A PAIR of talented artists and friends recently showcased their beautiful creations when they took over an exhibition space in Gourock.
Susan Hutchison and Ceri White brought their amazing works to McGilp’s pop-up shop in Gourock.
Susan is known for her incredibly detailed paintings of animals, and ceramicist Ceri creates colourful pottery inspired by retro designs.
The showcase – called Paws and Pots – brought people from all over Inverclyde and beyond into the shop.
Both Susan and Ceri are part of Perth Creative Exchange Wasps Studios and travelled to Gourock to showcase their creations.
Susan, 58, said: “We’re good friends and we get on really well.
“Everyone was really nice. A lot of artists took the time to come in and say hello.
“I really like McGilp’s. It was a great experience and I had a lot of nice chats with people.”
Ceri, 57, added: “It was nice being there with Susan and it was really fun being able to do it together. I wouldn’t necessarily have done it on my own.
“We knew we could make the space work.”
Susan studied illustration at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee and worked as a freelance illustrator for book publishers for 13 years.
After a period of illness in her thirties, she decided she needed a more reliable job, so worked as a teacher for around 20 years.
Around 10 years ago, she embarked upon some work for galleries and started painting farm animals.
A gallery owner asking if she had ever thought about painting dogs helped to kick-start the next chapter of Susan’s career.
She noticed McGilp’s when she was on a trip to Gourock and asked Ceri if she would be up for sharing the space.
The talented artist, who is focused on painting bears at the moment, said she likes her paintings to have a narrative.
Susan added: “I like the paintings to have a bit of a story or have some tension in the title.
“There’s sometimes a dream-like story behind them.
“They look at the relationship between humans and animals, and between animals and animals.”
Susan works with oils and builds everything up in fine layers using tiny brushes.
She added: “My paintings have seven or eight layers; that’s why there’s a sort of luminescence to them.
“I just love painting and everything about it; the meditative side of sitting and mixing colours.”
Ceri studied ceramics at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen and graduated in 1991.
After working in various studios over the years, she became self-employed in 2002.
She said what she does now with pottery is the culmination of around 10 years of work.
She added: “I am inspired by a 1970s childhood. I was always fascinated by the odd homewares that would be around the house.
“My work is quite easily recognisable as it’s very colourful. It’s just really different and unique.
“Now that I’m throwing on a wheel, every time I sit down I’m improving my skills a bit.
“It’s always a bit of a challenge but I enjoy that about it.
“It’s quite technical and it can go wrong.
“I would quite like to do it again, would be interesting to see what the shop would be like at different times of the year.”
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