Bursary boost for seaweed sculptures

Getting old isn't all bad! Am so happy to be one of 11 artists over 50 chosen by Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, to extend my professional development and launch new projects.
 
Some of us have practised different art forms throughout our lives but are now moving into new directions while others like me are forging entirely new careers across the arts including dance, writing, visual arts, printmaking, and sculpting.
 
Luminate director Anne Gallacher said:
“Age is no barrier to creativity, and our bursaries provide an opportunity for older artists to define their own artistic development needs and meet them through our support.
 
“By doing so they contribute to Scotland’s reputation as a creative nation, whether they are finding new ways to express themselves artistically or as new artists who, being older, bring a unique perspective to their chosen artform.”

The other winners are
​Catherine Macleod, Printmaking, Dingwall
Catherine moved to Scotland from Australia in 2018 and was born in a small mission village in Papua New Guinea. Her style is influenced by her Pacific Islander heritage and her husband’s Scottish culture. Her bursary will provide tailored printmaking courses through the Highland Print Studio in Inverness.
 
Christine Thynne, Dance, Edinburgh
Christine will explore her passion for dance and physical performance and love of kayaking. Working with a mentor - choreographer Robbie Synge - she will work with movement in, on, and out of the water using her kayak, ropes, objects, and logs from the woods.
 
David Taylor, Creative writing, Cumbernauld
David’s writing project will tell the newly discovered stories of his grandfather, Cuthbert. His bursary will support development of the final written piece including mentoring and research.
 
Heather Croft, Jewellery (enamel), Selkirk
Heather took up enamelling two years ago and will use her bursary to develop her metalworking skills, alongside sharing her knowledge with local young people, working towards a gallery exhibition of new work.
 
Ingrid Bell, Visual art, Edinburgh
Ingrid will document the unique flora of Shetland, collecting samples of local grasses which she will then use to inspire a series of prints.
 
Joyce Davies, Printmaking, Shetland
Joyce is a self-taught artist, who specialises in monoprinting. Her bursary will see her travel from her Shetland home to Brighton to join East Side Prints for a ten-day residency where she will develop her printmaking skills, run a workshop, and give an artist talk.
 
Linda Lewin, Creative writing, Peeblesshire
Linda will use her bursary to explore her Burmese-Karen heritage as it is woven into the story of modern-day Myanmar. A jeweller and sculptor she will use the bursary to work on her first book ‘Angels With Broken Wings: Myanmar. My Country. My Family. My Hopes And Dreams’.
 
Nigel Ashworth, Theatre Director, Edinburgh
Nigel Ashworth is a writer and director in Edinburgh. His bursary will allow him to work on a professional production for A Play, a Pie and a Pint in Glasgow, assisting Mark Thomson, former Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre. He will also work with a mentor to learn more about experimental narrative approaches in drama.
 
Sophie Bancroft, Filmpoems, Pathhead
Sophie is a singer, songwriter and writer who has enjoyed extending the form of her work by incorporating imagery and film with her words and music. Her bursary will allow her to develop more skills for experimenting with filmpoems, including receiving mentoring and training in filmmaking.
 
Suzy Aspley, Creative writing, Stirlingshire
Suzy has gained attention as a crime writer with her debut novel. She will use her bursary to work on her second book featuring her character Martha Strangeways, a former journalist with her own tragic past, who stumbles onto a murder mystery in the Perthshire hills. It will include themes of cyberstalking, environmental threat, women’s rights, and ancient Scottish folklore.