'Secret sketcher' ready to emerge from shadows for exhibition after delighting locals in Wester Ross village of Ullapool with lockdown artwork
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A "secret sketcher" who has been delighting locals in a Ross-shire village during the coronavirus crisis will emerge from the shadows this weekend.
The wraps are set to come off the work of artists who have been attending an annual portfolio course at the Ullapool-based Bridge House Art under the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Work created by seven students who have adapted to challenges presented by the pandemic over the past four months will be given a four-week virtual showcase from the An Talla Solais gallery from Saturday.
Amongst them are Rachael Dixey who generated huge interest as the "Secret Sketcher", capturing locals as they go about their everyday lives and posting her work on a local Facebook page.
She said: "It's generated huge interest trying to work out who the sketcher is and working out who the sketch is of. I do this under my own name but not many folks know me as I've only been here since October at the start of the course. It's gone a bit viral, and folks are now asking me to sketch them and their dogs, saying: 'I'm the old guy with two sticks and a collie' or 'I'm a big lass with four small dogs'. I've heard dog walkers have started to put their better clothes on! Twice, within ten minutes of posting, someone has named the people in the picture and their dogs! It's a bit of fun during lockdown."
She described the course as "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". She said: "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 has been a real experience capturing human interaction in these strangest of times."
The course ran almost normally from October to December when the area was in level one. After the Christmas lockdown, it became virtual with students improvising using kitchens and spare rooms to continue to create art and tutor Eleanor White "dropping off art supplies, cake and words of encouragement".
The exhibition will run from March 6 to April 3 and will be posted at www.antallasolais.org/bha-portfolio-2021
“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”.
Then the exhibition will run to April 3.
Bridge House Art (www.bridgehouseart.co.uk) based in Ullapool is a non-residential school offering a summer programme of weekly courses and weekend courses as well as the four month portfolio course in the winter.
The portfolio course is unique to the west coast of Scotland and offers an opportunity to study in an intimate and stimulating environment. It is designed for people who wish to access degree level study at art school or would like to study art at a deeper level. Many mature students have used this course as a sabbatical or as a chance to develop a new direction in their lives. The course offers excellent studio facilities for up to twelve students ensuring a personal input in a creative and supportive environment.
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