Exhibition is picture perfect
National competition to be hosted in Paisley gallery
Paisley art lovers can now experience the very best in paintings from across Scotland in person when a new exhibition opens.
The town’s newest art gallery, artspace37, which is based in unit 37-38 of the Piazza Shopping Centre, is hosting the Paisley Art Institute’s (PAI) Scottish Drawing Competition.
The prestigious competition returns this year after a four-year break and will run in the gallery from Friday, June 4 until Saturday, June 26.
Paisley- based organisation, Outspoken Arts Scotland is behind artspace37, which aims to support emerging artists and those affected worst by Covid-19.
The gallery will feature a yearround programme of exhibitions f rom both emerging and established artists.
Steven Thomson, the creative director of Outspoken Arts, said: “We’ve been busy working behind the scenes during lockdown to create this new gallery and are absolutely thrilled to be opening artspace37.
“Not only do we have the prestigious Scottish Drawing Competition, a major coup for the gallery, taking place in June, but we’ll be supporting young emerging artists and providing them with a space to show their work.
“We’ve built up a great relationship with our featured artists and we will continue to support them.
“We’re welcoming approaches from artists who may be interested in working with us at the space.”
The PAI exhibition features members of the institute as well as open entrants, with 181 selected to feature.
The lockdown theme wasn’t called for in the submissions but features heavily in entrants’ work alongside Black Lives Matter, nature and landscapes.
The exhibition also features three video works with the themes of movement, Makin’ Bread – working with the elderly to make bread, exercise and making art.
Rowena Comrie, chair and membership officer of PAI, said: “The Paisley Art Institute Scottish Drawing Competition is a surreal mirror that reflects the variety, ingenuity, obsessions, ideals, joys, passions and pains of contemporary life by artists from Paisley and beyond.
“At last, an exhibition that you can visit in person, to appreciate the experience of enjoying culture, right in front of you.”
As part of the Scottish Drawing Competition exhibition, artspace37 will host artist- led drawing workshops on June 5, 12, 19 and 26 featuring emerging artists Katie McGroarty and Russell MacEwan and PAI artist members, Lynn Howarth and Eoghann MacColl.
The classes will cover various drawing techniques and are free to book, with a maximum of 12 attendees.
For more information on the gallery, go to http://outspokenarts. org/artspace37/