Inverness art lecturer's paintings using gunpowder are on display in Dundee
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There has been an explosive return of an artist who paints with gunpowder.
Inverness College UHI art lecturer Frank To’s work is included in an exhibition in Dundee that runs until Saturday.
The artist counts well-known names including actors Sir Ian McKellen, David Tennant and
Sir Patrick Stewart among his collectors.
He started experimenting with his unusual technique three years ago. Since then he has been developing his use of the lethal powder, this time focusing mainly on the natural world.
Animals and the insects upon which they feed form the bulk of his new collection titled Into The Fire.
It has been five years since Mr To last exhibited at Gallery Q in Dundee, the city in which he gained a masters of fine arts from Duncan of Jordanstone.
“I am always pushing boundaries – that’s what being an artist is all about,” Mr To said. “That’s why I decided to use gunpowder.
“No-one else was doing it, so I wanted to try it and to contribute something new to the art world.
“It is important to me to use a substance, which is a source of violence, for peaceful purposes.
“I hope people will find my new pieces challenging on many different levels.”
The 36-year-old was the only Scottish male artist to be selected at the Royal Society of British Artists in London and the Royal Cambrian Academy in Wales last year.
His work has been shown at various royal academies across the UK and has won him international recognition.
