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ARTIST RESIDENCY AT THE STEEPLE NEWBURGH SCOTLAND
March/April The Steeple is a stunning studio and events complex in the rural town of Newburgh, Fife. It has 6 studios for artists, a project space run by local charity Steeple Arts and a flat/workspace for visiting artists. Newburgh in North Fife, Scotland is a beautiful town which overlooks the River Tay. It is situated just within the boundary of the Kingdom of Fife, 5 miles from Perth and 15 miles from Dundee. The Steeple is a prominent historical building in the town’s High Street which had lain empty for many years until Wasps set out to redevelop it in 2001. There is a strong community of artists living in and around the area who provide a warm welcome to new artists visiting the town. My Residency This location enabled me to appreciate the more rural outlook of this part of Scotland. The typography of the land rises steeply behind Newburgh, and thus you are able to have commanding views to the north and Dundee, as well as east and west along the frontage. The atmospheric changes are particularly dramatic, and visually significant. I experienced an extraordinary range of conditions from snowfalls when we first arrived to the gradual changes of colour and tone as we moved into spring. The town of Newburgh has a high street running roughly parallel with the Tay, and from this higher position you are able to get glimpses through street openings and vennels (narrow walkways) down to the river and the vistas across the other side. Close focus on architecture, open fields, ancient walls and ruins dating back to the 13th century along with domestic gardens and tracks underpinned the work, and formed the basis for my inspiration. Of interest was the extraordinary light conditions, soft, tonal and particularly beautiful. Quite different from the sharpness and brightness of the light in Australia. In the paintings I have responded to the feel of regional Scotland within a relatively short timeframe; however, because I had made numerous journeys back to this country, the more time I spend here, I feel the collective memory serves me well to build on these visual experiences, and attempt to express an individual point of view of this stimulating place. Please refer to images on artworks and studio page. |
EVENTS ATTENDED IN SCOTLAND
Dundee has a strong arts scene, partly due to the presence of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Dundee Contemporary Arts alongside a number of other galleries and projects.
Dundee Contemporary Arts is a world-class centre for the development and exhibition of contemporary art and culture. This vision is delivered by our staff through our mission, aims and objectives and is supported by key stakeholders. Coincidentally my visit coincided with an exhibition curated by my friend and colleague Mary Modeen, Poetry Beyond Text, Vision, Text and Cognition. www.poetrybeyondtext.org All the works are a product of creative practice, and commissioned specifically for poets and artists individually or in collaboration.
Mary’s website is www.marymodeen.com
I attended the second of three symposia, organised by AHM (Sam Ainsley, David Harding, Sandy Moffat) in different locations in Scotland, that provide a platform to explore perceptions of Scottish contemporary art and culture from the outside; http://theahmblogspot.com This time the location was Hawthornden Lecture Theatre National Gallery complex, Edinburgh. Keynote presentations were given by eminent Scottish artists, critics and curators who live and work abroad including Douglas Gordon, Berlin, Peter Hill, Melbourne, Margaret Hunter, Berlin, Thomas Lawson, Los Angeles and Dr. Jim Mooney, London along with video presentations by Liz Ann Macgregor, Sydney. The symposium began with a performance of spoken, one-minute personal manifestos by a wide range of artists, including Doug Wright([email protected]).
I was guest at the opening of a large exhibition curated by Sandy Moffat. Now in its third year, RSA New Contemporaries brings Scotland’s latest art graduates to the attention of the gallery-going public. Evolving from their annual student show, this exhibition of almost sixty artists serves to reinforce the Royal Scottish Academy’s commitment to supporting the best and brightest of contemporary art and design. It’s also is a good opportunity for visitors to invest in the future of British art, as most of the pieces on display are available to buy.This exhibition of exciting new artists provides an opportunity to see the next generation of art graduates under one roof, and maybe even invest in the art market.
