THESCRATCHINGSURFACE
29 SEPTEMBER – 29 OCTOBER 2022
Hannah McAndrew Koji VickyHatakeyamaLindoandBill Brookes
PART GregoryII DouglasMalcolmAllissApplebyFitchand
James Maskrey
16 Dundas Street Edinburgh EH3 6HZ +44 (0) 131 558 scottish-gallery.co.uk1200
PART I Stephen NaokoDerrickJoeBirdFanGuildShibuyaBillScott
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
Detail of Bill Scott’s studio (1935–2012), Roslin, 2021
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Photograph by Chris Park
Christina Jansen
Part 2 contains objects. Gregory Allis originally trained as an engineer and his journey into studio glass aims to draw the viewer inside each work and find something intriguing beyond the shiny façade. Malcolm Appleby’s extraordinary creative output and outstanding craftmanship has the visual power to transfix the viewer, which is why the artist recently received a Lifetime of Achievement Award from The Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council. Douglas Fitch first encountered medieval pottery at the age of eleven and has dedicated his life to slipware alongside his wife, Hannah McAndrew. Koji Hatakeyama was born in Takaoka, an area renowned for the ancient art of metal casting and in his painterly, patinated bronze boxes, he invokes a sense of the spiritual world. Vicky Lindo and her partner Bill Brookes live and work in Devon and make large scale artworks in clay and whilst their work is inspired by English slipware, slip casting has become the medium for storytelling. James Maskrey uses glass blowing as his vehicle for storytelling; The Cartographers references the map makers’ art, particularly the depiction of imaginary creatures in the cartouches of ancient maps.
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Part 1 contains painted surfaces and sculpture. Stephen Bird’s work is located in the extremes of tragicomic tradition, he creates narratives which explore hybrid identities and transgressive themes such as taboos, cruelty, war, natural disasters, unnatural affections and violent deaths. Joe Fan’s Curiosities invites us into an arcadia in which we might see ourselves reflected amongst the swirling paths, mountain roads and garden gates. Derrick Guild presents us with Natural History, which is the culmination of a series of paintings the artist has been making over the last twenty years, with nature and art history as central elements. Naoko Shibuya’s practice centres on the close observation of the natural world and is inspired by the resilience and fragility of nature. Bill Scott (1935–2012) was one of Scotland’s leading sculptors, an individual whose work is
philosophical and conceptual; his work explores our human experience, particularly how we inhabit, use and define space – experiences he saw affected by changes in society, science and art.
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
If the artist’s studio is a space for alchemy, then The Gallery is the theatrical backdrop for the magic making. For this exhibition we have divided The Gallery into different rooms, wherein we invite you to take a closer look… to be curious. It might surprise you. Perhaps there is a deeper truth to be discovered beneath the surface. The Scottish Gallery has been a creative endroit for 180 years – a genuine, gentle place of discovery and temptation. Sometimes, every picture or object is interconnected, accidentally or by design – by school, training, medium or a dovetailing of contrasting ideas. Scratching the Surface brings together artists whose different practices are contrasted to invite curiosity about the world around us whilst reflecting a lifelong dedication to art and craftmanship.
An invitation to be curious…
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE PART I 6 Stephen Bird (b.1964) What Are You Looking At? 16 Joe Fan (b.1962) Joe Fan’s Curiosities 24 Derrick Guild (b.1963) Natural History 42 Naoko Shibuya (b.1975) Capturing Nature 52 Bill Scott (1932–2012) Haecceity Joe Fan 1. Last Glance With Night Falls (detail) oil on canvas, 102 x 76 cm 4
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6studio,Sydney2019
Stephen Bird in his
Stephen Bird What Are You Looking At? 7
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Public collections include: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh National Museums, Northern Ireland
Stephen Bird What Are You Looking At?
Stephen Bird
Stephen Bird in his studio, Mullumbimby NSW, Australia, 2022
The McManus Art Gallery & Museum, Dundee
I work with both paint and clay to make multidimensional imagery which reflects on the global, transcultural nature of myths and ceramic archetypes. I create narratives which explore hybrid identities and transgressive themes such as taboos, cruelty, war, natural disasters, unnatural affections and violent deaths. My works are located in the extremes of the tragicomic tradition. I reinterpret old stories both remembered and imagined and appropriate iconography from established pottery traditions; a decorative Royal Doulton tile, or the cabbage leaf from a Wedgwood Whieldon teapot. I am particularly interested in Staffordshire ceramic figure groups from the 18th century which contain implicit meanings and I often try to decipher their hidden meanings and reimagine these in explicit ways.
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Stephen Bird was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1964 and has lived in Australia since 1999 after graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. Making his home and a significant international reputation from Sydney, he works with both paint and clay. His work is exhibited both nationally and internationally and he has won both The Gold Coast International Ceramic Award and the Deacon University Small Sculpture Award.
