ to be held at‘blipblipblip’ in Leeds. The premise is for 12artists (usually tutors in higher education) toinvite two guests - an artist who taught themand one whom they have taught. I was invitedby John McClenaghan, School of Creative Artsat Wrexham Glyndwr University, who alsoinvited recent graduate Lucinda Turner.

A cycle of exhibitions is being planned acrossthe country and eventually will involve 180artists over a two year period ending in 2018 inEdinburgh. I was instantly hooked on the ideaand interested to reflect on what (if any)connections could be discerned through crossgenerational teaching links. But the results ofsuch considerations will be for another day.

The large painting I made for ‘Fully Awake’ is‘Deeper than the Ocean’ and was inspired by amulti-media piece called ‘Flit’ created by MartinGreen and staged during Celtic Connections inGlasgow in January 2017.

The themes of ‘Flit’, it seemed to me, lie in thenature of the word - from its English meaningassociated with small birds moving singly or inlarger groups with lightness and swiftness tothe Scots meaning which is to move house fromone place to another - migration as in the caseof refugees, to be in transition, leaving a hostileenvironment for one of survival - and hope.While I made several related large paintings,‘Flit’, the album was playing continually.


Central Casting

This picture is the result of anotherinvitation to exhibit a small group ofpaintings in the Billcliffe Gallery in aforthcoming mixed show around the themeof ‘Glasgow’.

Rather than choose to depict variousaspects of the city within a fixed time frame,I thought I would merge known andidentifiable topography with reflections of‘spirit like’ or ‘dreamlike’ random images tocreate a tableau (or stage set) where iconicbuildings provide a backdrop to events thatstir the imagination and encouragereflection on a city in transition. Animportant sub-theme is the ubiquitousdeconstructed Glasgow Crest where thebell, bird, fish, ring and tree appear inunrelated circumstances.

The lettering on a ghostly presence of adefunct iron foundry indicates the trendaway from manufacturing to thecontemporary development of other formsof production, and Central Casting being atongue in cheek reflection on the growingstatus of Glasgow as a leading city forcreative expression.


Small Comb Paintings Panel 3

When making images with quick dryingacrylic paint, I use a variety of mark makingdevices such as off-set printing with tornpaper, ‘combs’ cut from card, the paintededges of random material, the wrong end ofa brush. These devices, and more, areused to develop ‘looser’ drawing and toanimate the surface of the canvas.

I keep these ‘combs’ and painted andmarked off cuts to repaint or draw on, in thehope that new images are formed from theotherwise chaotic, painted and irregular,random fragments, The results oftensuggest new pictorial directions and, havingno particular end in mind, I find the makingof these is therapeutic after the rigours ofmaking a ‘more serious’ painting. Theprocess is not confined to the studio andthe making can become compulsive andsatisfying. I am often surprised and a bitbemused by the results.

To date, I have made around 160 of thesesmall paintings which are mounted withingrids of 3 inch squares. Maybe one day Iwill get around to thinking about what to dowith them.


Dragons and LanternsMixed Media on Paper 72 x 52cms.

As my work is driven by my love of the visualimage and although I don’t set up an actual stilllife, but start by gathering objects togetherwhich have some sort of relationship with eachother, my primary aim is to create a paintingwhich has compositional harmony.

My method of working often involves manychanges as the work progresses. This, despitebeing time consuming, can be an advantage,as the layers of paint often add to the interest ofthe surface and paint quality.

I regard my still lives as interpretive, as Imanipulate spatial relationships with anemphasis on pattern and shape while still usingthree dimensional form.

In ‘Dragons and Lanterns’ all the componentsare associated with a gift of love. I started withthe cyclamen which has the symbolic meaningof lasting love and sincerity. There is a mythregarding the Lenten rose which tells us it waspicked by a shepherdess from the winter snowand presented as a gift of love to the Christchild. The Japanese use hydrangeas as a giftof love associated with an apology. TheChinese dragons denote strength of love and awish for good luck while the lanterns depict lightwith its association with the Light of the World.

These three paintings will be included in mysolo show with Richard Hagen Fine Art,Broadway in 2018

J e a n M a r t i n


Lilies and FragmentsMixed media on Paper 72 x 50 cms

When starting a painting my inspiration isoften plant form. I then make a start usingwatercolour. This can sit for a long timewaiting for the ideas which will enable me totake the work forward.

As I gather information and objects aroundme which may relate to the initial start,recorded images in my sketchbooks are aprimary resource. This includes drawingswhich I may have done recently or manyyears ago.

