Monday, June 07, 2010

Cathy Peattie, the "singing politician" opens our exhibition


Cathy Peattie , MSP, ( bold pattern) with members of the Forth Valley Open Studios committee.


Lys Hansen, chair of Forth Valley Open Studios, with Avril Nicol, Project Co-ordinator
Well it's done!
We have just had the official opening of the first ever Forth Valley Open Studios "taster exhibition" with over 100 participating artists less than six months since we had the idea....and all without any official grant.

This is a totally artist-led initiative, something that the "singing MSP" Cathy Peattie made mention of in her introduction .
Then she sang "Bread and Roses" - to great acclaim.

But we couldn't have done it without a lot of support especially from Craig McKechnie at Delta Studios and Avril Nicol, who acted as our Volunteer Coordinator on the project and, of course, endless support from Gill and Dave Hunt of Perthshire Open Studios on whom we modelled the whole project even using their designer, Rosy Naylor from Edinburgh.

Cathy Peattie singing


(Video -Ann Shaw, photographs - Karen Howard)

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios - June

Countdown to launch on Friday. Everything going to plan. Cathy Peattie, MSP, will sing for us to officially launch Forth Valley Open Studios- apaprently she has an amazing voice.

It is appropriate that Cathy will do the opening because her background is in the voluntary sector where she has played a major role in the community.
Check her out at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/cathy_peattie/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Cathy Peattie, MSP- gallery opening

Life has been so hectic recently that have not had time to update my blog.
Cathy Peattie, MSP for Grangemouth, has agreed to open the launch exhibition for Forth Valley Open Studios on June 4th in Delta Studios.

We regard this as something of a coup - especially as she has agreed to sing at the event too!

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Screenprinting- Glasgow Print Studio





Screenprint right. Original image (left) created on iPhone and printed out as a photograph.


Where is the delete button? I have just completed a weekend screen printing course at Glasgow Print Studio and on more than one occasion I found myself automatically looking for the delete button - I work digitally - so it was something of a novel experience to be dabbling in this ancient technology invented thousands of years ago by the Chinese.


Yes I love screen prints but I found myself asking: why can't this be done digitally? and of course to a certain extent it can. The hand made print is superior to the machine made one but ... I remain unconvinced that it is for me.

What finally convinced me was that towards the end of the two day course I was about to print my fourth colour and accidentally picked up a squeegee left by previous student who
asked to take my place in the queue ("I will be very quick" he promised but of course he wasn't -).
The result? You've guessed - he had red paint on his squeegee, which turned my yellow into a burnt orange..
And there was no going back.
If only there had been a delete button…

Friday, April 30, 2010

Short list - medical book award



Carole Reeves and Ann Shaw taken in Carole's office at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of medicine, UCL


Well, we didn't win an award for the "Children of Craig-y-nos" but, along with four other runners-up, we received a certificate
commending us "for excellence in communicating medical and health information in a book for the lay reader".

The prize was awarded to "Medic: saving lives - from Dunkirk to Afghanistan by John Nichol and tony Rennell - a very worthy winner.

The Open Book Awards are given every year by the Medical Journalists Association.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Children of Craig-y-nos on shortlist - book award


“ A powerful story told in words and pictures assembled from first-hand accounts…reveals shocking details of children’s lives in a Welsh TB hospital.”

That’s what the judges say about “Children of Craig-y-nos”.

Well, I guess I never thought of it in that light. To me who spent four years in Craig-y-nos as a child it seemed normal. I didn’t know anything else.

It is only now with a distance of more than 50 years I realise in writing this book, along with Carole Reeves, that it was far from normal.

There are five books short-listed for the Open Book Award and the winner will be announced on Tuesday evening at a special presentation to be held at the Wellcome Foundation.

The others on the shortlist ( General readership, category) include “Manufacturing Depression, the secret history of a modern disease” by Gary Greenberg, “An Infinity of things: how Sir Henry Wellcome collected the world” by Frances Larson and “Medic: saving lives – from Dunkirk to Afghanistan” by John Nichol and Tony Rennell.

So you see the field is very strong…the miracle is that we have even got as far as the short-list!

I will be travelling by train from Scotland to London tomorrow…

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios - June


iPhone drawing

Great spread in local paper - Wee Country News of our Forth Valley Open Studios.


This is a weekly freesheet and it updates its site tomorrow so will put a link in then.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Music pets - way of the future?