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2. Demo Plate With Amber Eyes glazed earthenware with lustre, Ø 34cm
Stephen Bird
3. Miffy Gold on Blue glazed earthenware with lustre, H44 x W38 cm
Woman With an Abstract Nose glazed earthenware with enamel, H42 x W35 cm
Stephen Bird
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Large Spoodle Plate tin glazed earthenware, Ø 44 cm 11
6. Arbitrary Tree glazed earthenware, H59 x W30 x D30 cm
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Stephen Bird
Stephen Bird 7. Evil Balloon Seller glazed earthenware with enamel and lustre, Ø 45 cm 8. Woman With Mythological Animal glazed earthenware, H29 x W33 cm 13
Stephen Bird
Big Nose glazed earthenware with lustre, Ø 45 cm 10. Wir Schaffen Das glazed earthenware, H28 x W32 cm 11. Keep On Running glazed earthenware with lustre, H27 x W30 cm 14
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Shit Creek glazed earthenware, H23 x W28 cm 13. Trees glazed earthenware, Ø 35 cm 15
Stephen Bird
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Joe Fan, 2022
Joe Fan rsa Joe Fan’s Curiosities
Joe Fan was born in Hong Kong in 1962 and came to Scotland to study fine art at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen where he gained a 1st Class Honours Degree. After graduating in 1988, he won the Miller Homes Young Scottish Artist of the Year. He was a lecturer in Drawing & Painting at Gray’s School of Art from 1990–1997 and was also visiting Lecturer at Cyprus College of Art, Paphos. He has been a full time artist since 1997 and has a studio in Aberdeen.
I have created a group of small-scale paintings to sit alongside a few large-scale works which are conceived as an installation of curiosities. During the process of working on this series, I set myself a personal challenge of observing my day-to-day life as the foundation of turning the everyday into something more whimsical. It was a challenge I enjoyed, with many ideas coming to me during the short walk from my home to the studio. I’m not sure where the swirling paths, mountain roads and garden gates are leading me – but I certainly know it has led me from my studio to someplace I can call my own. Now… what am I going to paint
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Joetoday?Fan
Public collections include: Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums, Aberdeen Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen Hunterian Museum, Glasgow Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh The Scottish Arts Council Collection, Edinburgh University of Glasgow
14. Greetings
oil on board, 30.5 x 30.5 cm
oil on board, 30.5 x 30.5 cm
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17. Walk Out to Winter
Joe Fan
18. Under Heavy Weather oil on board, 30.5 x 30.5 cm
15. Relocation
19.opposite:
16. Harvest oil on board, 30.5 x 30.5 cm
Botanic Winter Reunion (detail) oil on canvas, 102 x 76 cm
oil on board, 30.5 x 30.5 cm
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Joe Fan
20. Night Snack oil on canvas, 25.5 x 23 cm
22. Maisy’s First Pair of Shoes oil on canvas, 30.5 x 23 cm
23. Neighbourhood oil on canvas, 30.5 x 23 cm
21. The Noodles Eater oil on board, 35.5 x 28 cm
24. Favourite Cardigan oil on canvas, 25.5 x 20 cm
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30. Sleepwalker oil on canvas, 30.5 x 23 cm
25. Europa oil on canvas, 30.5 x 23 cm
27. Broken Blossoms 1919 oil on canvas, 30.5 x 22.5 cm
26. Drama in the Sky oil on board, 35.5 x 28 cm
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28. Fruit Eater oil on board, 35.5 x 28 cm
29. Musical Chairs oil on canvas, 31 x 23 cm
35.opposite:Daydreaming During the Night oil on canvas, 121 x 91 cm
31. Time Table oil on canvas, 22.5 x 30.5 cm
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32. Weather Forecast oil on canvas, 23 x 30.5 cm
Joe Fan
33. Sometimes They Come, Sometimes They Hide oil on canvas, 22.5 x 30.5 cm Standing With You oil on canvas, 23 x 30.5 cm
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Derrick Guild in his studio and details from the studio, 2022
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Derrick Guild rsa Natural History
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Derrick Guild rsa Natural History
Natural History comes from a series of paintings I have been making over the last twenty years. I have a core group of interests that have continued to expand and inform my work: nature and art history are central elements. The four ‘Natural History’ paintings combine images of portrait drawings by Annibale Carracci and Anthony van Dyck with small birds. The original drawn portraits have a strong presence, they feel alive and very current, not in the least bit dated. I am fascinated by how drawings visually accumulate time: the foxing and creasing and staining adds a patina that poetically speaks of entropy and a slowly dissolving permanence. For me the patination creates a physical and metaphorical space. Into this space I have painted small garden birds, unthreatening intruders who act as symbols of a gentle and playful permanence. When I’m out walking, I find it comforting and thought provoking that the goldfinches I see charming their way along the thistles, look exactly like goldfinches from four hundred and fifty years ago. By combining my painted responses to the drawings with these more three dimensionally rendered birds, a personal poetic connection is made.
always loved the painting for its technical virtuosity and beauty, it is one of the greatest works of animal art and I find myself riveted when I view it in Edinburgh. I decided to make my own painted response to it. In my painting the background has been
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I feel a similar, if more conflicted and complicated, sense of connection to Sir Edwin Landseer’s 1851 painting ‘Monarch of The Glen’. The painting’s powerful simplicity, technical brilliance, balmorality and idealised romantic charm, made it a perfect fit for the advertising of shortbread and whisky. I’m interested in connections that can change the perception of an artwork. In the Monarch’s case, it had been originally commissioned for the bar at the Houses of Parliament, but for some reason it did not make the cut. Instead of gracing the walls of Parliament, it was sold many times, bought by several different collectors, businesses and entrepreneurs. Landseer was a canny businessman and allowed engravings to be made, popularising the image, and what with its use in advertising, by the mid 20th century the Monarch had become a cliché of Scottish identity.Ihave
removed, allowing for the illusionistic staining and creasing to create a muskier, study like context. The eradication of the background also links my painting to another historical animal work: George Stubbs’s ‘Whistle Jacket’ and Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Young Hare’. A stag is given its romantic classification by counting the number of points on its antlers. Landseer’s has 12 points which makes his animal a Royal Stag not a Monarch which has between 14 and 16 points. Due to the scale of my painting, I have painted 11 points. My title ‘Non-Monarch’ highlights this difference (cat. 36).
