Gary Anderson

Illustration - MFA

School of Design

gary.anderson68@icloud.com

Gary Anderson Studio

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Bio

Based in the Scottish Borders, the majority of my current work focuses on the complexity of the Scottish natural landscape and urban interference. My practice is predominantly painting and illustration, merging a futurist style drawing, often conceived from automatic mark-making, worked-up into an abstract, illustrative landscape.

Since 2015, my work has chiefly concentrated on Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. I was born and grew up in Edinburgh. Watching the city's social and architectural change, in my own lifetime, is a constant interest which feeds my research and work.

A year at home, looking out of the windows

'Double Sheriffs' 2021. Oil on ply, 46 x 30 cm

'Chris' Garage' 2021. Oil on ply, 46 x 30 cm

'The Wonky Holly Tree' 2021. Oil on ply, 46 x 30 cm

'Where the Water Wheel Hides' 2021. Oil on ply, 46 x 30 cm

'Through Steven's Railings' 2021. Oil on ply, 46 x 30 cm

The above collection represents a year at home, looking out from each window, descending from my attic studio to the ground floor of the house. These views are so familiar to me but became more intimate as the country was on lockdown, the days merged, and the views evermore constrained.

The High Street

The three panels below were created for our ECA Illustration exhibition at the French Institute in George IV Bridge, Edinburgh in January 2020. The basis of the work features a few important residents in the High Street during the enlightenment years - historical characters in a semi contemporary setting.

‘Toap tae Boatum’ Gouache and charcoal on plywood 35 x 20 cm.

This image represents two of Edinburgh’s literary characters at the top and tail of the High Street - Edinburgh’s most important thoroughfare. The poet Alan Ramsay had a wig shop about half way down the Royal Mile, approximately opposite to the top of Niddry Street. Ramsay was originally from the Scottish Borders. His octagonal house, built on Castle hill, and later extended by Patrick Geddes, still has prominence over the city as part of the wider complex of Geddes’ design. It can be seen today as the centre frontage looking over the Mound and Prince’s St Garden’s with its distinctive balcony iron railings.

The poet Robert Fergusson died in Bedlam and was interred in an unmarked grave in Canongate Kirk yard at the foot of the Royal Mile. A memorial headstone was erected in his honour a few years later by poet Robert Burns. Both Fergusson and Alan Ramsay wrote poems in Scots dialect.

'Toap tae Boatum' 2020. Charcoal, Gouache and varnish on Birch ply 35 x 20 cm

‘London comes to Boswell’, Gouache and charcoal on plywood 48x20cm

I have had a long interest in journalist, biographer and socialite James Boswell for many years. Born in Edinburgh, he rebelled against his father, famously running off to London in 1763 and meeting Dr Samuel Johnson, his lifelong friend. Between his frequent trips to London, Boswell married and raised a family in Edinburgh. He lived for a time in James Court, in the Lawnmarket. This image depicts Boswell returning to his James Court flat, which he rented from philosopher David Hume, only to find that the festival company Underbelly has taken over the High Street and rented his flat out through Airbnb, throwing his papers out into the street.

'London comes to Bozzy' 2020. Gouache and charcoal on plywood 48 x 20cm

'Hume-iliated, David Gets Rebuffed’ Gouache and charcoal on birch plywood 34 x 20cm

This painting is based on the story of philosopher David Hume’s ill-fated journey through the drained Nor’ Loch to visit his newly built house on South St David’s Street in the New Town. Hume, at this point in the 1760’s, was still living in James Court. Whilst the first phase of the New Town project was being built, the Mound was still not created and therefore passage back from the newly created Prince’s St to the Lawnmarket was through the quagmire left by the draining of the Nor’ Loch, (now West Prince’s St Gardens). As Hume made his way home in at dusk, he lost his footing and fell into the mud. On calling for help, he is rescued by an old woman who castigates him for being a heathen and demands he recite the lord’s prayer before helping him out.

'Hume-iliated (David gets rebuffed)’ 2020. Gouache and charcoal on Birch plywood 34 x 20cm

Family History

The work below aimed to provide a visual to genealogical research, focusing on character and a sense of place within my on-going research on Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. Each composition introduce's an ancestral member of my family in their home location, but within an imagined metropolis of contemporary architecture. These paintings were the catalyst for the work completed for the High Street panels above.

'Home James, is it?' 2021. Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply, 22 x 22 cm

'Jessie at Drummond, from High School Yards between Infirmary' 2019. Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply, 14 x 14 cm

'Auld Yin' 2020, Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply, 22 x 22cm

'North East Circus Jane' 2019. Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply, 19.5 x 19.5 cm

'Melrose William' 2019. Charcoal, Gouache and varnish on Birch ply 36 x 20 cm

'The Fountainbridge boys who never made it home' 2020. Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply, 21.5 x 21.5 cm

'From Cammo House to Greenside' 2021, Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply, 22 x 22 cm

'Last Meeting, Potterow' 2019. Gouache, charcoal and varnish on Birch ply. 14 x 14cm

‘Hart in St Cuthberts’ 2019. Diptych, gouache, charcoal and varnish on ply, 19.5x19.5 cm.

Eigg

In the summer of 2019, when I graduated from Edinburgh College of Art, I was fortunate to have received a residency and showcase award from Lyon and Turnbull. Their residency opportunity was in conjunction with the 'Bothy Project’ group who have several bothy properties in Scotland, one specifically on the Isle of Eigg.

Sweeney’s Bothy is a modern dwelling consisting of one room and bunk bed, with an outside composting toilet. It overlooks Laig Bay on the north west coast of the island at Cleadale, with commanding views of Rhum.

Due to family commitments, my stay on Eigg was limited to a few date options, one which was in February of 2020. Although I realised this was in late Winter, I thought it may be exciting to see the small isles in the dark winter months. I was not banking on Storm Ciara hitting the UK on the same day I was sailing out.

A selection of this work below was completed as part of Lyon and Turnbull's showcase exhibition in August. Some of the work was created on Eigg, but the majority of larger work was done in the studio. The watercolour and ink drawings were produced as part of my Eigg journal book, 'Thoughts in the Storm' printed in April 2021.

'Cleadale' 2020. Watercolour and ink on A4 paper

'Howlin' 2020. Watercolour and ink on A4 paper

'The Steam Inn from Mallaig Harbour' 2020. Watercolour and ink on A4 paper

'Sgurr from Kildonnan' 2020. Watercolour and ink on A4 paper

'Storm Ciara Approaching over Laig Bay' 2020. Oil on panel 90 x 64 cm

'The Finger of God' 2020. Oil on A4 paper

'Returning from Howlin' 2020. Oil on paper A4

'Sgurr from Howlin' 2020. Oil on Birch ply, 123 x 60 cm

'Sgurr from Singing Sands' 2020. Oil on board, 115 x 85cm

'Mallaig' 2020. Oil on canvas 50 x 50 cm

‘Winter is finally upon us (said the man with the wee Westie)’ 2020. Oil on Birch ply, 100 x 100 cm

Selection of non-project work

Throughout my masters course I completed many other paintings which had no specific theme, related project or association with the course. All work below between July 2019 and June 2021.

I draw most days and keep a regular sketchbook. I post some of these drawings daily on instagram.

I also completed the '100 days project, Scotland 2020' last year and 'Inktober 2020'. This work can be viewed on my website.