Are music pets that you train to go and fetch you favourite music the way forward? check out this new app.reviewed in Wired magazine.

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/virtual-worlds-real-money-can-social-games-solve-musics-woes?

It says:
"The goal of Music Pets is to entertain a virtual pet by training it to like the music you like, then using points to send the pet out to find more music to add to your collection. It sounds silly, but this cartoon-ish virtual world includes every element of the real-world music experience: getting recommendations, deciding whether you like songs, collecting music, and going over to your friends’ “houses” to play songs from your collection, which, as with just about everything else, requires that you expend points."

Read More http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/virtual-worlds-real-money-can-social-games-solve-musics-woes?#ixzz0kymgA5bI

Monday, April 12, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios - June

Phew!...our brochure is almost ready for the printers. It has been a steep leaning curve! What started as an idea between a group of friends at Christmas time has snowballed into a major arts event for the Forth Valley - by the way some folk don't know where that it . We are between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Now we are going to start on the publicity and promotion for it....watch this space.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Book award- short list

I have just heard that our book "TheChildren of Craig-y-nos" which I co-authored with Dr Carole Reeves, has been shortlisted for the annual medical journalists book awards.

Winner to be announced at a special reception in London on April 27th.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Stirling arts festival

How about this for a piece fo serendipity- our first Forth Valley Open Studios project coincides with the first joint Stirling /Galway Arts Festival in June.

Watch this space.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

World TB Day -"The Children of Craig-y-nos"

My co-author Dr Carole Reeves ( Outreach Historian with the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine UCL), will be talking this afternoon on the search for the lost children of Craig-y-nos as part of UCL seminar to commemorate World TB Day.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios - June

We visited our designer in Edinburgh on Monday and handed over all our information for the Forth Valley Open Studios brochure- on two digital sticks! Once upon a time...well a year or maybe two years ago this would have involved huge folders and required a bulky briefcase , even a suitcase, to transport all the information.
Today the stick slips into my handbag next to my iPhone...such is the changing work environment.

We have all been astonished at the response - nearly a 100 entries, thats well over 100 artists.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Scion House exhibition


"Joy" iPhone art

It is always a bit sad to take an exhibition down though this one has been up for over five weeks. Feedback has been good though little sold. Part of the problem is that people are reluctant to pay money for something they see that has been through a computer even though you are using the same thinking process as if you were doing it physically.

The question is: what to do with the work? it is currently stored in the spare bedroom....maybe ought to sell it on E-bay? only joking.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Scion House exhibition

Just heard my Iphoto pix are selling at the exhibition but have not got the time to promote my work there because of all my work with Forth Valley Open Studios.

Fortunately I have had good coverage in the local newspapers because of the novelty of work drawn on an Iphone!

These are some photos taken at the private viewing by Karen Howard
Karen Howard with some of my iPhotos






Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Exhibition opening- Scion House


"Strength" created on iPhone


Delighted to see over 40 people turn up last Sunday afternoon to my exhibition opening at Scion House, Stirling University Innovation Park.

Many were intrigued with the iPhone pix but sales were nil.

The following conversation was overheard:
"I like the work and I would buy it if it was the original."
"But the original is in the computer."

So were does this leave digital artists?

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Art Goes mobile- Scion House



Frank Sullivan, PR for Stirling University's Innovation Park, has just issued the following press release about my upcoming exhibition.



" The first art exhibition in the UK to feature works created on a mobile phone will staged at Stirling University Innovation Park.

The 21st century medium has been used by digital artist and writer Ann Shaw as a means of expressing her artistic vision.

A former journalist and graduate of the Glasgow School of Art Ann downloaded software to her iPhone that allowed her to develop her innovative style of art.


( Caption: "Dancer" created on IPhone "Brushes" app on train to Edinburgh)

A self confessed computer buff she has embraced the technology of the cyber world in the pursuit of art.

Ann, who spent more than 20 years as a staff writer for The Herald in Glasgow, has more that 60 short films on Youtube and can be found on Face Book and Twitter.

She is also a ‘blogger’ with her online Diary of Artist only a click away at www.annshaw.net.

Her first solo exhibition entitled The Journey will run at Scion House on Stirling University Innovation Park from February 8 till March 14.

It will include 30 of her colourful iPhone creations one of which ‘The Dancer’ was produced in four minutes as she travelled on the train to Edinburgh!