I started ‘Lilies and Fragments’ with thelilies which were flowering in my garden. Ithen left the painting until I decided what Iwanted to do next. During the course of thefollowing year I visited Venice. Theassociation of lilies with wealth andprosperity connected with my recognition ofthe past and present prosperity of Venice. Ithen decided to create the rest of thepainting using drawings from mysketchbook, adding images of fragments offabric based on the designs of MarianoFortuny plus various other Venetianartefacts . The hydrangeas were included tosuggest the desiccation of the buildings inVenice while the dried honesty is areminder that despite the passing of timebringing decay, the seeds of rebirth arealways present.


Heralds of the FutureMixed media on paper 70 x 50 cms

When painting, I am seeking to express astimulating visual experience. I not onlystrive with all the elements of pictorialcomposition, but my paintings are such thatthere is often a subtext to the visualaesthetics. These may suggest, throughsymbolic association, a series of ideas.

In ‘Heralds of the Future’ the red tulips areset in front of a winter landscape andrepresent the dawning of spring and thehope which accompanies the arrival of thegrowing season after the barren period ofwinter. The Egyptian lotus flowersymbolises birth; Simone Martini’sAnnunciation depicts the foretelling of thebirth of Christ; the peacock is the symbol ofhope and guidance. While the cross is thesymbol of immortality and the elephant hasassociation with good luck and longevity.

All the artefacts on the table representvarious promises of hope and new birth.

It is my hope that my paintings revealthemselves slowly, giving the viewer muchto look at and think about.


Out to the Shiants

W i l l i e F u l t o n

I moved to the Island of Harris 40 yearsago. In those days, my work was figurativewith the occasional still life. As a youngman I had been strongly influenced byGiorgio Morandi and his exquisite still lifeworks…the universe on a table. There weremany other influences too, far too many tolist, but I rejoiced in so many works, fromSoutine to Fred Cuming to pick a randomcouple.

I exhibited widely in mainland galleries andfor the past 20 years I’ve painted for mysupper.

I abandoned attempts at profundity manyyears ago, unlike the strange emphasis wesee now in art colleges, on getting the‘deeper’ message over. Sad that basicobservation and drawing skills are seen asless important. I’ve become obsessed withlight, cloud forms and expressing a senseof place. This piece is a study of the cloudsand light over the Shiant islands which lieoff the East coast of Harris. No greatstatement, merely a quiet moment intime….the sea and sky.


Island Light

Many of my works are painted frommemory of a passing moment. The weatherhere can be dramatic and the light can havea spiritual quality about it. Not in thereligious sense but in the deep sense oflight, space and atmosphere. Winter canproduce days of movement, rapid change incloud patterns and a very special light thatcan verge on the mystical. The sweep ofrain, the parting of clouds, the shimmer onthe water can produce a light show ofbreathtaking intensity. Then its gone. Thiswork is one of the many I’ve attempted totry to capture that very phenomenon.


Island morning

From my Glasgow, Springburn,tenement days, I now find myself theowner of an island, albeit small. As partof my croft this small island sits out fromour front door. I watch it change, in theseasons. I watch the otters and sealsaround its fringes. I watch as the lightvaries throughout the day. We facedirect east and have wonderful sunrises.However even on ‘ordinary’ days, thequality of light is wonderful. I paint it timeand again and this piece, simple thoughit is, is my wee fanfare to a newday….nothing profound… just as it is.


Pleasure, 2016Rapid prototype SLA and transparent resin. 280mm x 280mm x 280mm.

A n n i e C a t t r e l l

Pleasure shows the forms and pathways,within the brain, when a personexperiences pleasure. It was made usingFMRI brain scans that map three stages ofthis neurological activity namely: pre, duringand post.

The sculpture has been generated indialogue with Professor Morten Kringelbachof Aarhus University and Oxford University.It was first shown at the RA summerexhibition in London in 2016.


Making Sense

This installation was made while I was ACEHelen Chadwick Fellow based at the BritishSchool in Rome. Making Sense was a largethree dimensional drawing thatincrementally explored and eventuallyoccupied the space of the live-work studio.I fused together rods of 3mm glass and thisbuilt a rigid, but extremely fragile, structurethat was ultimately destroyed.


Electron Tree

While I was artist in residence at The RoyalInstitution of Great Britain (RI) I borrowed a1950’s Lichtenberg Electron Tree from theircollection of scientific objects. It had beengiven as a gift to the then RI Director,during the cold war, by a Russian scientist.

