The Artists & Craftsmen of Inverclyde
This is not a comprehensive survey - how could it be? There is simply too much artistic talent and drive to create found here in our small corner of Scotland. Rather, this project has been about capturing dear friends, studio mates, and people I admire who were willing to trust me and step in front of the camera in an effort to try and offer a glimpse into the wide-ranging talent that exists here.
For those familiar with the area, Greenock and Inverclyde are often associated with poverty, crime and struggle - a ghostly reverberation of its former shipbuilding heritage. For those not from here, that reality is a profound shock when surrounded by such natural beauty and deep history. But there is also very much to be proud of here - not least of which is Inverclyde’s burgeoning art scene.
Much like the abandoned warehouses of Brooklyn a generation ago, the artists have inhabited the old industrial spaces and empty shopfronts and created a wealth of color, form and ideas out of the silence and the derelict. Their numbers and creative spaces grow by the year, and much of what they have to say deserves to be elevated beyond the region…
Jane McAllister
Documentary Film Maker
Portrait of Alec Galloway
Master Stained Glass Maker
Bruce Newlands
Creative Spaces Architect
Alex Deveney
Pencil / Graphite Artist
Ken McClymont
Painter
Ann Campbell
Master Kilt Maker
Jason Orr
Sculptor, Art Director and Artistic Charity Director
Sam Douglas
Painter