also painted two new botanical hybrids from my garden. My botanicals in the past have tended to be large in scale but in these two paintings I have made them closer in size to traditional botanical paintings. There are also a series of individual bird studies.
Derrick Guild
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self. A recently discovered racist reference in text has made Hume a controversial figure. It is now impossible for society to view him with the high esteem he was once afforded. The addition of ‘No’ to ‘Easy Passage’ reflects the fact that his own contemporary public identity has changed. My 12 paintings that form the deconstructed portrait are based on two portraits painted 12 years apart by Allan Ramsay with the addition of a hand from a portrait by Charles Howard Hodges signifying touch. In the work I am seeking to deconstruct Hume’s image in such a way that in this instance his portrait can no longer be viewed as a solid complete image.Ihave
Alan Ramsay’s two portraits of David Hume are the subject of my twelve-piece deconstructed portrait titled ‘No Easy Passage’ (cat. 49). The title refers to Hume’s writings on the self and identity. Hume’s idea was that our sense of connection to our younger selves is an illusion. In reality we are slowly changing but with the slow passage of time, it makes it easy for us to make a connection. He called this ‘Easy Passage’. He also referred to the self as a bundle of loose chain link, a bundle of disparate memories, emotions and responses that make it impossible for us to have a permanent image of
36. Non-Monarch, after Landseer oil on linen, 127 x 102 cm
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Derrick Guild
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38. Natural History no.8, after Carracci oil and acrylic on linen, 36 x 26 cm
37. Natural History no.7, after Carracci oil and acrylic on linen, 36 x 26 cm
Derrick Guild
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40. Natural History no.10, after van Dyck oil and acrylic on linen, 36 x 30 cm
39. Natural History no.9, after Carracci oil and acrylic on linen, 36 x 26 cm
Derrick Guild
Derrick Guild
41. Bullfinch and Chain oil on canvas, 13 x 22.5 cm
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Derrick Guild
42. Blackbird oil on canvas, 30.5 x 36 cm
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44. Goldfinch Looking Up oil on canvas panel, 13.5 x 18.5 cm
Derrick Guild
43. Little Giant, after Fabritius acrylic on linen, 26 x 20 cm
Derrick Guild
45. Goldfinch Looking Down oil on canvas panel, 14 x 19 cm
46. Chaffinch oil on canvas panel, 14 x 22 cm
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47. Boarhills Botanical, Iris oil on canvas panel, 40 x 25 cm
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Derrick Guild
48. Boarhills Botanical, Rose and Artichoke oil on canvas panel, 37 x 25 cm
Derrick Guild
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49.overleaf: No Easy Passage, after Ramsay and Hodges twelve-piece work, oil on linen in individual oval frames, dimensions variable
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Derrick Guild 50. History Voice, after Hodges three-piece work, oil on linen in individual frames, dimensions variable 40
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51. Bird Feeder, after Raeburn and Fabritius oil and acrylic on linen, 90 x 53 cm
Derrick Guild
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I draw ideas from the form of trees, plants, flowers and small birds, not only for visual effects, but also to express the strength and robustness of nature. Plants and flowers show dramatic changes in such a short time when they are in bloom and also when they wither. Each figure in each moment represents the turn of time, which seems to go far towards expressing an invisible stream and the phenomenon of fleeting moments in nature. I have been trying to capture something of its essence.Thecircles and spirals in my work represent symbols of reincarnation, which can often be found in Zen and Celtic philosophy. I have been trying to express the repeating and everlasting flow of life through these forms. Getting ideas from these symbols and combining them with my drawing is the essence of my personal artisticRecently,rhythm.Ihave spent a lot of time in my parent’s garden in Japan to draw ideas for new works. I have rediscovered the charm and beauty of the familiar plants and flowers which I so often took for granted. I am inspired by the strength and resilience of the natural world.
Naoko Shibuya
Naoko Shibuya Capturing Nature
Naoko Shibuya was was born and brought up in Tokyo, Japan. She studied Fine Art at the Tama Art University, Tokyo, before continuing her studies at Edinburgh College of Art, graduating in 2001 with a Master’s in Fine Art in Painting and Drawing. She divides her time between her studios in Edinburgh and Tokyo.
