Work by talented UHI art students shines for prestigious exhibitions
Although some may think that young artists in the Highlands have to plan a move to a bigger city to secure a future in the field, there is a great amount of home-grown talent which is retained and trained within the region.
Recent successes by Ross-shire students are an example of the growing opportunities available for those who want to develop their skills, as artworks from talented students at the University of the Highlands and Islands have landed some prestigious exhibitions in the UK.
“There is a lot more than what people may think about in terms of creative opportunities. It worked very well for people like me, who don’t really want to move away,” said Former Fortrose Academy pupil, Abby Ross (22), from Avoch.
An art student at UHI since 2019, she has been selected for the prestigious exhibit by Society of Women Artists at London's Mall Galleries - for the second year in a row.
She said: “I was really pleased to be selected, it’s a really nice group of women to be in and a really inspiring exhibition.”
As a pupil, she said that she had always been creative, but it wasn’t until she got to her Nat 5 and Higher qualifications that she realised that she wanted to become a full-time artist.
She said: “At Fortrose Academy, I had some really great teachers who encouraged me to continue at university.”
Art lecturer at UHI, Frank To, who has taught her drawing in the past four years, encouraged her to submit her work Mouse Trap - a portrait of her own cat - for the 2023 exhibition. Another cat portrait, “Fonzi”, got her into the exhibition this year.
“I was really surprised when Frank told me to submit my drawing,” she said.
“I started doing pet portraits during lockdown, and this is what I mainly do at the moment. I always try to capture their personalities in my drawings.”
Another interest developed from being selected, with some of her work inspired by women in sports.
“It’s something that you don’t see very much of,” she said.
“This is something that has spurred from the Society of Women Artists’ exhibition: I can see there is a lack of female representation in sport along with art as well.”
Next year, she will move to UHI Moray to complete her degree in fine art, and she hopes to progress her career in the field after finishing her course.
“Since she joined UHI, Abby has continuously developed her skills to the highest standard,” said Mr To.
“It’s extremely rare for a student to get into a major London exhibition two years consecutively.
“Last year, she was one of the youngest exhibitors and won the Princess of Michael of Kent award. She was also one of the few who sold out in that show.”
Another former Fortrose Academy Pupil, Amy Storey (38), is a final-year graduate in contemporary art. She was this year's winner of the Society of Scottish Artists (SSA) New Graduate Award, which is chosen across all the art degree shows in Scotland. Winners are invited to exhibit their pieces at the annual exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh in November.
“It was an absolute honour, I was blown away,” she said about being selected.
“I put heart and soul into it so it was incredible to get that recognition!
“To just finish a degree, and then having so soon after the opportunity to exhibit at such a prestigious exhibition, and meet other artists from all over Scotland - it’s really exciting times!”
Amy shared her experience of returning to her passion for art later in her career. She first started her art portfolio as a teenager at Midsmills, which now hosts the Wasps Creative Arts hub.
After that, she travelled the world, became a mother and made a career working with people with mental disabilities.
She said: “Being a mature student and a parent, I chose to stay in Inverness.
“My experience at UHI was really fantastic: lecturers, they really gave their all to it. You have got this huge range of talent teaching us, and it’s been really inspiring and a great experience.
Amy works with mixed media, from paintings to fabrics and embroidery, as well as photographs, and has an interest in the connection between arts and memories, which was also the focus of her dissertation.
Given her professional background, she said that art is also an important tool in communicating with some of her clients.
She explained: “Communication can be difficult, and some of my clients can be non-verbal. Some love art or just the creative process, it’s a way to connect with people. It can be really simple, but really integral in building relations. Everybody is creative.”
The exhibition will take place in November, and she hopes that this achievement will open doors to launch her career in the arts field.
“The SSA council were taken by Amy's emotive tapestry works,” said Frank To, who also taught Amy - mainly drawing and printmaking.
Another UHI graduate, Eva Smyth, was also selected by the SSA for their exhibition called 'Ulaidhean / Treasures' in Gairloch.
She said: “I'm really excited to have been accepted into the exhibition.
“It was a surprise because this is the first time I've entered something like this, and I decided to enter very last minute just because I wanted to start trying to get my work out there, so I didn’t expect anything to come from it, but I’m very happy and grateful to have been accepted.”
The exhibition, which opened on July 6, will be running at Gairloch Museum until September 28 this year.
