Dorchester Ave Art Studio

Birds of a Feather & Glasgow Forever by Nigel Johnson
Nigel Johnson’s Dorchester Ave Art Studio Winter Exhibition Brings Attention to Birds and Glasgow's Beauty. The new work builds on previous work at Nicols gallery. The artist, Nigel Johnson came to Glasgow over three decades ago to pursue an academic career. He decided to retire early to focus on his passion for art, and has since become a respected artist in Glasgow's burgeoning arts scene with two hidden gems in and around Glasgow." To prepare for this exhibition, the artist underwent an extensive DIY program from art courses over the city, and honed his craft over many years, building a unique style that is both powerful and moving. His pieces are as diverse as his experiences, and he has drawn inspiration from his travels around the world.
Through my art, I hope to remind people of their importance and beauty, and also to celebrate my passion for nature and my love for Glasgow”.

My work is intuitive and greatly varies in size and material. I experiment with acrylic mediums and ink washes, watercolour, found objects and gathered material which I accumulate over time.  I work in layers and on several different pieces at once, often returning to them. My ongoing body of work depicts what I feel are repeating patterns in nature. I am inspired by the feeling of synchronicity and interconnectedness of consciousness in nature and the cosmos, and the idea that everything in the universe is related to and has knowledge of each other. As a visually driven person, I am interested in the presence and absence of the “artists hand” in a painting. What I perceive is the evidence of the creative and reactive decisions through process, layers, gestures, and movements of the obvious or imperceptible brush marks and lines. In my own approach, I seek sensory deprivation. At times, even the brush mark can be over stimulating and emotionally revealing. I spend a lot of time with the paint brush, actively trying to remove any trace of it. I paint the opposite of how I feel in hoping to manifest that feeling in myself. My own melancholic thoughts of natural surroundings and intensely calm euphoric meditations are what I project. My work is intuitive and greatly varies in size and material. I experiment with acrylic mediums and ink washes, watercolour, found objects and gathered material which I accumulate over time.  Email: ainsleywilkie5@gmail.com

Illusions and Reflections on Loch Ard
Over the years I’ve been drawn to this loch, walking around it and within its bordering forest and delving into its visual secrets, reflected in its waters, especially on winter days when it takes on a mystical quality. This quality seems to stem from its narrowness at one end which is linked to the broader part of the loch by what is locally called “the narrows” Backed on one side by trees then mountainside and on the other by an expansive forest it rests within a cleft, retaining icy mist and an often frozen surface where higher up, golden light and a blue sky predominate. Late afternoon is the magical time to be there when the sun is lower in the west, bathing the hillside opposite and the bracken growing on it in warm, glowing light, all of which reflects on the waters of the loch creating illusions, aided and abetted by ice, snow, mist, light showers of rain and the gentle movements of breezes which rise up and die down spasmodically, ruffling the surface and dramatically varying the shimmering reflected light . Email: dfwalls@btinternet.com

Nicola Carberry BA PGCE Fine Art graduate of Glasgow School of Art, post-graduate certificate in Post-School Education from Strathclyde University, lecturer in Art & Design at Glasgow Kelvin College, member of Milngavie Art Club, former committee member of RGI and PAI.

Life drawing has been part of my creative practice since I attended my first class, at the age of 15, at Dollar Summer School with the renowned Scottish artist Lys Hansen. Lys taught me to connect with the model, to discover the pose from the inside out, to feel what they feel, and to emphasise emotion and tension in the figure. My drawings evolve through numerous sessions and layers. In fact I prefer to work over previous drawings as they provide a history of colours, shapes and marks. During lockdown, I also found a way of working with the figure via sessions online. I began to recognise the flat screen for what it was, a frame around an image, like a still from a film or play. Being able to view the model as a character within a scene, opened lots of new possibilities. I continue to draw from life and work with selected models online. The drawings build their own narratives over time, performers about to go on stage, figures deep in thought, actors gripped by the intensity of their character.
Email: ncarberry@hotmail.com

I graduated with honours from Duncan of Jordanstone in 2015 at the tender age of 60. Since then I have been teaching art part time at various locations.In 2018 I had a solo show at the Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie.  I made about 600 small figures highlighting  the refugee crisis in Syria plus other sculptural work and some photography and painting .I have also exhibited and sold work atthe RGI, PAI ,LEMOND GALLERY(Bearsden) LILLIE ART GALLERY, PITTENWEEM ART FESTIVAL and various other galleries around Glasgow .I work with all mediums from charcoal,pastels to acrylics and oils to sculpture .I am currently exhibiting at the Lillie Art Gallery,  The Paisley art institute and the Lemond Gallery I hope you enjoy our exhibition here at Dorchester Avenue Art Studio and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to phone me Thanks for coming along Iain McAulay 07598 811755