Watercolour Paint Workshop - Oct 10th

Come and join artist Alastair Blain and learn the ancient craft of pigment preparation for watercolour. Alastair will lead a small group in grinding and milling colourful clays and earth pigments into watercolour whole pan discs. He will discuss the ethic behind gathering the earth and why he has chosen to dedicate the time to preparing such material to use in his paintings.

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Unique stories at the heart of the Gallery..

Preston Jones Gallery is proud to represent talented contemporary artists from across Scotland. Roseanna seeks passionate creators with quality and integrity for their craft inherent in the work. Each Artist has a unique story to tell, it is our privilege to share those stories with you!

  • Alastair E. Blain

    Alastair Blain, born Paisley, where he begun his studies in drawing and painting before travelling to New Zealand where for three years he studied a multitude of different crafts. After which he moved to Vienna for a year to pursue the fundamentals of oil painting, and later on to Norway where he visited the studio of Odd Nerdrum. He continues to exhibit with the community of past Nerdrum students. 

    Learning about traditional techniques used by the old masters, is the foundation for Alastair’s work and he has continued to develop an understanding of traditional materials in oil painting.

    Alastair has since been depicting the landscape of his native west of Scotland, the surrounding hills of Strath Gryffe and beyond to the isle of Arran, the central Highlands and beyond. Harvesting various clays and coloured earth for pigment and gathering materials to work with is an integral part of Alastair’s connection to the land. Bringing sketches from out in the field into his studio to work on large scale on linen prepared in the old manner. 

    Alastair’s project seeks to rekindle something of the Romantic landscape tradition together with the sense of the mythopoetical brought forth by literary figures such as Tolkien. Drawing on stories and legends from ancient times Alastair seeks a timeless landscape where one can wander into an endless horizon framed by the eternal shifting clouds, where the mountains are raised as a testament to the beauty of this sweet earth.  

  • Anna Liebmann

    Anna Liebmann is a basketweaver who lives and works by the sea in Edinburgh, Scotland. Every year in the early spring you will find Anna in the willow patch with friends, harvesting the year’s crop, hand weeding and restocking for next year. The first crop was cut from the willow patch in 2005, the year her daughter was born. Anna grows eight types of willow in the patch, of different colours, hues and elasticity.

    Through the year, particularly as she is creating baskets and forms using her home grown willow, the affection for the material carries on through the work. The baskets are things of beauty; sturdy and precise.

    Anna started weaving in her late twenties. She grows a lot of her own willow in Lanarkshire. Anna is a member of the Scottish Basketmakers’ Circle, Heritage Crafts Association, the Basketmakers Association and is certified with Scottish Working Wood.

  • Andy Cross

    Scottish artist Andy Cross, born in Hamilton in the mid-forties, graduated from Glasgow School of Art with a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing. After pursuing a career in teaching Andy decided to devote his time to painting and he has worked full time as an artist since.

    Most of Andy’s inspiration comes from the surrounding countryside of his home in South Lanarkshire as well as his frequent sojourns to France. from damp, stormy Scottish weather to the sunlit vistas of Provence, Andy continues to value atmosphere above all else in his work.

    Keeping the application of oil paint as fresh looking as possible is of great importance when it comes to Andy’s process, with brush strokes and mark making clearly visible on the surface of the canvas, a technique which adds depth to each piece, drawing the eye further into his dramatic compositions.

  • Barrie Paterson

    Barrie Paterson is a self-taught Scottish artist whose contemporary landscape paintings are inspired by the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands. Working in oils, he creates atmospheric, minimalist compositions that balance bold texture with a sense of stillness and space.

    Barrie developed a deep appreciation for the natural world through countless days spent exploring Scotlands landscapes. That connection continues to shape his work, which aims to capture not just a place, but the feeling of being there.

    Drawing on a restrained colour palette and expressive impasto, his paintings explore light, weather and the enduring presence of the landscape, inviting viewers to pause, reflect and find a sense of calm in nature.