I attended the opening of one of a former student’s exhibition. Ash Coates has spent 9 months living and working in Edinburgh. Ash was the international artist and resident at AXO Gallery during February/March (www.axolotl.co.uk) . The exhibition consisted of new paintings and installation work that deals with the notion of paradise whilst making references to quantum physics, graffiti art, cave painting and sci fi pop imagery.
Dr Peter Hill, a former colleague of mine who resides in Australia gave a fascinating public lecture at the National Museum of Scotland on Sunday 3 April. Peter is author of Stargazing, Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper. Published by Canongate in 2004, this book won a Saltire award for First Book of the Year and is a captivating record of Peter’s experience as a lighthouse keeper in the 1970s. The event marked the close of our Shining Lights exhibition, a history of Scottish Lighthouses. Peter’s website is www.superfictions.com
AHM are currently artists in residence at the Glasgow Sculpture Residency; http://theahmblogspot.com
Glasgow Sculpture Studios supports a vibrant community of professional artists who focus on innovative sculptural techniques and practices. This wide-ranging community are at varying stages of their careers, from emergent and recent graduates through to established artists whose practice is recognised at the highest level; from representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale, being nominated for the Turner Prize to winning Becks Futures. Glasgow Sculpture Studios also deliver a critically acclaimed public programme of curated exhibitions of new work, events, education & interpretation projects that enable audiences to engage with and learn about contemporary sculpture.
Sam Ainslie (member of AHM), and a co founder of Glasgow School of Art’s visionary MFA course had an exhibition with Roger Wilson at the Glasgow Print Studio, titled ‘Growth and Form’. She and Roger Wilson, Head of School of Fine Art GSA, relate their work to On Growth and Form, by Scottish biologist and mathematician D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. www.gpsart.co.uk
Additionally, I was invited to participate in the 3 Harbours Festival, the largest most diverse arts festival in East Lothian, Scotland. Now in it’s sixth year, the 3 Harbours Arts Festival has over 100 venues, over 100 artists and over 50 events. Visual art, music, workshops, tours, trails, literature, film, photography and drama abound in Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton during the festival week. Cockenzie Power Station has the largest annual mixed media exhibition of over 150 artworks in East Lothian.
Last but not least I attended a jazz event: at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath: Howard Alden & Jeanne Gies. Howard Alden, guitar (www.howardalden.com) and Jeanne Gies ,vocals (www.jeannegies.com). Two great artists direct from New York along with Scottish brass player Ricky Steele. Dedicated to the arts, Hospitalfield has cast a spell on artists, musicians and writers for over 100 years. Individual international residencies and groups relish its character, quiet ambience, tranquil country gardens and particularly generous studio space. Hospitalfield’s unique independence – some may even say charming eccentricity – gives it a distinctive niche in the art world where it has inspired a range of prominent Scottish painters including Joan Eardley, Peter Howson and Will McLean.
Click here to view:
http://www.waspsstudios.org.uk/live-work/the-steeple-newburgh
Click here to view:
http://www.north-fife.blogspot.com
Click here to view:
http://www.patriothallgallery.co.uk/the_gallery.htm
Dundee has a strong arts scene, partly due to the presence of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Dundee Contemporary Arts alongside a number of other galleries and projects.
Dundee Contemporary Arts is a world-class centre for the development and exhibition of contemporary art and culture. This vision is delivered by our staff through our mission, aims and objectives and is supported by key stakeholders. Coincidentally my visit coincided with an exhibition curated by my friend and colleague Mary Modeen, Poetry Beyond Text, Vision, Text and Cognition. www.poetrybeyondtext.org All the works are a product of creative practice, and commissioned specifically for poets and artists individually or in collaboration.
Mary’s website is www.marymodeen.com
I attended the second of three symposia, organised by AHM (Sam Ainsley, David Harding, Sandy Moffat) in different locations in Scotland, that provide a platform to explore perceptions of Scottish contemporary art and culture from the outside; http://theahmblogspot.com This time the location was Hawthornden Lecture Theatre National Gallery complex, Edinburgh. Keynote presentations were given by eminent Scottish artists, critics and curators who live and work abroad including Douglas Gordon, Berlin, Peter Hill, Melbourne, Margaret Hunter, Berlin, Thomas Lawson, Los Angeles and Dr. Jim Mooney, London along with video presentations by Liz Ann Macgregor, Sydney. The symposium began with a performance of spoken, one-minute personal manifestos by a wide range of artists, including Doug Wright([email protected]).
