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