  • Cara Guthrie

    Born and raised in Scotland, with ceramic experience gained in London, Stockholm, rural Denmark and the Lake District. Now based in Highland Perthshire in a workshop at home, Cara continues to explore and adapt her studio to be as sustainable and ethical as possible. Recent exploration has resulted in a glaze series made from entirely ‘waste’ materials from Scotland.

    Preston Jones features two exclusively designed vases by Cara in addition to one-of-a-kind wood fired pieces.

  • Caroline Dear

    I am interested in making work which celebrates the unsung plants around us upon which we all depend. I have have been exploring our evolving engagement with the land and the natural world through art using a range of techniques and processes which includes traditional weaving and rope making skills, printmaking, bookmaking and drawing.

    My work is informed by scientific, archeological and cultural knowledge and I seek to highlight these deep and important roots through making work which celebrates and allows a fresh engagement. Through exploring the relationship between our inner selves and the outer physical landscape I engage with people to value the unnoticed and the undervalued.

    My process of working involves slow meditative and repetitive actions working directly with the plants, be it moss, grasses, peat or drawing with a dip pen. This slow, accumulative nature of working is important as this reflects and mirrors natural growth and the evolving natural ecosystems. 

    I initially trained as an architect and worked as a landscape architect before deepening my engagement with the environment through working as an artist. I live and work on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, having moved here in the 1980's for work. I have exhibited in many countries worldwide, most recently in Scotland with the HAG, Knowledge, Power and Alchemy through craft exhibition which will be touring Scotland in 2027. In 2020 I received an MA with distinction in Art and Social Practice with my final project highlighting the importance of road verges.

  • Cat Tams

    Cat Tams is an award-winning artist who graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2023 with a First-Class degree in Fine Art. Working across painting, drawing and printmaking, her practice is centered around still life, landscape, and memory. Her work explores how places and objects are read, remembered and reimagined through close observation, material experimentation, and sustained engagement with drawing as a thinking tool. 

  • Charlie Parsons

    A lonely cloud drifts over a field of unruly grass, thankful for the winter sun’s warm light. Rusty cottages crane their necks to catch sight of the bonny boat in the harbour below. The ragged mountain shelters a band of windswept trees from the worst of the gathering storm.

    Bold brushwork and strong, clean colour are at the foundation of my work, giving a graphic and semi-abstract treatment to the beautiful landscapes of Scotland. 

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    I graduated from Duncan Of Jordanstone in 2013, and after a break took up oil painting professionally from my studio in Angus, on the east coast of Scotland. I draw a great deal of inspiration from the areas surrounding Dundee, but a childhood among the dramatic hills and lochs of northwest Scotland also retains a strong influence on my work.

  • Dave Hunt

    Dave Hunt, is a multidisciplinary artists practicing primarily in Oil Painting, Sculpture and Fine Art Analog Photography where the unknown outcome of an artwork is the driving force of creation.
    Dave’s more recent work has followed the exploration of two related themes, the human emotion along with the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi that views everything in nature as being imperfect, incomplete and impermanent.
    Working in Oil with Cold Wax or Acrylic paint another inspiration is the Japanese aesthetic of Ma which places equal importance to the spaces within a scene between other objects or pictorial elements.
    For Dave painting in oil or sculpture work is synonymous with his vintage analog photography processes where the creation of an artwork finds its own way over time.

  • David McGovern FSAScot

    Based in the village of Monikie in Angus, David is primarily a stone-carver specialising in recreating and re-imagining historical works from the early medieval period in the east of Scotland and from the late medieval in the West Highlands and Islands.

    His large outdoor carvings in sandstone can be seen at Forteviot in Perthshire, Halkirk in Caithness, Fiskavaig on the Isle of Skye, Conon Bridge in Ross-shire and Arbroath in Angus.

    He has recreated historical monuments for museums in Dundee, Morayshire and Shetland.

