Ann Thomas, the latest star of the Dochas Gallery
The latest artist to feature in the Dochas Centre in Lochgilphead is Tarbert artist and Argyllshire Advertiser’s contributor, Ann Thomas.
Known on the Argyllshire Advertiser’s pages for her thoughtful and humorous depictions of Mid Argyll life, Ann has been painting and selling images of the shores of Loch Fyne for years.
Ann said: ‘I went to art school, then was a lecturer and got married, and in those days it wasn’t common for a woman to work and be married so I let the painting go for a while, until we found this derelict building that is now the Fyne Gallery.
‘We did it up and I started painting again and, with a printing machine nearby, we made a business of selling my paintings called the Ann Rose Thomas gallery: ART Gallery.’
Ann’s paintings mostly focus on the water and nature surrounding Loch Fyne.
Ann said: ‘Most of my paintings are bright and cheerful. I like to catch the weather, when the seas are rough, so that mostly means painting in my car, because I like to paint in situation. Working from a photograph is capturing a moment in time, whereas painting in situation is changing all the time. The lights and the clouds change so the painting evolves as you paint.’
The painting, Winter Sparkle on Kilbrannan Sound, hanging above the reception desk at the Dochas Centre is the first thing your eye sets on, and keeps you there with a subtle hint of glitter.
‘That was a bit tongue in cheek,’ Ann said. ‘I didn’t want it to look like a Christmas card. I often stick things like tiny stones and shells to a painting to give it a 3D quality.’
Prints and original paintings are available from the Dochas Centre which will be showcasing Ann Thomas’s work until April 26.