Ann has firm views on the perception and accessibility of art: “Art is so elitist and it shouldn’t be. What I like about this technology is that it frees it up and breaks down the barriers because it’s accessible, it’s cheap and it’s fun. You don’t have to be in a studio. It’s art on the go.”

“I’m delighted to be staging my first solo exhibition in such an innovative setting and being part of a project that supports local artists.”

The Journey Exhibition is part of an initiative called Art on the Park introduced to encourage local artists, giving them an opportunity to showcase their work.

The highly successful project was established four years ago as part of the Innovation Park’s outreach to the local community.

Lynn Blaikie the Innovation Park’s Operations and Business Development Manager, said:”Art and Innovation have gone hand in hand from time immemorial. It’s very fitting therefore that Ann’s innovative creative style using the most modern mobile communication technology should be staged here on the Innovation Park. I hope it will attract great interest, not only because it’s the first exhibition of its kind, but because it showcases a new art form that is accessible to everyone.”

Monday, February 01, 2010

Iphone and Ipad




Walking in the Scottish Highlands yesterday I decided to find out how Andy Murray had got on in the Australian Open.
So I googled it on my Iphone .

Next week I have an exhibition opening in Scion House, part of Stirling University's Innovation Park and a big chunk of the exhibition has been created on my ...Iphone.

It goes without saying I can't wait to get my hands on the Ipad.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios - June

A date has been set for the Forth Valley Open Studios - 12- 20th June.

This follows Saturday's meeting in Stirling where we formally constituted ourselves and formed a committee.

Tremendous enthusiasm from everyone concerned with the project.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Changing world of work- Twitter

Had yet another example this morning of how fast the world of work is changing.
I rang a printer in Oxford for a quote ( I am in Scotland) and I was asked for the web-site for Forth Valley Open Studios. Explained it was under constuction because we had only just registered the domain name and there was a silence the other end.
Then she said:
"Oh thats OK I have found you on Twitter."

Monday, January 25, 2010

Photos from public meeting - Forth Valley Open Studios


Angela Beardsley chairs the public meeting in Alloa for the Forth Valley Open Studios




Chair of Perthshsire Open Studios, David Murton ( with beard) with members of the audience.

(Photos courtesy of Karen Howerd)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios-Alloa public meeting

We held a public meeting in Alloa to "test the water" to see if there was any public interest in holding a Forth Valley Open Studios 2010- and we were delighted to find over 50 turned up!

Not bad for a mid-week January night in central Scotland. A lot of this was due to the publicity we had in the local papers, support of Kathleen ONeill the Cultural Planner for Alloa who arranged for us through Clacks Council to have a fantastic poster designed, refreshments and a room for the event - the temporary "Make Room" former shop premises acting as a very lively arts venue in the centre of Alloa.

The whole event was chaired by Angela Beardsley who did a fantastic job too. Oh yes and there was an army of unsung volunteers who worked their socks off to get everything ready for the night.

One thing is certain: artists are want to see a project like Open Studios in this area.

Watch this space.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios - poster

Richard Feehan of Clacks Council design team has produced a poster for us at lighting speed, very glossy A3 also one for the web which I have circulated to all 41 artists who have wish to participate in forthcoming event.

Whole project gathering momentum.

Friday, January 08, 2010

Forth Valley Open Studios



My garden today covered under a blanket of snow


Did you know that most people have never an artist and certainly never visited one in her/his studio?

this was pointed out to me last night when I attended networking event with several friends involved in setting up Forth Valley Open Studios in the Dunbalne Hydro.

It was organised by VisitScotland.com to promote tourism in the area.

Everyone we mentioned our project to was really enthusiastic because it ticked all the right boxes i.e. it offered people a new experience, it involved visiting beautiful parts of the Scottish countryside , it had something there for children too and it was free!

I guess we are on to a winner...

So far 34 artists in the Forth Valley have expressed an interest in participating in the project and we have anaother public meeting planned for January 21st in Alloa- weather permitting.

Monday, December 21, 2009

NEA Arts report

Are we moving from passive consumption to active creation? if one is optimistic that is one possible interpretation of the American study NEA report
(http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=6221)
which shows a national decline in all arts and sports where there is passive consumption.

There's another scenario: would people rather consume arts and sport via digital media in the comfort of their own homes rather than sit with strangers in some expensive location...just a thought?

