FOCUS Winter 22 Spring 23

A celebration of D&G creativity and talent

Winter/Spring 2023 Features: Gyllian Thomson Jackie Zehnder Leaders Unlimited Maggie Broadley Jupiter Artland MERZ Gallery Emma J Lock Nelson Brown Barbara Chalmers

Crawick Multiverse Stone by Tabitha Mudaliar

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Welcome to the Winter Spring issue of FOCUS DG Unlimited is delighted to bring you this bumper issue of FOCUS. As always, it is a privilege to share some of the creativity and talent here in Dumfries and Galloway. Despite the winter weather of wind rain and cold, we are all looking forward to a sunny Spring.

2022 was not an easy year but it did not break the creative spirit which is strong and evident in the beautiful work being produced and the cultural activities being delivered all around the region.

FOCUS is brought to you by Creatives Unlimited, a year-round and region-wide programme of support, training, mentoring, guidance, resources and networking events developed in consultation with stakeholders to support and connect individuals and organisations working across all art-forms, and to champion and shine a light on the creative and cultural sector in Dumfries and Galloway.

Creatives Unlimited is funded by Creative Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council and The Holywood Trust.

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Gyllian Thomson, Tapestry Artist............................................4 Jackie Zehnder, Ceramicist ....................................................6 Maggie Broadley, Programmes Manager ...............................8 Leaders & Friends visit Jupiter Artland.................................10 MERZ Gallery, Dave Rushton ..............................................12 Emma J Lock, Visual Artist/Painter.......................................14

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Cutting Edge Creativity in D&G – Nelson Brown..................16 Creating Stranraer, Barbara Chalmers.................................18 Book Recommendations by Tabi Mudaliar ...........................19 Places to visit........................................................................20

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Gyllian Thomson, Tapestry Artist

Gyllian Thomson graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art with a First-Class Honours degree in Constructed Textiles and Printmaking and enjoyed early success exhibiting work at the Royal Scottish Academy for the Scottish Society of Student Artists, and was selected for the International Trade Fair in Scotland for Applied Arts Scotland. Gyllian spoke to us recently about her passion for textiles and her practice.

Image right: Auld Stones and Thin Places 2022 Breath in Water Handwoven Tapestry 2021 Cotton Wool Embroidery thread and Thread Photo by Euan Adamson

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“After 21 years focusing on my career in teaching, I have returned to my practice as a creator in my field of handwoven tapestry. In the past I had let this wonderful medium down, I had fallen out with it as life had taken over and I became too busy for art. I was also frustrated that not many people seemed to understand just how a tapestry is created and I was amazed and heartbroken that it wasn’t respected as much as painting and drawing. You only have to look at the work of the wonderful Dovecot in Edinburgh to see what we do as weavers.

Happily, I’m back on the tapestry horse although having a not-veryinteresting chronic illness has made me introduce pacing but hey, what other medium would suit me?

Yes, tapestry is a slow ancient and economical craft and I’m loving every minute of it. I sit down to my scaffold loom (it’s made of

scaffold pipes) and I choose my yarns of different colours from my shelf, and I wind my yarn around my handmade wooden bobbins (made locally), I’m ready to weave and drift into another time and place. But of course, I’ve missed out the less glamorous part where you have to warp up your loom, winding warp around 300 times.

Then each warp strand must be secured, individually spaced and knotted. It’s time consuming but so satisfying, and if it’s good enough for the ancient Egyptians then it’s good enough for me. What a joy to see my initial painting appear slowly on my loom, translated into tapestry.

My work is driven by the balance of shapes and lines; however, the visual elements of colour are the life source in my tapestries. The power of colour in my work creates clashing and layering that when woven has a unique visual effect.

I use cotton, wool, embroidery thread, sometimes acrylic and plastic, and thread for the more subtle changes. It is this density and vividness that creates feeling when viewing my work and this is what is so important to me in my drive to show textiles as the art form it really is.

I am so happy to be working on my tapestries again and to be enjoying success in my art once more. This year I took part in Spring Fling for the first time. This gave me a chance not only to show my work but to give visitors the chance to weave themselves. Also, this year I won a prestigious prize in Visual Arts Scotland’s ‘Reverb’ exhibition.