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Naoko Shibuya
52. Deepening Autumn, 2021 oil on canvas, Ø 50 cm
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53. Camellia, 2020 oil on canvas, Ø 100 cm
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Naoko Shibuya
Naoko Shibuya
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54. Waning of the Moon, 2020 oil on canvas, Ø 100 cm
55. Await to Roost, 2022 oil on canvas, 60 x 20 cm
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Naoko Shibuya
56. Summer Memories, 2022 oil on canvas, 60 x 20 cm
Naoko Shibuya
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Naoko Shibuya
57. Autumn Equinox, 2021 oil on canvas, Ø 80 cm
59. Turquoise Sway, 2019 oil on canvas, 51 x 7 cm
58. Midsummer Quiet, 2022 oil on canvas, 60 x 20 cm
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Naoko Shibuya
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60. Summer Lily, 2022 oil on canvas, 60 x 20 cm
Naoko Shibuya
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in turn influential to the work and careers of many of his students and peers. In parallel with his practice, he was a valued and dedicated teacher and mentor as a lecturer, as Head of the Sculpture School and latterly as the first Professor of Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art. He was known to be generous with his time, encouraging his students in their practice and careers. He enabled opportunities for rigorous discourse and artistic exchange to broaden students’ perspectives, challenge received ideas and to give them the confidence to be ambitious. Over a fifty-year career Scott was a key influencer in the wider cultural landscape, serving on many government and institutional committees and boards to support the visual arts in Scotland and elsewhere. Two of these institutions which were of special importance to Scott were the Royal Scottish Academy and the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. He served two terms as Secretary of the RSA and then a further two as the first sculptor to be elected President. As Chairman of the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, he was a tireless supporter, campaigner and fundraiser for the new buildings that now offer world-class facilities for local sculptors and visiting artists. His fundamental vision in these organisations was for a vibrant and stimulating visual arts sector that encouraged international relationships, as he had previously done at the Edinburgh College of Art. In 2011, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Edinburgh College of Art, bestowed by Edinburgh University, in recognition of his contribution to the College, his practice as a sculptor and as a tireless supporter of the visual arts in Scotland.
Bill Scott (1935–2012) was a respected Scottish sculptor who established and developed his practice in Edinburgh, whilst creating work for public spaces and exhibiting nationally and internationally. Working in bronze, wood and with mixed-media constructions his work explores our human experience, particularly how we inhabit, use and define space – experiences he saw affected by changes in society, science and art. While his early work shows influences from Brancusi to Giacometti, his work was
Bill Scott pprsa (1935–2012)
Portrait of Bill Scott in his studio, Roslin, 28 June 2002 Photograph by Trevor Yerbury Bill Scott publication above right, 2021
Haecceity
Andrew Patrizio, Bill Scott’s Declaration of Interdependence, 2021
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It was an idiosyncratic stroke of genius for Bill Scott to take, in 1995, haecceity@demon. internet.co.uk as his first email address. At once the new and soon to be ubiquitous technique of interpersonal messaging was anchored in medieval Scottish philosophy – ‘haecceity’ (pronounced heck-say-ity), a new technical term meaning ‘thisness’, coined in the thirteenth century by John Duns Scotus (1266–1308). It sought to capture “the quality that makes a person, or thing describable as this; the property of being a unique and individual thing; particular character, individuality.”
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Detail of Bill Scott’s studio, Roslin, 2021 Photograph by Chris Park
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61. Subjects for Renewal, 1999 wood, paint and mixed media, H42.5 x W53.5 x D30 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
Bill Scott
62. Untitled Bronze, c.2010 bronze, H43.5 x W35 x D42 cm Photograph by John McKenzie opposite: Untitled Bronze, c.2010 (detail)
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Bill Scott
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Photograph by John McKenzie
63. Voyager Machine, c.2010 bronze, H40 x W12 x D27 cm
Bill Scott
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64. Thermal Transfer, 2008 bronze, H44.5 x W23.5 x D37 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
Bill Scott
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Bill Scott
66. Exploration II, c.2010 bronze, wood, paint, H15 x W38 x D38 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
65. Archive Object, 2010 bronze, H19 x W7 x D3 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
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Bill Scott
67. Bronze Column, c.1985 bronze, H75.5 x W17.7 x D17.7 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
68. Still Life in Bronze, c.2011 bronze, wood, paint, H28 x W23 x D23 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
69. Untitled, c.2011 bronze, wood, paint, H21.5 x W17 x D11 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
70. From a Block, 1994 wood, paint, H58.5 x W33 x D30.5 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
Bill Scott
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71. Vessels, 1994 wood, paint; left H34 x W8.5 x D9 cm; middle H14 x W14 x D14 cm; right H33.5 x W8 x D7.5 cm Photograph by John McKenzie
Bill Scott
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SCRATCHING THE SURFACE PART II 66 Gregory Alliss (b.1972) Juxtaposition 72 Malcolm Appleby (b.1946) A Lifetime of Achievement 80 Douglas Fitch (b.1964) and Hannah McAndrew (b.1977) A Slipware Tradition 94 Koji Hatakeyama (b.1956) Contained 100 Vicky Lindo (b.1980) and Bill Brookes (b.1980) Scratching the Surface 108 James Maskrey (b.1967) The Cartographers 65
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Gregory Alliss, 2022 Photograph by Charlotte Alliss
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
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Gregory Alliss
Gregory Alliss Juxtaposition
Gregory Alliss is a practising studio glass artist and engineer who lives and works in Edinburgh. He specialises in kiln-casting and coldworking techniques using optical and recycled glass. Gregory graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2019 and has won several awards for his glass. He is currently undertaking a PhD researching the qualities and potential use of waste/recycled glass and sustainable practice.