Wednesday, December 16, 2009


Celebrations for centenary of Macintosh building - people gathering for the projections on three sides of the building


Professor Roger Wilson, Head of Fine Art, Glasgow School of Art in his studio

View from the staircase

The Loggia, better known as "the hen run".

Attended the centenary celebrations of the Macintosh building yesterday. Place heaving with celebrities, politicians, and the movers and shakers from the international art world including Tony Jones , former Head of GSA and now with The School of the Art Insitute, Chicago.


Met the new Head of Fine Art, Professor Roger Wilson in his studio where he was painting and chatting to visitors ( nice touch!). He comes to Glasgow from Chelsea College of Art and Design.

I graduated in 2001 and it was good to be back in the Macintosh building. It reminded me again that the building is a "feast for the eyes", not surprising since Charles Rennie Macintosh, a part-time student, knew what art students wanted.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Amateurs versus professional artists


Iphone art: "dancing"


That hoary old chestnut "amateur versus professional artists" has reared its head again as the debate over Open Studios begins.

Pointed out to a professional artist friend that participants will have to pay only to be told:"they can afford it because they have jobs and paint part-time".
Oh dear!.... why can't everyone accept that there different strands of art and many different kinds of art and artists.


Let the public decide!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Forth Valley Artist Open Studios

I am still reeling from the shock of discovering at yesterday's meeting of Forth Valley Artists that no data base exists of artists in the area! I would have thought it would have been the first job of any Visual Arts Officer to make certain that he/she had an up-to-date list of all artists.

This accounts for the poor response to our first meeting - 10 plus our two guest speakers. I had assumed ( wrongly as it turned out) that the Changing Room gallery, a local funded gallery by the council, had a list. It was only discovered half way through the meeting that most of the people attending had not received an email from the Changing Room informing them of the meeting.


Later discovered a "glitsch". Sure enough the new Visual Arts Officer confirmed that such a list does not exist. Unless artists have approached them for grants or signed their Visitors Book then they have no record of their existence.

Now Perthshire artists have a very active art scene . They have a flourishing Visual Arts Forum which provided a data base for the Perthshire Open Studios to work from.

We have to start from scratch.....

Friday, December 11, 2009

e-Christmas card

Take time out from writing Christmas cards and view this e-card sent out by Glasgow School of Art.
Is this the way forward?

This card is colourful, lively, interactive and what's more environmentally sound , oh yes and its free!

er....if the link doesn't work try this: www.gsa.ac.uk/seasonsgreetings

Sunday, November 29, 2009


"Dancer"drawn on my Iphone while travelling into Edinburgh by train.
Who says you need a studio now to create work?


Have put posters out for the open meeting for Forth Valley Open Studios. Response so far is good. Meeting fixed for Saturday December 12 in the Changing Room gallery's eduation room- courtesy of Arts Officer Emma Hamilton, Stirling.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The link economy- and artists


"Fish" created on my Iphone

In this new online world of the linked economy- OK I don't really understand it either but the world is shifting under our feet even though we may be standing still-I am not certain where artists fit in.

What sort of work do we make and how do we sell it? some pointers to the future come in today's Guardian"Money" section Tot Taylor , director of the Riflemaker gallery makes some predictions:

"It will be about formats and mediums ( new and old), not so much painting, sculpture and photography but more textiles and tapestries, digital art, gardening art, Eco at, all things cosmic, woodcuts and even wax."

Oh yes, and "outsider art".

Collapse of newspapers

I used to work on newspapers and I still love the feel of them and read them avidly. So it was with great sadness I heard yesterday that two of my favourite supplements Guardian IT and Observer Business and Media are about to be pulled. Yes, another sign of the rapidly changing world we live in.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Cafe Flicker, open cinema Glasgow

If you are interested in making films, especially low budget ones on a shoestring, then a visit to Cafe Flicker, the monthly open cinema in Glasgow is a must. It's run by Glasgow Media Access Centre and I have been a member for years , first introduced to it while a student at Glasgow School of Art.

They have moved into their smart new building on the 5th floor of 103 Trongate.

The standard has shot up - something we attribute to the ease of new digital technology and falling price of decent camcorders. Eleven films were shown on Wednesday night and they ranged from a documentary on Romanian gypsies singing, never seen footage of an interview with George Harrison, ( yes of the Beatles!) to a community documentary on the Citizens community theatre in the Gorbals.

