Art

Although my parents were artists who undoubtedly passed on some arty farty crafty genes, it was the rest of my family who nurtured my love of art.

When I was young my gran took me to all the museums in Glasgow and she used the teacher's strikes of the 80's as an excuse for an educational day out. As I think about it now I have such vivid memories of the places we visited together, usually just the two of us as my Papa would have been busy with his parishioners and my brother was not really interested (he used to throw his art folder in the bins behind the school every term!) I cherished those times and feel so lucky that I had someone to share these experiences with.

My gran would always tell me stories about my mum on these trips and I think she took me places and showed me things that my mum would have were she alive. I can remember the first time we went to Kelvingrove, she was so disappointed that Salvador Dali's Christ of St John on the Cross was not in position as it was away on tour. She took me to Glasgow School of Art, we never went in (I think that would have been to upsetting for her as that was where my mum and dad met) but we would marvel at the building and have lunch in the same tearoom she used to go to with my mum.

When the Burrell Collection opened we had a big adventure on a strike day getting the bus to Clarkston then the train to Pollokshaws West before walking through Pollock park to finally get to the museum. She bought me a poster of Girl on a Bicycle which was my favourite painting there at the time. Later we had other grand days out visiting Hill House in Helensburgh - designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and various museums in Edinburgh. I always thought she did it just because my mum wasn't alive to nurture my love of art but thinking today made me wonder - who nurtured my mum's love of art??

It must have been my gran, and also my papa who was a keen painter and craftsman. My favourite place to be in the Manse where I grew up was in the attic rooms, on the left my Papa's worksop where he made cromachs, and on the right my mum's painting studio. It still contained all her paints, brushes, easles and works - both finished and unfinished and as I grew older my gran let me use her stuff. I am lucky that the majority of art work in my house is original, thanks to my talented family.

It was on a trip to Stornoway in 1993 to visit my aunt Christine that I met George Wylie and was privileged to attend the opening of his exhibition at An Lanntair about Synchronicity. I had been aware of George's work throughout the late 80's, when I was a teenager, with the Paper Boat and the Straw Locomotive capturing the imagination of many Glaswegians. I really loved the Tweed Tram that I saw in Stornoway and I was taken back there when I saw this at the George Wylie exhibition at the Mitchell Library today.

I have been following fellow blipper The Whys Man as she has been documenting the build up, opening and on-going work of this amazing spectacle. A group are going from my nursery next week so I popped in to do a quick risk assessment as I found myself unexpectedly passing through Glasgow at 4pm with an hour to spare. I couldn't possibly take it all in in just an hour and I will visit again with Freya and Noah, as my gran nurtured a love of art in my mum, and then me, I have also tried to nurture my children's passion and talent for the creative and whimsical.

When we moved to Gourock we would go for walks to get to know the area and they both loved the house in the next street up with all the fancy sculptures in the garden. They were amazed to discover it was George Wylie's house, and that he was the old boy we would see having his dinner down in the Cafe of an evening.

Ideas and imagination are marvellous things, I think it is especially hard as a teenager to value your own and be true to your passions and talents. I was lucky to have mine developed by the best grandparents you could wish for and I hope my children will thrive and continue to develop their own. I think artists like George show that anything is possible and I can't wait to see their response to all his fabulous works!