Microburst (cat. 74) and Downburst (cat. 73), 2022, kiln-cast recycled cathode ray tube glass and clear casting glass, H10 x W10 x D10 cm; H16 x W29 x D10 cm
My work is made by combining conventional casting glass and recycled glass. I am inspired by cloud formations, and the juxtaposition of two types of glass creates a visible line which is used to reference the natural world. Combining this glass in the kiln pushes the boundaries of the material and reshapes what is possible in the Glassprocess.isa puzzle! I have two conflicting viewpoints which may be used to describe glass and studio glass: frustrating, unforgiving, time consuming, unwieldy, and brittle. Conversely, it is fragile, colourful, shiny, transparent, and mesmerizing. The first viewpoint is taken from the experience of making and the other is from looking at the artwork. This duality is why glass is my material of choice. The challenge is to master the idiosyncrasies and subtle nuances of glass into creating an intriguing object. Glass is a ubiquitous material cherished for its transparent properties. In my work, I aim to draw the viewer inside the glass. I want them to find something intriguing beyond the shiny façade.
kiln-cast recycled cathode ray tube glass and clear casting glass, H17 x W25 x D5 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
72. Ice Shelf, 2022
Gregory Alliss
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73. Downburst, 2022 kiln-cast recycled cathode ray tube glass and clear casting glass, H16 x W29 x D10 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Gregory Alliss
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kiln-cast recycled cathode ray tube glass and clear casting glass, H10 x W10 x D10 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Gregory Alliss
74. Microburst, 2022
75. Squall Line, 2022 kiln-cast recycled cathode ray tube glass and clear casting glass, H18 x W24 x D6 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Gregory Alliss
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Photograph by Philippa Swann
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Malcolm Appleby at home in Perthshire, 2022
Malcolm Appleby A Lifetime of Achievement
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In the spring of 2022, Malcolm Appleby was awarded his second Lifetime Achievement Award by The Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council.Born in 1946, Malcolm Appleby studied at Beckenham School of Art, Ravensbourne, Central School of Art, London and then at the Sir John Cass School before spending two years at the Royal College of Art 1967–1968. He moved to Scotland, settled in the railway station at Crathes, Aberdeenshire before making his home and studio in the mid 1990s with his wife Philippa Swann and their daughter May in Grandtully, Perthshire.
Although [Malcolm Appleby] now lives in Perthshire, the Crathes workshop was integral to Malcolm’s work for nearly thirty years. He first moved to Deeside in 1969, renting the home of a friend’s brother for a year. He forged a rapport with the rolling landscape, wildness, and peaceful beauty of the area; not surprising considering the important part nature plays in his work. A year later he bought the deserted Crathes Station on the Deeside Line, a Beeching casualty, which was once an important artery linking the Grampian foothills to the coastal city of Aberdeen. With renovations complete in 1971, the Station offered ideal accommodation, and the wild garden, created from the Station car park, was to become a never-ending source of Christineinspiration.Rew,
Malcolm Appleby is known primarily as an engraver and he is considered amongst some of the finest living gun engravers and designers in the world. He is also a printmaker, a specialist in medals, silversmith, goldsmith and jeweller, making unique works and multiples. His wideranging commissions come from across the board: private, public and corporate sectors, local and international. His extraordinary output ranges from commemorative pieces such as the electro-formed gold Model of the Moon – a gift for the first moon landing astronauts (1969) or the Trafalgar Medal, marking 200 years since the Battle of Trafalgar (2005), dramatically illustrating the precise moment of mortal combat. To each piece he brings an innovative and imaginative approach, that often encompasses humour, such as the carved steel and gold Seal for the Board of Trustees at the Victoria & Albert Museum (1985) – the imagery was based on his recently departed ginger cat, seen rising towards the heavens, and was described by then Director Sir Roy Strong, with undoubted irony, as “the most vulgar piece” in the whole museum. His appreciation of the natural world is everywhere evident in his work, including the sublime totem-like engraving of the Raven Gun – the first modern work commissioned by the Royal Armouries, on display at the Tower of London (1986) – one of a series of guns that has made Malcolm a recognised master of this field. The Scottish landscape is highlighted in the stunningly original Sculptural Centrepiece made for the First Minister of Scotland’s residence at Bute House (1999) which features in its parts the dramatic coastlines of Scotland, including the
Malcolm Appleby Designer and Engraver, Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museum 1998
I first met Malcolm and his wife and business partner Philippa in 1997 and I have never taken my visits to Grandtully in Perthshire for granted – Malcolm and Philippa are always welcoming and I am introduced to all the new projects on the go. The house appears like a cross between a ship’s architecture and a Hobbit’s house, with numerous studios and outbuildings set within acres of a wild garden complete with rare breed bantams and their beloved cat. The studio is a creatively dynamic place. I record every visit to Aultbeag as a means of trying to keep up with the extraordinary output. In 2019, when the Japanese sculptor Koji Hatakeyama was making
It is also twenty years since Malcolm held his first symposium which has developed into an annual event providing a unique opportunity for artists to work alongside Malcolm in his studio, a creative space for all to consider the possibilities of working in metal. The final gathering of friends, curators and collectors celebrates the week’s work and encourages further discussion and creative thinking. The symposium attracts artists who work in different media, which enhances the experience for all participating. Malcolm uses ‘Malcymix’ as a description of his tireless experimentation and skill in blending metal. But a ‘Malcymix’ also describes his continued enthusiasm for bringing different artists together and seeing what happens in the mix, the very opposite of isolation – he has a passion for ideas and a generous respect and dedication for all studio practice. No one works alone, and Malcolm heartily acknowledges the part other artists and crafts people have played in the creation of his work since he first took up engraving in the 1960s.