Oh yes we had experimental films too and the funniest was one involving a frog...

Monday, November 02, 2009

Iphone art - David Hockney


My first attempts with "Brushes" the Iphone drawing app.

I was interested to read in last Sunday's Observer profile in the colour magazine on David Hockney , that he uses the Iphone app "Brushes".


He has always been known to be a fan of new technologies - remember his fax art?- so it was inevitable that he would "discover" the Iphone as a painting tool.

What's more he's 72 years of age.




Well, I have just loaded this app on to my Iphone .
Here's some tentative results...

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Buena Vista Social Club- Glasgow

Saw the film Buena Vista Social in New York so was curious to see this bunch of musicians live last night.
I was not disappointed. They played to a packed audience in Glasgow's Royal concert hall and they had them on their feet clapping, singing and dancing.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Forth Valley Open Studios

Have started to sound out people who may be interested in opening their studios to the public next year - Perthshire and Fife already run very successful Open Studio weekends.
Among the first to express an interest is Polish textile artist Ewa Kuniczak . Her website feltheadtotoe is worth checking out.

It is just one example of the vast amount of talent lurking in the Scottish hills around here.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Screenprinting - The Big Draw


My first screenprint : "Untitled"

Thanks to the national arts project "The Big Draw" which aims to get everyone drawing I got a chance to try my hand at screen printing in a workshop held at The Tolbooth, Stirling .

Our tutor, Andrew Mackenzie managed in three hours to give us an intensive introduction to the process which ended up with us all walking away with several screen prints each! quite an achievement!

We used the current exhibition of Aladsair Gray's prints as source material. After an introduction and brief history of screen printing we were taken to the exhibition and given quarter of an hour to draw an image from which we would later develope a stencil for screen printing.

I must admit that I entered the workshop feeling a bit sceptical: how on earth could be do a screen print from scratch in such a short time? Andrew proved me wrong. I m now an enthusiast of screen printing and want to find out more.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Glasgow Print Studio


Have started to prepare work for my exhibition next February and the first piece of work I want to complete is some digital prints on Japanese paper.

Well, I went into Glasgow Print studio to discuss whether it would be possible to do this on their new printer.

"No way!" says the director standing in the middle of his state-of-the-art new printing premises.
"That machine cost us £6,000".

OK he has a point so its back home to fiddle with my own printer and try to work out why some prints are coming out so heavily inked as to be unusable.

Well, I guess it is just another hurdle that those of us working with new media face weekly if not daily. Unlike making traditional art we can't ring up a friend or seek out expert advice on how to solve these problems, because nobody has ever done it before. It is a case that we all have to work it out as we go along.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Writing- fluid process

I was interested to hear on Radio 4 this morning Jeffrey Archer discuss his book "Cain and Abel" which he has re-written after 30 years. A Professor of English literature was asked to comment and he said that in future with the introduction of electronic books we are going to be seeing a lot more of this taking place.

He said:"Writing will become a much more fluid process with books changing all the time."

Well, this is what I am discovering now for more information keeps coming in which could so easily be incorporated into "The Children of Craig-y-nos" if it was an e-book instead of a printed book.

But the fact is though that we are still of a generation that likes to hold a book in our hands.

I suspect the youngsters of today will have no such inhibitions and will take to screen reading of books like the proverbial ducks to water...

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Transmission gallery

Had a look at the new exhibition in the Transmission gallery, Glasgow. Almost didn't go in because I glanced through the window and saw what appeared to be a room full of empty canvases.

Glad I did. It shows the work of Berlin based artist Klaus Weber who is on a mission to highlight the problems of disappearing bees due to global changes. The canvases were splattered with bee excrement.

Meanwhile I am getting into a bit of a panic over my forthcoming exhibition - I hadn't realised that the space I had been allocated covered two floors! maybe I ought to find someone to share with.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Old technology and new technology


Iphone drawing

On train to Glasgow Print Studio I download a free e-book, catch up with emails, check out new range of camcorders and read a couple of newspaper articles, and do some drawings - all on my Iphone.

Realise paper plays less and less a role in my life so why am I dabbling in the past with arcane printing processes? the answer is that there is something very satisfying about making images on paper.

A useful analogy is cars: when cars replaced horses this did not mean the end of horses. Oh no, they became luxury objects , no longer the sole means of transport they are used for the sheer pleasure of riding today.