    David is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and is Vice President of The Pictish Arts Society.

  • Grania Henderson

    Grania began her artistic journey creating traditional portraits, but soon found herself drawn to the expressive freedom of abstract form and vibrant colour. Inspired by the Abstract Expressionists and British modern artists, her work explores layering colours to create depth and vibrancy, and capturing movement through bold compositions. Her paintings are held in private collections and exhibited in galleries in Scotland and England.

  • Grigorios Karastamatis

    I was born in Corinth, Greece in 1974. Studied Archaeology and History of Art at the University of Athens and worked as an archaeologist for three years, specializing in the study and classification of Greek prehistoric pottery.

    ​In 2004 I moved to bonnie Scotland, where I live ever since. I studied Textile Design at Edinburgh College of Art and since 2012 I have been a professional artist, exhibiting regularly. My artwork can be found in private collections in Scotland, Greece, Belgium, Japan and USA.

    Much work has been created during art collaborations and I have been lucky to have worked with very talented artists (film, performance costume, interior design, product design).

  • Karin Borland

    "I live in Highland Perthshire where I am inspired by the stunning landscapes, the River Tay, Loch Faskally, the forests and the flooded fields in winter.

    I work in my gorgeous, burn side garden studio (a burn is a stream in Scotland). 

    My art is usually about landscape - the light, the patterns and the colours. Sometimes it’s also about the creatures or the wild swimmers that interact with that place.

    I’ve been told that there’s an edge or an atmosphere to my landscapes - as though something is about to happen. I like that! It’s not something I consciously aim for, but I love that it’s there."

  • Katy Bremer

    The dramatic landscapes of the West Highlands of Scotland shaped my early life, and though I now live in Cowdenbeath in Fife with my family, the wild beauty of my upbringing continues to inspire me. I studied contemporary art at college, and shortly after that my focus turned to raising my children, a deeply fulfilling experience that, for a time, shifted my artistic expression.

    Instead of canvases and sculptures, my creativity found an outlet in the ephemeral: outrageously carved pumpkins for Samhain, and over-the-top birthday cakes and pies, lovingly crafted for my children, only to be consumed or returned to the earth. It was through these temporary creations that I discovered a desire for a more enduring form of making, leading me to the art of basketry.

    I believe deeply in preserving and passing down heritage and traditional skills, not just in basketry. I also work in collaboration with History Matters Ltd to bring medieval basketry practises to the life demonstrating to the general public.

  • Keith Collet

    Since retirement, 20 years ago, working with wood has become a passion. Wood has so many beautiful qualities and working by hand to highlight them has been a form of therapy and quiet satisfaction.Using traditional hand tools to produce items in the style of the Arts and Crafts era has been the main interest although latterly hand carving the likes of spoons, bowls and mice! has taken the pleasure of working with one’s hands to another level. Always learning.

  • Lezanne Scott

    Lezanne Scott is a South African artist based in Edinburgh. She works with oil, watercolour, and mixed media, and her practice explores landscape, memory, and the body in relation to place.

    "I work with oil, watercolour, and mixed media, exploring landscape, the body, and the experience of being fully present in a place. My practice moves between direct observation and memory, sketching on location, then returning to the work in the studio to build up layers that hold both clarity and feeling."

  • Lyndsey Davidson

    Based in Highland Perthshire, Lyndsey Davidson is a printmaker working across letterpress, cyanotype, and photogravure processes. Her practice is shaped by a close relationship with the landscapes she lives and works within, exploring themes of decay, regeneration, and cyclical growth as they unfold in the natural world.

    Fungi frequently appear in Lyndsey’s prints as potent symbols of renewal, resilience, and interconnectedness. Inspired by both the forest floor and the canopies above, her imagery reflects a deep engagement with place and ecology.

  • Dr Malcolm Appleby MBE

    Malcolm Appleby was born in 1946. He studied at Central School of Art, Sir John Cass and the Royal College of Art in London before establishing his studio in Scotland in 1969. A silversmith and metal engraver, known for his imaginative use of line and form, he considers gold “just another lovely material to work with.”