When The Scottish Gallery celebrated Malcolm Appleby’s 70th birthday in January 2016, we included several portraits of Malcolm which had been taken the previous autumn by David Eustace as part of his ongoing Friends and Artists portfolio. Instead of using an image of an iconic engraved work to mark his birthday, we deliberately placed Malcolm centre stage, and this impacted the exhibition in unexpected ways: the enigmatic portrait of Malcolm cemented his status as a senior British artist and attracted a new audience. Malcolm Appleby has dedicated his artistic practice primarily to engraving and pushing the boundaries of metalwork. Constant experimentation has made him a master of his craft and in 2014 he received an MBE for his outstanding contribution to the arts and last year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The Scottish Gallery has been associated with Malcolm since the 1970s, bringing the unique facets of his work to many, each piece sold marking the beginning of a new story. In 2019, The Gallery celebrated
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stacks and islands seen around the shores. A pair of Candlesticks for St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh (2014) incorporates dove and fish imagery that draws on the natural world that perfectly complements their setting. Politics is a prevailing source of inspiration: The Condiment Set for 10 Downing Street (1988) – made during the age of the Reagan, Thatcher ‘star wars’ years pulls no punches with its underlying meaning. ‘Hurricane George’ a large shallow bowl was created for the touring exhibition Cutting Edge, sponsored by a consortium of Scottish art galleries in 2007, highlighted the inadequacy of the Bush administration while Hurricane Katrina wreaked its fury. A series of political ‘Catchphrase Beakers’ begun in 2011 continues his desire to expose cliché, often using double entendre at its heart. The most recent piece completed in the workshop at the time of Covid 19 is ‘Worst Case Scenario’ (April 2020) an overworked catchphrase of our times. His work is held in numerous public collections worldwide and loved universally by the many private clients he has amassed over the years.
50 years since Malcolm first set up his studio in Scotland and the exhibition marked another opportunity to recognise his unique contribution to the arts. Malcolm has an infectious enthusiasm for his craft, a willingness to work with other artists and his pleasure in sharing his skills is characteristic of his generosity and preeminence. The Gallery seeks to complement his studio practice output with imaginative displays of affordable and extraordinary examples.
Malcolm Appleby working in his studio, Grandtully, 2019 Photograph by Philippa Swann
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an educational visit to Edinburgh, I took him to see Malcolm – at first he seemed indifferent to the changing landscape as we left the city of Edinburgh behind, but the moment he caught sight of Malcolm’s home and studio he was filled with excitement – Grandtully is the stuff of dreams.Over the years, I have been the lucky recipient of Malcolm and Philippa ‘ephemera’ –decorated letters and parcels, usually some form of recycled packaging, patched up and tied up in string. This encompassing aesthetic and Philippa’s annual newsletter makes all friends and collectors feel special and included in the creative process. For the lucky owner of Malcolm’s jewellery or engraving gets to know ‘the other side’ – the bit that the viewer doesn’t get to see and only the wearer gets to enjoy –such as the underside of a brooch engraved with feathers, or the inside of a bangle with a signature to be found amongst a sea of swirling scrolls. The possibilities for Malcolm to be creative don’t diminish, they increase with every passing month – the more Malcolm makes, the more the ideas keep coming. ‘Making and creating is part of my daily cycle. Inspiration can come from anywhere; I can turn a political catchphrase such as ‘The Enemy Within’ into a lettering design for one of my silver beakers. The making process is an inspiration in itself. I much prefer natural forms and textures to industrial forms and polished surfaces, frequently distorting the silver using corroded tools. These make subtle textures and informal surfaces over which I can engrave’.
50 Golden Years in Scotland was a celebration of Malcolm Appleby and an opportunity to capture the beautiful, creative space which is central to his practice. The natural world that surrounds the studio informs every piece, the artist’s inspiration unlimited in the abundance of the world around him. Malcolm has also supported many fundraising events for charity over the years, primarily the creation of the annual ‘Banchory Bangle’ – a raffled gold bangle – the first of which was made in 1976 for Children 1st in Aberdeen. The bangle
has become a legendary object in the Northeast of Scotland. His much-photographed jumper has also become a legendary object. Originally knitted by his mother in the 1960s in olive green wool, it has been transformed by over 50 years of darning and additions of silver buttons. One might forget that this garment is a practical pelt to keep Malcolm warm whilst concentrating at the bench but it is also an iconic part of his visual armour which cannot be separated from who Malcolm is. And every time I see it, I say ‘Which museum is getting the jumper?!’ He tells me that the last inclusion to the jumper was the string that wrapped the last parcel sent from The Scottish Gallery!
