The Gray’s School of Art Degree Show closed last Saturday and with that, a momentous time in my life was over. After 6 years (I took two years out of my Bachelors for medical reasons), I have gone through the whole process of having my own degree show and come out the other side. It was a very special week and I can’t thank everyone enough who made the effort to come and see the show, give their congratulations or buy pieces of my work. The response was overwhelming at times and very positive which was lovely to see and hear. The meaningful conversations with strangers that I managed to have about my paintings allowed them to serve their purpose; to connect people to their times in nature, and the sensations of being in nature that they are perhaps missing out on.
As part of the degree show, I was awarded the J. Gordon Brown Memorial Prize. J. Gordon Brown was an Aberdeen-based artist who painted large scale abstract oil paintings. These emotive paintings are abstracted from first-hand research through photographing the city of Aberdeen at night. Through his process, they are edited and
painted until the ambiguous shapes give you a familiar feeling or atmosphere. When I researched more into his work, this aspect caught my attention. My process is similar; starting with objective pen drawings of the landscapes I’ve been surrounded in and then slowly, through watercolour and oil paint, I depict an abstracted version of these experiences. I want to express my gratitude for receiving this prize that celebrates such a great local artist.
Looking forward, there are many projects that I am a part of, thanks to opportunities from the degree show. I will be updating this site and my Instagram in time with events and exhibitions coming up. I’m sure I’ll miss Gray’s but after six years, I’m ready to see how this whole thing works.