The prize is a solo show of my work at the Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh in March 2023.” www.gyllianthomsontapestries. co.uk

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Jackie Zehnder, Ceramicist

Fern Ceramics is an independent ceramic studio run by Ceramicist, Jackie Zehnder.

Fern Ceramics is located to the east of Dumfries and Galloway between Canonbie and Langholm in an area of natural beauty and historic significance; the Langholm moors and the reiver trails.

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Jackie’s creative journey is somewhat unconventional in that it developed alongside home schooling her 5 children over a period of 12 years. She initially attended short courses and subsequently developed her own personal style independently.

Nature plays an important role in her work recently.

“The process starts with a fascination for the diversity of leaf types. Before the process of making begins I am often found foraging in hedgerows and undergrowth searching for the “perfect” leaf for the desired project.”

“The personal expression of ceramics I apply to my work is known as “The Slabbing Technique.” This process involves rolling clay into flat sheets which I then emboss with plant material and then fold around moulds to create vessels for functional or ornamental use. I like to leave the edges raw and irregular which serves to make each item a unique product and adds to the overall mood of the pieces.

Once dry after around a week, depending on the size of each item it is then fired to 900 degrees which leaves it semi porous and ready to add oxide and glaze. The oxide applied to the embossed areas recreates the leaf in a vibrant way and with unbelievable accuracy. People often comment on my work saying that they have never observed such detail on leaves. They also delight over feeling the mirrored image of the leaf on the ceramics. It’s as if the fact that it’s recreated on my ceramics out of context makes them notice nature in a new way.

Items are then clear glazed and fired again but to 1,240 degrees which results in a robust stoneware product.

Lockdown in 2020 was a turning point when my outlet for selling my work, at a local gift gallery, sadly closed down. Wondering how to move forward with promoting my ceramics I decided to open my own studio and gallery. This took place a little over a year ago and was the start of a new phase for me in expanding my creativity and challenging me personally.

In December 2021 I opened my Studio as a Christmas Gift Gallery where I also had the work of 14 different Creators alongside my own. This was a success and something I am intending to repeat again each year.

The new year saw me involved in delivering courses which were part of a post covid community outreach to encourage the community to socialise again. This was very rewarding and something that I am continuing this winter.

For the first time, I took part in Spring Fling 2022, which was the next big step in my creative journey. It was such an inspiration to be involved in a prominent artists event and to become more involved with so many like-minded people. The involvement was a real encouragement so much so that in 2023 I am hoping to hold/ organise a drop in coffee and cake opportunity for artists to chat and chill together and be encouraged inspired and feel connected with fellow artists in the area.

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Maggie Broadley, Programmes Manager

Above, left to right: Maggie Broadley, Naomi Watson, Jess Fusco-Naish

Maggie Broadley manages and supports delivery of a range of DGU’s activities as our Programmes Manager. Maggie originally joined DGU as Development Officer East in February 2018, after 13 years leading Scotland’s only officially designated Craft Town.

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Maggie is a prize-winning graduate of the Ceramics department of the Glasgow School of Art and has exhibited her studio ceramics across the UK, in Ireland and in Amsterdam. In 2004 Maggie began working to support the development of West Kilbride’s Craft Town. Leaving in 2013, she was described as “a driving force; her vision, talent and determination recognised locally, nationally and internationally.”

“Living ‘across the border’ in East Ayrshire, I was aware of Dumfries & Galloway’s creative community. It’s been a real privilege to be a small part of that since joining DGU. As well as Spring Fling, Wigtown’s Book Festival, Kirkcudbright Art Town and Moniaive Festival Village, the mix of creative practitioners and organisations delivering a diverse range of exhibitions, events, activities, and projects across the region provide me with constant inspiration. It’s been wonderful to see how they enrich local cultural life whilst contributing to the health and well-being of individuals and communities, from Stranraer to Langholm, Sanquhar to Castle Douglas.

It is incredibly tough to choose 3 stand out moments from a plethora of memorable moments as part of the DGU team, so this is very much a representative sample of excellent memories to date, as I look forward to many more!