It was made of resin and formed by using asmall electrical discharge which whenpumped into a small pinhole access pointmade a complex dendritic formation.

I made a photogram of it in the darkroom,which not only shows the tree likeformation, but also the fine surfacescratches of how the gift had been handledover the last 70 years.


Memorial 2015

S t e v e D i l w o r t h

This sculpture was commissioned by a ladyto commemorate her sister who died overthirty years ago. My intention is thateventually it will find a place at the bottom ofa lake, a votive offering but for now rests onan altar awaiting its final destination. Theinternal bronze 'egg' contains personal notesand photographs and on the outside isinscribed some lines from and Edna O'Brienpoem. The external ribcage/carapace iscomprised of three bronze pieces allinterlocking.


Burn Water 2016

This piece started life as another sculpturewhich I threw out into the mud only to find itsome ten years later when looking forlumps of stone. I managed to re-carve andreinvent it as the object you see. The glassphials contain water from the burn whichruns beside my studio and the silver is heldin place by the glass.


Sparrow Hawks 2017

These hawks originally came from the overfull deepfreeze in the taxidermy departmentof the Booth Museum in Brighton. Theydate from the 1960's and had been frozenall that time. I had an exhibition there in the'90's and was offered these along with otherspecimens which could no longer be used. Ipreserved them and they are protectedinside bronze which I made originally in waxbefore the waxes were burned out. I lovethe surface which came as a surprise and,as I heated and applied patinas, they grewin revealing layers. They should be seen asa triptych.


"Keys of Affinity"One of the 5 marble play sculpture benches set in central Tokyo

K a t e T h o m s o n

Inspired by seasonal, solar, lunar and stellarcycles, my work is abstracted from the humanform and landscape. I explore relationships inphysical, cultural and social space to invite asense of play, discovery and wonder. Usingform and space to articulate light and life andtouch on something essential yet unique in allof us.

I work mostly in stone as it encompasses,geological time and allows me to create tactile,timeless work that can survive outdoor publicenvironments.

“Keys of Affinity” one of 5 Balkan White marbleplay sculptures, Otemachi Financial City,Tokyo.

For Otemachi I wanted to create anenvironment where people could relax andenjoy the company of others during a busyworking day. So I made an installation of fivesculptures that invite people to touch, sit andplay on them. I chose Balkan White marble forits warm colour, and cloudscape like grain.

The forms drawn from Celtic & Ainu keypatterns translated into 3 dimensions, zigzagthrough the space to imply a continuousconnection hidden under the surface. Anabstract landscape of rock, cave and waveforms; reintroducing the natural context we allcrave into this busy city environment to create asense of wellbeing.


Seven DaysReliefs on the outside wall of an eye hospital - the first building in Kamishi city to be restored after the 2011 tsunami

“Seven Days” Hori Eye Clinic was the firstbuilding in Kamaishi city to be rebuilt after theMarch 2011 tsunami.

I wanted to support people recovering from thedisaster and provide a rest stop on that journey; aplace to meet neighbours and colleagues,recharge energy and discuss ways forward.

So I made 7 marble reliefs on the theme of cyclesof time and nature to encourage people with theconcept of constants in life: the elements, theseasons. Despite its devastating power, natureusually gives us all we need to live.

In Japan, as in Europe, the days of the week arenamed after the major planets that affect our livesand encompass myths surrounding the forces ofnature, or the gods. The Japanese week startswith Sunday and (apart from Saturday named forEarth not Saturn, and Thursday named for plants)corresponds to the French or English names.

At the time the site, surrounded by gutted ruins,still had no street lighting. The marble reliefscatch daylight to make the area seem brighterand act as sensors for diurnal and seasonalvariations. After dark they are lit from above,helping light the main street and I hope lightenand lift people's spirits.

Marble is very tactile and provides a soothingnatural context. I made the reliefs to be touchedso the blind or partially sighted can read theimage, rhythms, moods and textures of eachpiece by feel. I also designed stone benches anda steel gate describing the golden proportionsused in the reliefs as a key for thinking aboutrebuilding.

Hironori Katagiri also sculpted a wonderful link ofbenches In black, grey and red granite for theadjacent bus stop.


“River Spirit"Project in Oatlands Square, Glasgow

“River Spirit” Oatlands Square, Glasgow

Made with granite stone from around the world:Portuguese Grey, African black, ScottishCorrennie pink, Indian Butterfly blue, and Chinesered.