Christina Jansen
76. Colliding Galaxies, 2018 22ct gold, hammer raised and engraved beaker, H7.8 x W7.7 cm Photograph
Philippa Swann 76
Malcolm Appleby by
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Malcolm Appleby
77. Parrot Tulip Pendant, 2019 engraved silver, mixed golds and platinum with brown diamond, H6 x W4 cm Photograph by The Scottish Gallery
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78. Blizzard Bowl, 2022 Britannia silver, engraved hammer, deep textured surface, H6 x Ø 6.5 cm Photograph by Philippa Swann
Malcolm Appleby
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opposite: selection of Malcolm Appleby jewellery
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Douglas Fitch and Hannah McAndrew A Slipware Tradition
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Details from Douglas Fitch and Hannah McAndrew’s studio in Dumfries & Galloway Photographs by Shannon Tofts
Douglas Fitch and Hannah McAndrew A Slipware Tradition
Douglas Fitch
Douglas Fitch
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79. Ribs and Sprigs Jug thrown red clay with modelled appliqué decoration, H31 cm also shown: Hannah McAndrew, Black Dreaming of Spring Charger (cat. 87) Photograph by Shannon Tofts
once formed a part of. The experience gave me an understanding of what pots made by hand looked like. This aesthetic has formed the basis of my work ever since. Similarly, Hannah draws inspiration from pots of the past, taking influences from the ancient British folk heritage of country pottery, in particular seventeenth century Staffordshire slipware. The makers of such pots demonstrated extraordinary, intuitive skill, a high benchmark to which we both aspire. Hannah and I share materials: we both work in red earthenware, decorated with a self-imposed restricted palette of coloured slips, covered with rich honey glazes. The pots are fired in either, an electric, or wood fuelled kiln, the latter of which we stoke continuously for up to twenty hours. Our life is our work, and our work is our life – we live, and we breathe pottery.
In 2013, Hannah and I became partners in life and in business. We are long established studio potters specialising in slipware, which we make in the workshop at our home, near Castle Douglas in Dumfries & Galloway. Our styles complement, as we have evolved from similar influences, but our work is clearly distinct from one another. We exhibit regularly in Japan and throughout the USA. I have been making pots for most of my life. It’s a strange thing, to be excited by something as simple as a brown clay jug and I can’t explain it, but it seems that it happens to some people; it just gets under your skin. At the age of eleven, I first encountered medieval pottery. My headmaster, a keen archaeologist, would take us on trips to formerly inhabited sites, commonly ploughed fields, where our eyes would scour the furrows in search of fragments of pottery. Back in the school room, he would show us photographs of the type of pottery that these sherds had
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Douglas Fitch in his workshop, 2022
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Douglas Fitch
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80. Bellied Pellet Jug thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H34 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
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81. Floral Jug
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H31 cm
Douglas Fitch
82. Green Ribs and Pellets Jug thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H32 cm
Douglas Fitch
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
83. Very Large Baluster Jug With Arches and Sprigs thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H50 cm
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
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84. Round Green Jug With Sprigs thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H31 cm
85. A Clamour of Rooks Moneybox thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H21 cm
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Douglas Fitch
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
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thrown red clay, modelled appliqué decoration, liquid slip, glazes, H19 x Ø 24 cm
86. Summer Tyg
Douglas Fitch
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Hannah McAndrew in her workshop, 2022
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Hannah McAndrew
88. Green Abundance Tyg wheel-thrown clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, H20 x Ø 24 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
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Photograph by Shannon Tofts
87. Black Dreaming of Spring Charger press-moulded clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, Ø 48 cm
90. Small Black Flower Trio Plate wheel-thrown clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, Ø 19 cm
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91. Tulip and Dahlia Pill Boxes wheel-thrown clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, Ø 6–9 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
89. Large Black Flower Head Plate wheel-thrown clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, Ø 34 cm
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
Hannah McAndrew
Hannah McAndrew
93. Large Yellow Flower Head Plate wheel-thrown clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, Ø 34 cm
Photograph by Shannon Tofts
94. Small Yellow Bird in Flower Plate wheel-thrown clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, Ø 19 cm Photograph by Shannon Tofts
92. Yellow Tulips Dish pressed clay, slip and slip decoration, variety of glazes, H26 x W35 x D4 cm
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Public Collections include: Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum
The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Denmark Royal Family, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Japan Foundation, Tokyo, Japan Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Japan
‘I create contained vessels; I try to convey the sense that something is concealed or hidden within. I try to provoke a sense of the spiritual world in my bronze boxes. The patterns and facets I create on the outside are a direct response to the landscape. I find that when using gold or silver leaf within the interiors, there is a sense of enlightenment when opening the lid, my intention is to enter a different world, a different place. This place has no darkness. My consciousness is veiled in bronze.’
Koji Hatakeyama
Koji Hatakeyama was born and raised in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture in Japan, an area renowned for the ancient art of metal casting. Hatakeyama-san makes beautiful cast bronze boxes, with gold or silver interiors which are scholarly objects which relate to the Japanese tea ceremony. The patinated surfaces offer an abstract expression of the landscape.
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Koji Hatakeyama in his studio in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, 2018
Koji Hatakeyama Contained
The Scottish Gallery has represented Koji Hatakeyama since 2000. In the autumn of 2022, Koji Hatakeyama will be the subject of a major survey exhibition at Musée Tomo, Tokyo.