    Public Collections include:
    The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; The Goldsmiths’ Company, London; British Museum, London; Royal Armouries, Tower of London; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh; and Perth Museum & Art Gallery

  • Neil Paterson

    Neil Paterson is a stone carver and story teller based in Alyth Perthshire whose work is in many houses, gardens and public spaces. His work is eclectic and often bridges tradition and social commentary but always with a focus on recognising the texture and beauty of stone.

    Neil’s journey into stone carving started with curiosity and determination. “I just wanted to do it for a long time,” he recalls. Brechin monumental sculptor, Tom Church, gave him the tools and the confidence, to give it a try. From his first gargoyle, Neil has honed his skills using traditional techniques, occasionally aided by modern tools like an angle grinder, to create pieces that range from intimate keepsakes to thought-provoking artworks.

  • Nigel Ross

    Trees and wood are a theme that has run through my life. As a child living in rural Hertfordshire I was happiest running wild and free in the surrounding woodlands. Our family moved to the Isle of Arran in Scotland where my step-father, sculptor David Gilbert opened my eyes to art, and wood sculpture. Love of the out-doors lead me to employment in several forestry related jobs and eventually to running my own forestry and fencing business. My art developed from this background with natures rhythms and energy being my major influence. I have been a full-time sculptor-maker since the early nineties. I work with lengths of fallen tree creating abstract forms often with a functional element. I like to carve the timber as large as possible maximising its length and breadth. My sculpture and sculptural benches, seating and bridges are situated in woodlands, country and sculpture parks and trails, new building developments and gardens across the UK, Europe and USA. I am creating more and more for interior spaces and homes. Sculptural wood forms which can be incorporated into new architecture. In the future I plan to become more involved with installation and land-art projects.

  • Sheila Messenger

    Sheila Messenger is a Scottish artist and printmaker based in Perthshire, known for her still life oil paintings, mixed-media collages, and soft ground etchings. She studied drawing and painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and maintains a studio near Caputh.

    Her practice is inspired by the natural world, with a special focus of the myriad of changing colours that flowers display over time—from the bud, through full bloom, to decay. Her paintings capture flowers appearing from and disappearing into the background. Through this interplay of presence and absence, she hopes to convey their essential, ephemeral quality as a meditation on the fleeting beauty of life.

  • Simon Cooper

    Simon Cooper is one of the few remaining makers of traditional oak swill baskets — a heritage craft once essential to daily life across Cumbria and southern Scotland. Having trained with Lorna Singleton and Owen Jones, two of the last master swill makers, Simon continues this endangered craft from his workshop in Crieff, Perthshire.

    Working with locally sourced oak and hazel, Simon follows time-honoured methods: splitting green oak by hand, riving and shaving the laths, and weaving them around a hazel rim. Each basket embodies the rhythm and resilience of this centuries-old tradition while finding new relevance in contemporary craft and sustainable design.

    Simon celebrates the quiet beauty of useful things and the enduring bond between maker, material, and landscape.

     

  • Tracy McAlister Mackay

    Tracy McAlister Mackay is a contemporary ceramic artist whose practice is driven by a deep interest in form, tactile surfaces, and the physical properties of raw materials. Her creative career has spanned theatre costume, education, and large-scale community projects. Her practice was recently deepened by three years of intensive experimentation with diverse clay bodies and firing techniques at the Glasgow Ceramic Studio, providing the technical foundation for her current work. Tracy creates hand-built, asymmetric, one-off ceramic pieces that draw a direct parallel between the physical process of working with clay and the human experience. The ceramics function intentionally as individual pieces or grouped arrangements, where the negative space between the vessels echoes a sense of community. Inspired by a profound heart event over fifteen years ago, she celebrates the visible marks and scars as a physical record of survival, resilience, and change.

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Cara Guthrie Ceramics