I began my career working as a community artistin the Gorbals. I was so happy to win thiscommission to return to the area that first inspiredme to work on public sculpture. The designevolved in consultation with local people througha series of public exhibitions, meetings andworkshops.

The concept is making links between people andtheir social, natural and built environment. Themain goal was to create an open-air multi culturalcommunity hub - a focal point for events as wellas a place to meet and relax together.

As the pedestrian crossroads of Oatlands Squareconnects the beautiful meander on the RiverClyde, the entrance to Richmond Park and thenew houses the design was inspired byinterlinking meandering patterns in Celtic art andother cultures. The composition of sculptures andpaving translates these two-dimensional patternsinto three-dimensional form and space, tosuggest the fourth dimension – time.

The forms suggest air, water and earth. Thestanding sculpture characterises a water nymph,Clota the patron goddess of the River Clyde inCeltic mythology, or a swan rising from the water,representing the spirit of the Clyde. The playbenches signify the river and a landscape, andthe ripples of paving symbolise ever-growingconnections in cycles of life.


Incoming - Installation2017

D a v i d M a c h

I love this poster. Not a photograph but adrawing, of a place crazily hell bent onindustry. It was. Says so on the poster-"Principal Coal-Shipping Port in Scotland,boasting modern equipment ensuring rapidhandling"

Not hell bent but still pretty bloody busywhen I was growing up there it gave methat same sense of intense industry. This iswhat I should do...work on ridiculously bigthings, make huge amounts of effort,hammer away day and night, crack on, let'sget moving...chop chop, busy fucking busy,work work, bang fucking bang.


Nugget2017

I was completely surrounded by anyindustrial action you care to mention...Steelconstruction on a massive scale, Coal, stillking with big pits right along the Fife coast,Whisky production in factories bonds andbottling plants supplying world demand forhundreds of different varieties. Brickworkschurning out their building blocks andevidence of all that industrial activityeverywhere to the extent we had a bing, aslag heap of black residue almost coming inthe front door of our house, the noise ofhoisting cranes and rumbling furnacesensuring a good nights sleep every night,and dreams of excess and extravagance.

Dark Matter2016


Vessel2017

3 new pieces then, Dark Matter, Nuggetand Incoming all grow out of the cauldron ofmy mind fed by Fife and its industry.


Studio Window, 2010Acrylic on board, 100cm x 100cm

M o r a g M u i r

I think of my paintings as altarpieces orstage-sets. They are populated by symbolicbric-a-brac, where the viewer is invited tostep into the space and allowed to createtheir own interpretation of the ‘mise enscène’. I often paint studies of individualobjects that I collect as a pre-cursor to themain event, where objects are ‘auditioned’for parts in the play. The characters playout the scene on the canvas, often in stillmoments that are reflective of real liferelationships – sometimes awkward;sometimes tense; sometimes serene, lovingor celebratory.

Windows are a prominent feature in mywork as they act as a portal between thedark interior of the studio and theillumination and mystery of the outsideworld.


Red Rug, 2012Acrylic on board, 100cm x 90cm

I am interested in textiles and collect fabricwhich I occasionally use to dress my still-life sets. I enjoy exploring various paintingtechniques such as impasto, sgraffito andtransparent washes to achieve a sense ofthe material, whilst trying to avoid a photo-realistic representation of the fabric. I wouldsay this is true of all of my work. To me it ismore about the sheer joy of the mediumand the boundless possibilities forinterpretation and representation that thisoffers. In ‘Red Rug’ I created a windowwithin the fabric to introduce the spacebeyond the 2 dimensional surface of thepainting. This was simply an invention toarrive at a contrast between the interior andexterior world.


Endless Possibilities (work in progress), 2017Acrylic on linen, 140cm x 130cm

This large work in progress sums up all Ilove about the process of painting. Initiallyusing bold, abstract transparent washes, Ithen like to explore the negative space todiscover the objects and bring them into thecomposition. The subject matter is drawnfrom my immediate surroundings and isusually informed by a sub-text thatcombines life matters, allegoricalreferences, memories, journeys and theimmediacy of the studio where the workcomes to fruition.

In my studio I am surrounded by myfavourite objects and props, and can almostfeel that I am sitting in the midst of one ofmy paintings. Although I have a new easel Ioften find myself gravitating towards thewarmth and comfort of the radiator, where Iprop up the painting. This causes the paintto dry quicker – which inadvertently speedsup my workflow!


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