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THE GLASGOW GALLERY
ALTHOUGH his murals are permanently on show in Glasgow’s Òran Mór - and he is currently working on a project in the Maryhill area that matches the Kelpies in scale and ambition - Nichol Wheatley has never had a major solo show in the city.
That will change next month when he opens his “Stravaigin” exhibition in The Glasgow Gallery.
The old Scots word, which means to wander, aptly describes the content as most of the 45 oil paintings have been inspired by Nichol’s many sojourns.
A Cold Clean Dawn at Gairney Bank
His latest paintings show views from these journeys and reflect his enduring fascination with light, particularly that period of the gloaming from dusk into early night.
“I have always been intrigued by that crepuscular moment,” said Nichol. “I’m interested in the way the light changes at that time of day. I do quite like nice empty landscapes where there is a lot of stillness and that is something I have been very keen to catch, so the work is mainly landscapes of Scotland, Ireland and Holland.”
The fact that many of his paintings depict evening or dawn skies also reflect his busy life.
Another Winter, Still Water
“I often go out late at night to walk the dog because I have been working until ten or eleven o’ clock over the last year,” he said. “There are quite a lot of moonlight views as I would go out and see the moon rising through the clouds and do a wee sketch. I always keep a sketchbook and camera in the back of my car so if I see something amazing I can stop and catch it.”
Despite working from early in the morning until late at night, it is still quite hard to see how Nichol has found the time to stage an exhibition - especially when he enjoyed a sell-out show last year in Perthshire, near where he grew up and currently lives.
Known for the large-scale cycle of murals that tell the story of Tam o’Shanter that hang in Òran Mór, he was also the concept artist for the Hollywood movie Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce.
He is still working on films, as well as a variety of large-scale public projects. He is the artist/curator for the artwork program at the new Stockingfield Bridge in Northwest Glasgow as well as the Cross Tay Link road that is being built to the north of Perth where he is responsible for the commissioning of new artworks.
Nichol is also in the process of designing and building the Beithir, a 120m long sculpture of a Scottish mythological serpent that will weave through and unite the host of artworks at the new Stockingfield bridge.
“It is a huge community project made by people in north west Glasgow which I feel privileged to be part of,” he said.
Coming Home
The project has been commissioned by Scottish Canals as the bridge will link the communities of Maryhill, Gilshochill and Ruchill for the first time, while providing the last link in the Union Canal towpath by establishing a continuous active travel route from Bowling on the Clyde to Edinburgh. Artwork on site is a key element of the project and will be integral to establishing a public space in the area round the bridge.
The idea of the Beithir came about when Nichol found out that there was 1000 tons of spare earth heading for landfill.
Rather than waste it, he suggested a sculpture that would revitalise the communities around it in the way the Grangemouth/Falkirk area has been revitalised by the Kelpies by artist Andy Scott.
The Beithir’s undulating body, which reaches 5m high at points, was constructed last summer and at the moment a huge head, which will be 2.8m tall and 3m wide, is being made. The entire creature will be covered in mosaics that will look like scales. These will be made to a template so they can be made by anyone from school children to grandparents.
“We need about 50,000 scales and there will also be spines going on it with lights on them which will light up in sequence to make it look as though it is moving,” explained Nichol.
In the meantime he is looking forward to the Stravaigin exhibition which will be on sale from June 2 at 10:30am via the The Glasgow Gallery website.
“It’s my biggest body of work for a while and the feedback has been good so I can’t wait to see what people think of it,” he said.
To enquire about attending the Private View of Nichol's work prior to the opening, please contact the gallery, 0141 333 1991.
The Glasgow Gallery is an independent contemporary art gallery in the heart of Glasgow City Centre. They specialise in exhibiting the best of Scottish contemporary painting through solo, featured and mixed exhibitions alongside a stunning range of contemporary applied arts including glass, jewellery, ceramics and sculpture.
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