Alice Campbell - a new body of work

A focused collection, almost a year in the making

We’ve just received a new eleven-painting body of work from Alice Campbell; a small, focused body of work that Alice has been working on for us since mid-late last year; all are now live online and in-gallery.

We’ve worked with Alice since 2018; a 2017 graduate of the prestigious Duncan of Jordanstone art school, Alice won a Royal Scottish Academy travelling scholarship to Florence that same year and has gone on from strength to strength since. It’s always a joy to work with Alice and to receive and show her paintings; Alice was, when we first saw her five years ago, and remains, a very exciting, telented young artist and an integral part of our ethos of seeking out the next generation of talent to work with and support.

In Alice's own words

For those wishing to hear what Alice says about her own work, she’s just penned the following statement:

"The imagery in my work frequently derives from my own experiences, the people I know, the places I’ve visited, the patterns I take from the world around me. More established narratives with a folk, mythic or sacred origin are also important in my practice – and at the root of this body of work is the elaborate, vibrant and detailed imagery found in so many medieval illuminated manuscripts.

These beautifully decorated books produced before the invention of the printing press included painted scenes, intricate borders and sometimes full-page paintings that helped to guide readers – or at least viewers, because many people at that time could not read.

As they guided them, so they have guided me, providing in these paintings the germ of an idea from which to go forward – be it an object, a colour, the way the figures interact with each other or the position of a hand.

In ‘Heralding Spring’, it was an ornately painted tree from a manuscript depicting the changing of the seasons. From there, a process of development, an exploration of colour, pattern and form – until finally, there is a finished work, an imagined scene, paying little regard to the logic and order of the real world.  

It is this unexpected outcome at the end of my creative journey – the brand-new image never before seen – that I relish. For the person looking at my paintings, I would hope there is a story unfolding in front of them. I don’t aim to dictate the narrative precisely, but merely to hint at it – the rest I leave to the viewer’s imagination." 

All for now,

Steve and Christine