They even developed large vehicles, horseboxes, for carrying the horses around the country...

Friday, September 25, 2009

103 Trongate Arts centre

Off to the new 103 Trongate Arts Centre in Glasgow with some prints to be framed for upcoming exhibition, except I have some misgivings .

Am I just adding " objects" to an already overcrowded world? this is something that has been on my mind for some time so I was interested to read the other day that Damien Hirst has announced he will stop doing his spot paintings because the world "already has too many art objects".

Well it is OK for him having made his millions but what about the rest of us struggling to earn a crust?


So I will go into Glasgow and get my prints framed.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Macintosh on BBCIplayer

If you missed Mackintosh's Masterpiece on the BBC on Monday why not watch it on the BBC iPlayer at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00n0wrh/Mackintoshs_Masterpiece_The_Glasgow_School_of_Art/

(Sorry bugs in the system link should work).

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Venice Biennale 2009..


Russian art. Big Russian presence in Venice - and it was good, and challenging

Wales: John Cale- disappointing. By the way this was the only sign leading to the Welsh venue. OK they had a board outside the venue but by that time you had found the place!


Just back from Venice. Bit of a curate's egg- good in places but also some very boring stuff. How on earth did they get selected? I heard of one guy who was so incensed with the representation from his country - Cyprus- that he went along to the officials to complain.

Loved the Canadian and Icelandic contribution though bemused at the Welsh one from John Cale. Why was he water-boarded? His film was in desperate need of editing...and more editing.

Steve McQueen had timed entry to his 30 minute film. At least this was very professional but it didn't stop half the audience from walking out...
Heard that he imported the greyhounds for the filming. Couldn't help feeling that this was a bit of a fake documentary, after all it was supposed to be Venice in the winter and those dogs were the key to the film. While I was there I saw pigeons, cats and homeless people.
But no dogs.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Police Box- video, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow


"You have been spotted" Ann and Malcolm Shaw

I have just uploaded this video to Youtube. Although this public art installation for the Gallery of Modern Art was done some years ago - part of my portfolio for Glasgow School of Art- I have only now got around to editing the footage.


Looking back on it now I can see that the reason it was so successful was that it involved the public and was easily accessible.
Police Box,Glasgow

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Networking day - Changing Room, Stirling

Just attended excellent Networking day in the Changing Room, Stirling.

The consensus of opinion was that this was the best ever event we had attended for it was focused on the needs of artists working and living in Scotland.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was organised by the new temporary curator Emma Hamilton, a practising artist who also comes from the area.

We are all hoping that Emma gets her contract renewed.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Directory of Welsh Artists

Received a phone call yesterday to say that I am going to be included in the next edition. There seemed to be some confusion of whether I qualified for inclusion in a directory of Welsh artists because I have lived for the past 34 years in Scotland.

However, after some discussion it was agreed that I was born in Wales, educated in Wales and have exhibited in Wales.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Digital painting and Glasgow School of Art



"Knock on the sky and listen to the sound" - digital painting


One of my first tutors at Glasgow School of Art offered the following advise : "start from something organic".

We were doing preliminary drawings for sculpture. Even now when I work in digital painting his words still echo in the back of my mind.

In the case of "Knock on the sky and listen to the sound" -Zen saying -the original was a rose I had grown in my garden. Mashing it in the computer produces something equally beautiful yet hints at the uncertainty of the new digital age we are moving into.

Monday, August 03, 2009

"Data moshing": Isle of Skye



Title: "Hot and cold" Cuillins, Isle of Skye

Have begun experimenting with datamoshing of Scottish landscape.

Next book - Sully

Have started work on my next book and today retreated to our local library with my laptop in order to escape domestic life i.e. window cleaner arrived and wanted to "convert" me to his faith. He is a Jehovah's Witness. No, not first thing on a Monday morning...

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Glasgow School of Art - library


Glasgow School of Art have asked for a copy of "The Children of Craig-y-nos" for their library, partly because they always want work by alumni for their collection and also, the librarian tells me, because of the increasing interest amongst students in the links between art and science crossover.

They have also mentioned it on the college

Glasgow School of Art have asked for a copy of "The Children of Craig-y-nos" for their library, partly because they always want work by alumni for their collection and also, the librarian tells me, because of the increasing interest amongst students in the links between art and science crossover.

They have also mentioned it on the college: Glasgow School of Art and Design blog