The first was when I discovered I’d been successful at interview. I loved those early days of getting out and about, meeting creatives and developing supportive professional relationships. I remember my first DGU drop-in session hosted by Tina Fiske at CAMPLELINE, and our wonderful conversation about this fantastic independent arts organisation. It’s there I also met artist Bea Last for the first time, such a unique creative voice underpinned by environmental concerns around waste. Another of my early DGU projects was cocreating a bid to the Freelands Artists Programme.

Whilst the bid wasn’t selected, working collaboratively with Matt Baker of the Stove and Amy Marletta of Upland strengthened our working relationship and emphasised their drive, commitment and the impact of genuine practitioner focussed and

locally driven creative activity, also two passions of mine.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed discovering ‘new to me’ creative practitioners through my role with DGU, and that’s led me to move outside my ‘creative comfort zone’. Another highlight has been being part of the Women Over 50 project, developed by photographer Kim Ayres and writer Carolyn Yates. Starting off with a series of powerful photographs by Kim, Carolyn then wrote Gaze, a spoken word film funded by a Bright Sparks Award from DGU. It was such a privilege to see it performed after lockdown as a stage play at Catstrand.

work with Moniaive Young Theatre Makers. DGU’s ‘Get Involved, Get Inspired’ fund supported their production of “The Magic Paintbrush” and being part of the audience seeing them perform at Glencairn Memorial Institute was joyous. I remember Jess talking animatedly about finding support for young writing and performing talent Naomi Watson, whom she tutored. I was incredibly honoured to be invited to see Naomi in “Wee Yin”, a one woman show cocreated with Jess and performed

by Naomi with the support of their family, friends, fellow creatives, local businesses and the community of Moniaive.”

Supporting young people to develop their voice and creative potential is an art in itself; I have been inspired by getting to know Jess Fusco-Naish through her

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Leaders & Friends visit Jupiter Artland

Tabi Mudaliar, DGU’s Creative Producer, shares her thoughts on a recent trip to Jupiter Artland with the Leaders Unlimited and friends of DGU. What a wonderful way to end another great year for Leaders Unlimited. The 2022 cohort celebrated the pleasure of experiencing art and creativity together at a recent visit to Jupiter Artland, the award-winning contemporary sculpture garden located just outside Edinburgh. It’s hard to find and even harder leave but was an absolute joy while we were there!

“Founded in 2009 by art collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson, Jupiter Artland is one of Scotland’s most significant arts organisations, with an international reputation for innovation and set in over 100 acres of meadow, woodland, and indoor gallery spaces, Jupiter Artland is home to over 30 permanent and unique site-specific sculptures. Artists exhibiting work include Phyllida Barlow, Christian Boltanski, Charles Jencks, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley as well as a seasonal programme of carefully curated exhibitions and events from a plethora of artists, both emerging and established.”

JupiterArtland.org

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It was such a treat to get out into the fresh air and see the works together. We enjoyed a curated tour with an Artland staff member who told us the background and history of the works. The timing was perfect, and the weather was too. This year’s Leaders cohort had worked hard on and offline throughout the year working on their own professional development as Leaders within the Dumfries and Galloway creative sector. This was a chance to relax and enjoy the experience.

Highlights from the day were all of us together inside the atmospheric exhibit by our very own Andy Goldsworthy, and on a personal note I must mention the special exhibition of affecting, deeply personal, and emotional works by Tracey Emin.

Things we learned: • How much we love art, especially when it can be enjoyed outside on a lovely day!

• How much we had missed being together.

• How fortunate we all were to have the chance to visit such a special place.

Tips for your own visit to Jupiter Artland: Give yourself a minimum of three hours. Take a picnic or book a table at the café which gets very busy. Don’t forget your camera.

Wear sensible shoes, and layers; it can get breezy on the hill and cold, but you work up a sweat getting round the exhibits. Spend time at the Gormley exhibit and you will get some great shots of the Forth bridge while you are there.

