LAUNCH ART

Elaine Johnston, William Dobbie, and Christopher Byrne in Pop Up Art Exhibitions

Artists show support for Skypark-based Charity ‘Launch Foods’ with an opportunity to win and buy original artwork!

The Studio Fine Art Company is bringing three separate pop-up exhibitions under the title ‘LAUNCH ART’, each featuring established Scottish artists Elaine Johnston, William Dobbie and Christopher Byrne to our donated gallery. Each Artist has agreed to donate a percentage of art sold from their respective exhibition as well as donate an original piece of artwork for a raffle in support of our Skypark-based charity ‘Launch Foods’. The Charity has provided over 70,000 free meals from surplus food in 12 months, serving 300 meals each day to primary school children in Glasgow’s communities that need it most.

All are former graduates of the Glasgow School of Art and during April and May, the exhibitions will begin with a renowned body of rural work by Elaine Johnston; followed by William Dobbie, one of Scotland’s foremost maritime artists; and finally Christopher Byrne, one of the most exciting contemporary artists who takes a different look at the remnants of industry on Glasgow’s Clydeside.

Curator of the exhibition Alison Donnell of The Studio Fine Art Company said: “The idea behind the popup exhibitions is not only to give our support to the Charity ‘Launch Foods’, it is a platform for these established artists (all graduates of Glasgow School of Art), who are at different stages of their careers to exhibit their work.

“Each artist will have a reception evening, giving tenants an opportunity to meet each artist, while Elaine Johnston will paint ‘live’ on-site on 2nd April at the Site Social and on Thursday 9th April at her Preview Evening with her exhibition running from 30th March to 23rd April. William Dobbie’s exhibition will run from the 24th April to 17th May, with the preview evening on 30th April and Christopher Byrne’s exhibition from 18th to 31st May with a Preview evening on 21st May and a presence at the Site Social on 7th May. All Skypark tenants will qualify for a 10% discount on sales and there’s an opportunity to buy a £5 charity raffle ticket to win an original piece of artwork by each artist. We hope that tenants will come and meet the artists and support the exhibitions and raffle - it’s a wonderful opportunity to purchase prints or original art as well as supporting this great Charity”.

A percentage of art sales and sales from raffle tickets will be donated to our on-site charity ‘Launch Foods’. Raffle tickets will be on sale for £5 from Skypark reception and throughout each exhibition and at site socials. Raffle tickets are also available from www.gofundme.com/f/feeding-glasgow039s-kids

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Elaine Johnston

This exhibition will see a body of work that embraces the strong rural animal paintings for which Elaine Johnston has become renowned with much of her work published in the media. Elaine Johnston was born in Glasgow and graduated with honours from Glasgow School of Art in 1997. Specialising in design and fine art Elaine has worked with the Department of Trade and Industry, the British Embassy and the Royal Family of Monaco. Formerly, Elaine was Peter Howson’s studio assistant and holds The Young Achiever's Award for Scotland presented by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace and the Design for Diplomat's, presented by the former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Elaine Johnston is an absolute master at painting ‘live’ and you see a blank canvas evolve into amazing contemporary animal and bird pieces, not to be missed!

William Dobbie

William Dobbie is including Skypark in his ‘Mini World Tour of Glasgow’ which is a series of popup exhibitions around Glasgow and the West of Scotland. Working mainly on commissions he has a formidable reputation as one of Scotland’s foremost maritime Artists. He will also be presenting a series of prints from his ‘Forgotten Streets and Stolen Hearts’ series, a poignant reminder of Glasgow’s heritage.

William was born in Glasgow, world famous for its shipbuilding. Therefore growing up on the banks of the River Clyde, where many ships of historical interest were built including the Cutty Sark and the Queen Mary, he found himself fascinated and inspired by the Clyde’s rich maritime heritage.

Following his graduation from Glasgow School of Art he began to build an impressive reputation at home and abroad. His original work can be seen in the boardrooms of major companies such as Superfast Ferries, Forth Ports, Bells Scotch Whisky and our very own Transport Museum. He is fortunate enough to have very famous admirers and collectors of his work - Lady Vera Weisfeld, Sir Boyd Tunnock MBE and Sir Sean Connery.

Christopher Byrne

Christopher Byrne graduated from Glasgow School of Art with Honours in 2015. He views his work as relics and fragments of exploration: Painting, etching, drawing, photography and screen printing. Looking at the remnants of industry on Glasgow’s Clydeside, his pieces detail the themes surrounding these contemporary ruins, from the aesthetics of decay, the reclaiming of the space by culture and nature to the themes of time, both past and an imagining of the future, when all that is left from our way of life is the shells of the structures we leave behind.

With family ties to the Outer Hebrides his knowledge of landscape came from not only how he saw it but from stories passed down from generation to generation. The landscape spoke for itself and allowed Byrne to put this into context through his paintings depicting the remnants of crofts and crofted lands.

One of the most exciting contemporary artists around his work has quickly become recognised and admired, appearing on Sky Arts as a finalist in the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year.