I was guest at the opening of a large exhibition curated by Sandy Moffat. Now in its third year, RSA New Contemporaries brings Scotland’s latest art graduates to the attention of the gallery-going public. Evolving from their annual student show, this exhibition of almost sixty artists serves to reinforce the Royal Scottish Academy’s commitment to supporting the best and brightest of contemporary art and design. It’s also is a good opportunity for visitors to invest in the future of British art, as most of the pieces on display are available to buy.This exhibition of exciting new artists provides an opportunity to see the next generation of art graduates under one roof, and maybe even invest in the art market.
I attended the opening of one of a former student’s exhibition. Ash Coates has spent 9 months living and working in Edinburgh. Ash was the international artist and resident at AXO Gallery during February/March (www.axolotl.co.uk) . The exhibition consisted of new paintings and installation work that deals with the notion of paradise whilst making references to quantum physics, graffiti art, cave painting and sci fi pop imagery.
Dr Peter Hill, a former colleague of mine who resides in Australia gave a fascinating public lecture at the National Museum of Scotland on Sunday 3 April. Peter is author of Stargazing, Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper. Published by Canongate in 2004, this book won a Saltire award for First Book of the Year and is a captivating record of Peter’s experience as a lighthouse keeper in the 1970s. The event marked the close of our Shining Lights exhibition, a history of Scottish Lighthouses. Peter’s website is www.superfictions.com
AHM are currently artists in residence at the Glasgow Sculpture Residency; http://theahmblogspot.com
Glasgow Sculpture Studios supports a vibrant community of professional artists who focus on innovative sculptural techniques and practices. This wide-ranging community are at varying stages of their careers, from emergent and recent graduates through to established artists whose practice is recognised at the highest level; from representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale, being nominated for the Turner Prize to winning Becks Futures. Glasgow Sculpture Studios also deliver a critically acclaimed public programme of curated exhibitions of new work, events, education & interpretation projects that enable audiences to engage with and learn about contemporary sculpture.
Sam Ainslie (member of AHM), and a co founder of Glasgow School of Art’s visionary MFA course had an exhibition with Roger Wilson at the Glasgow Print Studio, titled ‘Growth and Form’. She and Roger Wilson, Head of School of Fine Art GSA, relate their work to On Growth and Form, by Scottish biologist and mathematician D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. www.gpsart.co.uk
Additionally, I was invited to participate in the 3 Harbours Festival, the largest most diverse arts festival in East Lothian, Scotland. Now in it’s sixth year, the 3 Harbours Arts Festival has over 100 venues, over 100 artists and over 50 events. Visual art, music, workshops, tours, trails, literature, film, photography and drama abound in Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton during the festival week. Cockenzie Power Station has the largest annual mixed media exhibition of over 150 artworks in East Lothian.
Last but not least I attended a jazz event: at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath: Howard Alden & Jeanne Gies. Howard Alden, guitar (www.howardalden.com) and Jeanne Gies ,vocals (www.jeannegies.com). Two great artists direct from New York along with Scottish brass player Ricky Steele. Dedicated to the arts, Hospitalfield has cast a spell on artists, musicians and writers for over 100 years. Individual international residencies and groups relish its character, quiet ambience, tranquil country gardens and particularly generous studio space. Hospitalfield’s unique independence – some may even say charming eccentricity – gives it a distinctive niche in the art world where it has inspired a range of prominent Scottish painters including Joan Eardley, Peter Howson and Will McLean.
Click here to view:
http://www.waspsstudios.org.uk/live-work/the-steeple-newburgh
Click here to view:
http://www.north-fife.blogspot.com
Click here to view:
http://www.patriothallgallery.co.uk/the_gallery.htm