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MERZ Gallery, Dave Rushton

The MERZ artist residency programme launched in Sanquhar in 2019. Initial support for six artists over two years came from Creative Scotland. The programme has expanded since 2019 from one residential building (Bothy) and now centres around four residential buildings (Tadpole, Snug and No 5), three of which have been reconfigured from neglected structures while No 5 is a small house. The residency buildings sit alongside MERZ gallery, the Museum of Model Art and ZIP studio. In addition there are four Polish n126 art-houses, two ‘representing’ Kurt Schwitters and Hannah Höch and a third representing four significant Sovietera film directors (providing a mobile interview studio). Dave Rushton spoke to us about MERZ Gallery and the artists’ residences.

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“Since 2019 MERZ has offered accommodation, work and exhibition spaces for sixty five artists with short interviews on work in progress filmed by Summerhall TV. Our artists in residence have come from the UK, USA, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Finland, Japan, Germany and France.”

Since 2019 there have been several exhibitions and three annual festivals.

MERZ is based on principles loosely attached to Kurt Schwitters’ name for his work ‘Merz’ as well as early ideas from Conceptual art.

As a refugee from Germany, Schwitters located himself in Cumbria at the close of WWII. The chaos that had darkened Europe after WWI had provided a context for Dada while there was mutual support between the artists Hannah Höch and Kurt Schwitters.

Taken together and in a roundabout way their struggle led to MERZ in Sanquhar a century later.

Rebuilding the derelict lemonade factory in Sanquhar as a gallery during the financial crisis of 2009 suggested the future would echo the past. Building work continued for a decade till 2020 when the town’s long-empty abattoir became the Museum of Model Art. The extrapolation of Schwitter’s Merz as collages from discarded

materials informed taking what was found locally to use to rebuild spaces for artists, architects and writers in which to further explore building a creative future. We were interpreting art’s legacy in a metaphorical rather than a reverential or backward looking way.

beginning to broaden out in supporting an art ‘of scale’, to thoughts about working with models (physical and analytical).

In some ways this is an Art as Conceit, something not quite what it seems, work in which representation can be misleading and appearances misread.

Though related in its approach to ‘reconstruction and fabrication’ the Museum of Model Art draws on a different strand: exploring what art might be ‘about’ without necessarily being art itself, a model of art (possibly) as art (or not).

A recent project with local artists and international residents is a short animation imagining memories of Kurt Schwitters and Hannah Höch titled ‘Untitled (2022)’ which can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/741867683.

The residencies to date have focused on MERZ since 2020 while our attention for 2023 is

www.merz.gallery Instagram @merz.gallery

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Emma J Lock, Visual Artist/Painter

Renaissance and stepping into the unknown Moving to Cumbria at eleven, Emma soon became immersed in the landscape and the famously wild and gnarly Lake District weather. Her love for great expanses of open spaces, wild coastlines, and being cocooned within the deep valleys was nurtured at an early age. As a dyslexic, she found herself organically honing her visual ability and knowledge. This developed alongside a deeply passionate adoration for both Impressionist and Renaissance art. For her eighth birthday she asked for a book on Renaissance art and immediately buried herself in it, marveling at the brilliance and glory of its worn illustrated pages.

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Emma’s preferred working medium is artists’ acrylics with the addition of mediums to accentuate texture, sculptural form, and mark- making in work. She is also working in oils, multi-media collage, Japanese watercolor, charcoal, ink, pencil, and Unison pastels to name but a few.

Her artist process involves in situ photography, sketching and watercolour sketching but almost more importantly, feeling and experiencing the place, translating this into her work. She hopes to capture that feeling of the last warmth of the sun, as portrayed in, ‘In search of the dying sun’, “... the cutting, icy feeling of the squally wind lashing against your cheek as you cross the low tide,” Emma recalled. Often the greatest challenge is to take it all in, to do justice to the landscape.

She often asks herself the same question: Can we ever do Nature’s masterpieces justice? For Emma painting must be an all-in event.

It can be a long journey with some pieces taking years. As she develops her practice, she finds herself drawn to more obscure and abstract creation alongside her traditional landscape work, finding

both fulfill differing parts of her compulsion to create.

