My Art Studio Days.

Thursday 16th May 2013



Hard to believe we are in the middle of May and still no sign of Spring or Summer! The weather is cold and we have had lots of rain in Ayrshire. I had hoped to be sharing photographs of the Ayrshire coastline in the sun by this point!
I am however going to share a little gem about the town of Irvine, also on the Ayrshire coast. I was born in Irvine and lived on the outskirts of the town, until I married my hubby and moved to Kilwinning. I lived in Kilwinning for ten years before moving down the coast to Ayr. I still love the beach at Irvine. Its by far the nicest and has the most lovely pub at the harbour -called "The Ship Inn"-the oldest pub in Irvine!-The walls are old stone inside and have scenes of old Irvine painted on them by my former art teacher .I spent many hours down there with him, if only holding the ladders he stood on, while painting these fantastic images. Learning his skill and technique are treasures I still have, as I paint myself!
Hidden behind the Ship Inn, is a court yard, which houses a variety of art and craft studios, managed by W.A.S.P. I always wished I could be there working away on my paintings and crafts and be part of the artists community that worked so hard there. While studying for my teaching degree-I submitted an application to rent a studio, in the hope that some day I'd be lucky. Within weeks I had a telephone call  from a local artist called Jim Collins-known to many as the shipyard painter from Glasgow,also a talented musician. I was speechless when Jim called me and he even more so, that I  knew his work and was so star struck by his fame! Jim invited me on behalf on the Arts Council for Scotland to come share the studio that he worked in, owned by the Arts Council. This was a happy time and one where I learned so much from Jim as  painter and those in the other studios who were all artists using various mediums. The community sprit was special and one which I will treasure forever. During my time in the studio, I taught during the day in local schools and spent my evenings and weekends there, developing my skills with painting silks, textiles and embroidering on these. I also had a love for painting onto glass and during this time my love for making jewellery was born. Many artists and crafter have come and gone from the studios. Many treasured friendships were born and although I may not see them often, the bond of paint, and the smell of white spirit always re-kindle our friendship!