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PICTURES: Artists attending Bridge House Art School portfolio course in Ullapool carry on painting to overcome lockdown challenges as work set for virtual exhibition in association with An Talla Solais


By Hector MacKenzie

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Penny Weymss
Penny Weymss

IT was a case of keep calm and carry on painting for artists caught up in the second coronavirus lockdown while attending a prestigious Ullapool portfolio course.

The fruits of their labours over the past four months will be unveiled on Saturday to a much wider audience than they had anticipated when an An Talla Solais gallery showcase goes virtual.

Bridge House Art School was determined to press ahead and some of the work created by budding artists aged between 57 and 66 inevitably reflects life in lockdown.

The course started on time in October with Eleanor White, director, determined to run it despite the challenges of the pandemic. After 25 years of the course attracting students from all over Scotland and further afield, many of whom have gone to become fully fledged artists, it was the time to adapt!

With precautionary measures in place, it ran almost normally from October to December.

It became a virtual event from the Boxing Day lockdown onwards, artists who were in the area making use of kitchens or spare rooms to continue creating.

One even worked on two-metre long canvasses in a makeshift studio.

Tutors continued to offer dedicated online support with Ms White, based in the Wester Ross village, dropping off art supplies and cake.

One of the students, Rachael Dixey, said: "The exhibition is called Emerge, to reflect the students’ emergence as artists and also society’s emergence from a terrible time, with hope for the future. It shows that even in lockdown it’s possible to make art. An Talla Solais will be holding a virtual launch. We are delighted that the patron of An Talla Solais, the renowned Scottish artist Professor Will Maclean MBE, has kindly agreed to speak at the launch”.

The link for the online exhibition is https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/emerge-bridge-house-art-portfolio-course-exhibition-opening-tickets-142684726859?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

About the Artists

Rachael Dixey
Rachael Dixey

Rachael Dixey: “Bridge House Art has been a life changer for me, developing skills to enable me to reinvent myself as an artist after a career in public health, and retirement from being professor of health promotion. I live in a rural part of North Yorkshire and although I love the landscape, I found I was drawn to the human figure and to the movement and liveliness of people as a focus for my art. I have enjoyed watching people in Ullapool and then drawing them as they go about their daily lives – walking the dog, shopping, waiting, and it’s been a real experience capturing human interaction in this strangest of times.”

Find out why she has been dubbed 'the secret sketcher' in Ullapool

Jane Greenstreet: “Mother of four, dancer and teacher, I started the Portfolio course as a complete beginner but with a strong interest in the arts. I live with my husband on the Isle of Arran. All my work explores the language of the body through drawing, print making and sculpture. I have been particularly interested in conveying the tension we all experience between our vulnerabilities and strengths. “

Catherine Huntley: “I have been a professional florist, fabric designer and interior decorator so perhaps it was inevitable that one day I would take up a paint brush. I was taught firstly by a water-colourist. I was bitten. I have taken the opportunity of working with a number of teachers covering different disciplines but it was time to define my direction of travel and settle down. Eleanor White and Kittie Jones have been instrumental in that role.

"I will never be a figurative painter in the clinical depiction of the subject matter nor have I any interest in the purest interpretation of the abstract school. But I would like my art to be a product borrowed from both these genres. I like to chronicle occurrences. Those which are sad, happy, humorous and circumstantial – they all inspire me and I am indebted to Bridge House Arts for their gentle and scholarly encouragement to achieve this end.”

Steve Redpath
Steve Redpath

Stephen M Redpath: “I live in rural Aberdeenshire. My first love was for the natural world, and I spent 30 years studying wildlife and landscape before finally on my painting in 2019. The inspiration for my art still comes from observing the natural world. I applied to join Bridge House Art’s Portfolio course for various reasons, including its wonderful reputation, and a desire to learn how to paint with oils. Previously I had worked with watercolour. My first exhibition was held at the Tolquhon Gallery in Aberdeen shire in September 2020.”

Debbie Shepherd: “I’m based in Fort William where we moved many years ago to immerse ourselves in wonderful landscape and to work in outdoor education. After a lifetime of teaching, it was time to focus on my art, and the Portfolio course has enabled me to do this. With An Talla Solais studio closed after Christmas, I decided to return home to continue my landscape paining. It’s less fun working on your own when you can’t exchange ideas but I’m lucky to be surrounded by a similarly inspiring landscape that provides the stimulus for my paintings. I have enjoyed using oils to capture the astonishing colours of the Highlands.”

Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith: "I have always loved making, and enjoyed experimenting with textiles, fibre and glass. I chose BHA Portfolio Course to achieve a structured grounding in art, particularly drawing and painting. The course has been an exceptional learning experience; I enjoyed my exploring new media and was excited to produce my first ever paintings.

"For this exhibition, I chose to investigate mark and texture using white and black acrylic paint. I enjoyed the stark contrast of these two extremes. I incorporated motifs I associate with Ullapool: gables, roofs, horizons and reflections, which I cut or scored into the base material. I became increasingly interested in the idea of shelter, with a desire for deep foundations and strong roofs to protect us from the storms.I am based in Belfast and was formally a Senior Civil Servant, providing advice to Minsters and ensuring implementation of Government policies."

Penny Weymss
Penny Weymss

Penny Wemyss: “I live and work in Glasgow and have spent the last 28 years in the financial services industry whilst practicing my art in my spare time. I enrolled on the Bridge House Art Portfolio Course in a quest to explore and develop more expressive art, to create art which captures the mood, passion, and energy of the subject without losing sight of the image before me. My passion for landscape remains my constant inspiration to paint. This course has helped me to develop my working process which flows from the initial observational studies gathered by being physically outside in the landscape through to the studio where experimentation and exploration allow me to sense and create an expressive and emotive piece of work. The course has been a life changing experience and I will be returning to Glasgow to pursue my art full-time.”

Link to the show can be found here.

Secret sketcher emerges from the shadows in Ullapool


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