She says painting can be a deeply cathartic and immersive experience at best. A whole soul journey from within. By far her most expressive creations have been when the music, emotion and environment have all been in perfect alignment. Music is a huge part of her work, the silent sister to the bigger production, providing the right frequency for the type of piece she is submerged in. Often finding the right genre can take hours, but it is as vital a component as the paint itself.

Emma’s more recent abstract pieces involved layering mediums, removing elements, and introducing imagery to enhance the feeling of the work’s message alongside more representational, symbolic structure. Emma says being an abstract artist is a completely different human experience from being a contemporary artist, almost kickstarting different areas of one’s consciousness.

artist in 2022, she has had the privilege of having numerous solo exhibitions, including at the Northern Lights Gallery in Keswick where she was showing for almost five years. Having made the move to Dumfries and Galloway, Emma is thrilled now to be represented by the Old Bakery Gallery in Newton Stewart and was delighted to join them in September 2022.

Work can also be viewed at Emma’s artist residence by private appointment only. Commissions are considered. www.emmajlock.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/ emmajlock.art/ emmajlock@live.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/ EmmaJLockFineArt

Celebrating her 10-year anniversary as a professional

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Cutting Edge Creativity in D&G – Nelson Brown My creative practice covers all aspects of Hairdressing – design, styling, colour, technology, development. This allows me the freedom to create. I live and breathe hair!

My work varies from managing my salons and teams in Dumfries and Lockerbie to developing and delivering cutting edge styles for television productions and fashion runways around the world. I love being able to bring the experience and knowledge from these international experiences back to my teams and clients here in Dumfries and Galloway, and especially to the students attending the Nelson Brown Hair Academy. I am passionate about making people feel incredible and being in a position to educate and train the new stars of the future, and to share my creative knowledge is a huge part of what motivates me.

I’m based in Dumfries and Lockerbie in South West Scotland.

Q Tell us about your work for fashion, television, and entertainment.

My involvement in the entertainment and fashion industry has been varied and over quite a considerable period of time.

GMTV with Ben Shepard and Kate Garrawy was fun. My job was to recreate the ‘POB’ haircut that Victoria Beckham famously had but you have much less time while onscreen, so the pressure was on. I arrived at London Weekend studios to meet the model who was about to be transformed with Victoria’s POB. She had long hair and her transformation was a huge challenge in front of four million people! But it all went well.

Wherever I am, my job essentially stays the same - consulting, empowering, and making the client feel relaxed is paramount, regardless of the circumstances.

I worked with Lorraine Kelly on her morning show. My task on Lorraine was to cut Vicky Entwistle’s hair, she plays Janice Battersby on Coronation Street. I had 15 mins to make her look fabulous. I’ve

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assisted on pop videos with my good friend Raf Salley. We both worked on Robbie Williams “Rudebox” video.

A stand out event in my career was assisting Raf at Fashion Rocks in Monaco, an international event which was sponsored by the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles. It’s a fusion of music and fashion where bands play, and models strut their stuff on the catwalk showcasing leading designer collections from all over the world. It was an incredible experience - I was prepping hair seven floors beneath the fabulous streets of Monaco - I’ll never forget it!

Fashion week is my theatre. I love, travelling to London, Milan, Paris & New York. My presence at these fashions weeks has given my career such a boost. I am now proud to be part of #teammcknight.

Sam McKnight is an incredible hairdresser, an inspiration in the industry and to me personally, a charming man and a genuinely fabulous example of our creative industry. I travel to all the fashion cities assisting Sam and the

team deliver for the biggest fashion brands in the world. It’s a continuous source of inspiration, a huge moral boost for me, and it hones my technical skills and helps me develop ideas and techniques to stay ahead. It’s a part of my life I couldn’t be without.

The list of famous heads I have had the privilege of working on while assisting Sam feels endless!

You should Google him, then you will see his story, and his legacy in hair, its magical. And its why I am so thrilled to be part of his team.

But if I had to pick one highlight from my career to date, it would be working at the tribute fashion show Fendi created for the late great Karl Lagerfeld. The event was breath-taking from start to finish and a fitting tribute to arguably one of the world’s greatest designers Located in the Colosseum in Rome, I assisted Sam McKnight.