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA Rakusuite Museum, Toyama, Japan Takaoka City Museum, Toyama, Japan Victoria & Albert Museum, London
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95. Four Faces I cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H7.8 x W4.5 x D4.5 cm
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96. Four Faces II cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H8 x W4.8 x D4.8 cm
Koji Hatakeyama
97. Four Faces III cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H9.5 x W4 x D4 cm
98. Six Faces
Koji Hatakeyama
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cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H9.8 x W5.5 x D5 cm 99. Eight Faces I cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H10.2 x W4.5 x D4.5 cm 100. Eight Faces II cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H12.2 x W4.3 x D4.3 cm
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Hatakeyama 101. Six Faces I, 2018 cast bronze, gold leaf interior, H33 x W37 x D19 cm 99
Koji
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Vicky Lindo and Bill Brookes Scratching the Surface
slipware housed in the museum where she worked in Bideford. They work together on making forms which Bill will produce a plaster mould from; Bill then casts the shapes and, while the clay is still wet, Vicky will apply her design with sgraffito decoration. It is then fired, overglazed and fired again. In 2019, Vicky and Bill won the BCB Award for Dead Dad Book, which took the form of 12 large-form vessels which told the moving story of Vicky’s father, who came to Britain as part of the Windrush Generation, and explored the themes of migration, racism and identity. This body of work was acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Vicky Lindo and Bill Brookes
Photograph by Thomas Brookes
Vicky Lindo and her partner, Bill Brookes, have been making ceramics together since 2013, working from their studio in Bideford, Devon. The couple’s work draws on subjects as diverse as classical mythology, history, the natural world, and even politics, as well as their own day-to-day lives. They are inspired by traditional English slipware pottery with images that Vicky describes as, ‘anything from a funny story heard on the radio, heroic animals, a pattern on an antique rug or a beautiful old tree in the local park.’ Vicky studied Textiles at Herefordshire College of Art & Design and discovered a love of sgraffito pottery after she was inspired by a collection of North Devon
102. Head and Heart slip cast earthenware, with coloured underglazes and sgraffito decoration, each H32 cm
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Vicky Lindo and Bill Brookes
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Vicky Lindo and Bill Brookes
103. Red Tiger and Red Lion slip cast earthenware, with coloured underglazes and sgraffito decoration, each H20 x W28 cm
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104. Thank You For Taking the Sadness Away slip cast earthenware, with coloured underglazes and sgraffito decoration, H34 cm
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Vicky Lindo and Bill Brookes
Vicky and Bill in their studio, 2022 Photographs by Ben Boswell
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The Cartographers reference the art of map making, particularly the depiction of mythical creatures on medieval maps. Many of these were reported first-hand sightings by ancient seafarers who were the main sources of information for writers and artists trying to describe ocean life. They may have been overcome by fever, exhaustion, dehydration or too much grog, but their reports of these creatures became the basis for natural history texts and subsequent drawings on maps. These pieces use the bottle as a metaphor for the carrying of supplies, of preservation, encapsulation and perhaps the suggestion that their illicit contents fuel the imagination for tall
Jamesstories.Maskrey
I use predominantly hot glass to create factual and imagined objects that often take the form of individual pieces or collections of curiosities. Inspiration comes from many sources. Personal experiences, peculiar facts, elaborate hoaxes and more recently, voyages of discovery, endeavour and exploration all help to inform, whilst a passion for both traditional craft skills and new technologies play an important part in the execution of the work.
James Maskrey has a career in hot glass spanning over 30 years and he currently works for the University of Sunderland at the National Glass Centre. He has exhibited internationally, and his work is included in public collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, National Museums Scotland and the Crafts Council, London.
Photograph by Colin Davison
James Maskrey The Cartographers
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James Maskrey
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105. Equator free-blown bottle, solid formed base with printed glass inclusion and solid formed stopper, H35 x W7 cm Kraken free-blown bottle, solid formed base with printed glass inclusion and solid formed stopper, H35 x W7 cm Whale free-blown bottle, solid formed base with printed glass inclusion and solid formed stopper, H29 x W7 cm
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109. Munster’s Monsters free-blown bottle, solid formed base with printed glass inclusion and solid formed stopper, H34 x W7 cm
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108. Sea Devil free-blown bottle, solid formed base with printed glass inclusion and solid formed stopper, H32 x W7 cm
Inside front cover: Bill Scott, Untitled Bronze, c.2010, bronze, H43.5 x W35 x D42 cm (cat. 62) (detail)
29 September – 29 October 2022
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Exhibition can be viewed online
Back cover: Stephen Bird
Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition
Scratching the Surface
Right: Derrick Guild, Non-Monarch, after Landseer, oil on linen, 127 x 102 cm (cat. 36) with detail from No Easy Passage (cat. 49)
Cover:AllISBN:www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/scratchingthesurfaceat978-1-912900-57-2ProducedbyTheScottishGalleryDesignedbyKennethGrayPrintedbyPureprintGrouprightsreserved.Nopartofthiscataloguemaybereproducedinanyformbyprint,photocopyorbyanyothermeans,withoutthepermissionofthecopyrightholdersandofthepublishers.AllessaysandpicturenotescopyrightTheScottishGallery.DerrickGuild,
110. Walking in Palm Park glazed earthenware with lustre, H29 x W33 cm
Non-Monarch, after Landseer, oil on linen, 127 x 102 cm (cat. 36)
