Second year BA (Hons) Fine Art student Kirsty Penny was shortlisted for the Scottish Portrait Awards 2021 and has been featured in the annual exhibition.
Kirsty’s painting ‘Beetroot’ was selected for the exhibition and nominated for the 2021 Young Fine Artist Award. The exhibition opened at the Scottish Arts Club, Edinburgh in late 2021 and is now on show at the Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries until 19 March 2022. Kirsty entered a portrait of her dad painted at home in her kitchen during the first coronavirus lockdown, her first time using oils. She told us:
“My interest is in human nature and how we behave, interact, and live together in our complex world. These days were strange and a bit scary, our whole routines had changed and life slowed down. For my family, dinnertime became the best part of the day, especially for Dad, my best friend and unsuspecting model.”
The awards are open to all artists over the age of 16 who were either born in Scotland or, at the time of submission, were studying in Scotland or had their primary residence in Scotland. The Young Artist Award is open to entrants under the age of 25. Entries are judged by a panel which is chaired by multi award winning contemporary artist Gordon Mitchell, and includes Imogen Gibbon, Deputy Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery; Roger Billcliffe of the Roger Billcliffe Gallery in Glasgow; and celebrated artist Helen Wilson.
Image: Kirsty Penny, Beetroot. Oil, 66 x 89 cm
Speaking of her selection for the exhibition Kirsty told us:
“Getting shortlisted for the SPA's gave me a much needed bit of encouragement to keep going with my painting. It's been so lovely to see my work exhibited for the first time, and meet other artists and people that are genuinely interested in my work.“
The exhibition can be viewed online, at Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries until 19 March and at Glasgow Art Club from 21 April to 21 May 2022.