Sam had created over sixty hand dyed bob wigs which were all cut to suit each model. The event was held in the evening at dusk. It was a magical event I will never forget, and I have to thank Sam for the opportunity to be present at such a rare and unique fashion event.

Q Tell us about some collaborations you are working on.

A current collaboration I feel so good about and am really proud of is happening right here in Dumfries and Galloway. Rock ReDress is a fashion movement created by the Circle Vintage team in Dumfries. Their important ethos is sustainability and slow fashion They have given me full artistic control over the hair and I have developed some styles which are super creative and wonderful to do. It’s also a very positive and strong message to us all that we must stop abusing our world and pay attention to what’s useable again for us, for our kids future, for all of us.

Find out more about Nelson Brown and his work here: https://www.nelsonbrown.co.uk/ Find out about Circle Vintage and Redress here: https://www.facebook.com/ circleshopgallery/?locale=en_GB

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Creating Stranraer, Barbara Chalmers

Barbara, at a busy Co-Lab session

It’s all go in Stranraer at the moment. We caught up with Place Plan Manager, Barbara Chalmers - also a DGU Trustee and a Trustee of Outpost Arts, at the opposite end of the region.

“Stranraer was invited to submit a Place Plan to Borderlands fund with the potential of unlocking millions to help transform the town,” said Barbara.

“I’ve been engaging with locals to co-design our Plan for the past few months and we have a Town Team of active, interested folk who are steering the Plan going forward. The amazing news to kick of the year is that we secured over £8.7 million of Levelling Up Funding to transform the long-dilapidated George Hotel into a creative hub, bunkhouse and climbing/caving playground. The Council will match that. The town also got £4.6 million to add to the half million in the pot for a Watersports Centre on Loch Ryan for kayaking, paddle-boarding and canoeing, with lots of Get Wet fun and training for locals to become instructors. Add in our amazing natural environment, and the town perched on a sea loch that’s home to Scotland’s last remaining native oyster bed, home of the Autumn Oyster Festival, it feels like the town is stretching after a long slumber. Can’t wait to see things flourish.” Barbara grew up near Stranraer and went to school there. She’s worked in theatres, concert halls, galleries and arts organisations in Edinburgh, Stirling, Perth, Aberdeen, Inverness and Paisley.

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Book Recommendations by Tabi Mudaliar

Texaco, a novel by Patrick Chamoiseau

Art Sex Music, by Cosey Fanni Tutti

Apollo Remastered, by Andy Saunders

Patrick Chamoiseau the French author, born and raised in Martinique, gives us what is arguably now a literary classic. Texaco, winner of the Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary prize, traces one hundred and fifty years of postslavery Caribbean history. It is a novel about self-affirmation and memory. The story is told by MarieSophie Laborieux, the daughter of a slave. She recounts her father’s story and her own as well as informing the reader of the history of the Caribbean and the slaves who were transported there.

This is not your standard rock music biography and not for the faint hearted, but neither were Cosey Fanni Tutti and her fellow performing artists, all members of the band, Throbbing Gristle, the band described as ‘wreckers of civilisation’

by Nicholas Fairbairn the erstwhile Tory MP.

“In Houston, Texas, there is a frozen vault that preserves the original NASA photographic film of the Apollo missions. For half a century, almost every image of the Moon landings publicly available was produced from a lower-quality copy of these frozen originals. Over the last few years, NASA image restorer Andy Saunders has been working hard. Taking newly available digital scans and applying pain-staking care and cutting-edge enhancement techniques, he has created the highest quality Apollo photographs ever produced. Neverbefore-seen spacewalks and crystalclear portraits of astronauts in their spacecraft, along with startling new visions of the Earth and the Moon, offer astounding new insight into one of our greatest endeavours.”

Translated and published in English in 1997, it is immersing the reader in an environment that none of us have experienced and frankly, would never want to, and yet, it gives us invaluable often gut-wrenching insight. After a busy day, so many of us want to curl up with a soft charming book but sometimes it is good to break out of that comfort zone and read about the darker side of life.

Texaco has been on my husband’s bookshelves since the 90s and I dug it out after reading a book review on it from our friends at CAMPLELINE.

Art Sex Music isn’t just a memoir but an opportunity for Tutti to clear up the misconceptions about her career. She described this as a chance to reclaim her own narrative and she does so with brutal honesty.

This is an extraordinary account of an incredible creative woman who challenged authority and broke down barriers and ideologies at great personal cost. The Guardian wrote, “Creativity and a rejection of social norms was at the core of their existence, yet Tutti, as the only woman in the group, was run ragged, taking on office work to bring in money and working on COUM projects while being solely responsible for the cooking, cleaning and washing.” This is a book about being a woman, an artist, breaking rules, and not accepting ‘NO’ from a bunch of self-obsessed men.

Cosey Fanni Tutti prevailed despite constant and endemic negative media, emotional and physical abuse, public misconception, and misogyny. At times it is is a dark and uncomfortable read but I would recommend it to any young emerging artist; I’ve certainly recommended it to my daughter as a ‘must read’.

We managed to get tickets to see the iMax presentation and lecture

by Andy Saunders at the Glasgow Science Centre this winter, and I am so glad we did! What a breath-taking collection of images from the Apollo space missions and what a labour of love to restore them. For me this book is a beautiful photographic record of human bravery and man’s passionate need for exploration.

Forget the stars and stripes, and instead, look with wonder at the expressions on the astronauts’ faces, and the beauty of our dear precious planet Earth.

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Places to visit CAMPLELINE Located in rural south west Scotland, CAMPLELINE is an independent arts organisation dedicated to presenting contemporary art and film of international scope for our local communities and beyond. https://campleline.org.uk/

The Old Bakery The Old Bakery Gallery’s aim is to show that Wigtownshire produces art that is as good as anywhere else in the country.

We showcase the very best of local talent alongside some of the UK’s finest contemporary artists in a friendly and inviting setting.

In addition, we also offer a fine art framing service to help people display their artwork at its best. www.theoldbakerygallery.co.uk

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The Old Mill Gallery The Old Mill is home to an exhibition space, a bookshop and art studios. It is situated in the beautiful port village of Palnackie, on the Solway coastline in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway.

The aim of its founders, Edward and Lucy, is to create a space for enquiry into the connection between creativity, spirit and our natural environment. https://theoldmillpalnackie.com/

Outpost Arts, Mural Stories Funded by local trusts, OutPost Arts commissioned several murals in and around central Langholm, working with talented artists: renowned artist/illustrator and muralist Paul Leith, assisted by Lydia Leith & Sophie Jarzyna, blacksmith artist Agnes Jones, emerging multidisciplinary artist Blossom Mccuaig and OutPost’s Creative Director/illustrator Lucy MacLeod.

The mural delivery phase was preceded by a series of community workshops in June 2019, working in partnership with local historians and organisations such as Langholm Primary School, Langholm Academy and the day centre to co-direct the mural’s narratives and themes; reflecting real local opinions on local ‘cultural heritage’. An exhibition event revealing the process of the progress, including a ‘behind the scenes’ film launched the project in October 2019 alongside an illustrated ‘Art Trail’ map illustrated by Nebo Peklo, featuring the Mural Stories installations. The map allows visitors to navigate to this charming wee town whilst learning about Langholm’s people, it’s rich history and heritage. A film was created by Sian Yeshe, following the project’s progress. You can read more about Mural Stories and plan your visit here http://outpostarts.co.uk/mural-stories.html

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DG Unlimited’s vision is to make Dumfries and Galloway the place where all artists and arts organisations want to live, work and make a living. DGUnlimited.com To get in touch or enquire about membership please email comms.dgu@gmail.com To contribute to FOCUS, please email our Creative Producer and Editor of FOCUS magazine, Tabi Mudaliar at comms.dgu@gmail.com

Funders

With thanks to: Creative Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway Council, and The Holywood Trust

Acknowledgements

DG Unlimited would like to thank all the contributors and everyone who has contributed to the making of this magazine. And, to extend our gratitude to Dumfries and Galloway’s creative community for helping to make our region such a vibrant, culturally active, and creative place.