A woman who grew up in a remote Perthshire village has spoken of how she has achieved great things in art despite a slow start.
Georgina Parkins, 34, has exhibited regularly for the past decade and two of her paintings are currently on display at the opening show of Edinburgh’s Graystone Gallery.
She has also recently become an artist at Aberfeldy Gallery, close to where she was raised in Grandtully.
But she says that the ability to construct eye-catching pieces did not come until she was in her teens and beyond.
“I thought it was such a cool thing and really loved art, which is funny because I wasn’t particularly good at it,” recalled Georgina about her primary school days.
“You get these children who are proteges and can draw faces and it is amazing.
“I was never that person. I could draw and was okay.
“But I worked really hard and found my own style and what I enjoyed doing.”
Georgina explains in this article why blooming late may inspire others to follow their passion.
Traditional schooling
Nestled on the river on the northern edge of Tay Forest Park, Grandtully is an idyllic place to grow up in.
And while Georgina loved her experiences at the village primary school, the opportunities to pursue art came later.
When she was a pupil the entire school roll was 36 people. She was one of just seven schoolchildren in her year.
She says the art classes lacked the diversity that might have been present at a bigger school.
“It was a great school but very traditional,” said the mother of Connor, 12.
“We mainly used pencil drawings and I was not encouraged to paint, be expressive or try abstract stuff.”
Influenced by parents
Georgina’s interest in art was influenced by her parents, George and Valerie.
They previously owned the Grandtully Hotel and lived in the Coach House to its rear.
Valerie, a school assessor in Dundee, enjoyed art and took Georgina to a couple of degree shows at Duncan of Jordanstone College in the city.
George was a construction site manager and tutor at Perth College.
“I have always had an interest in architecture and building that comes from my dad,” Georgina said.
“The Coach House in Grandtully was completely renovated by dad. He built things.”
Breadalbane progress
Another inspiration was renowned Grandtully silversmith Malcolm Appleby.
“From the age of 12 I had a weekend job with him, which was mindblowing,” Georgina said.
“His work was super creative. I used to watch him engraving and he was super super encouraging.”
At Aberfeldy’s Breadalbane Academy Georgina learnt how to paint.
“It made a huge difference,” she said.
“The art teacher Laurie Carr was really really good and so encouraging.
“If I had spare lessons she would let me go in.”
She left school with a B grade in higher art.
“It was weird because I got an A in maths and people said I should be a civil engineer because I was good at maths and physics,” Georgina recalled.
“But I was determined to find my way as an artist.”
Deciding on a style
At 17 she did a foundation year at Leith School of Art, where she studied sculpture, tapestry and photography.
“It was mindblowing,” said Georgina, who won a prize for conceptual art at the end of the year.
She then attended Edinburgh College of Art, where she decided on a style as she opted to pursue a painting career.
“My work mostly draws inspiration from architecture and how it relates to the surrounding landscape,” she said.
“Reoccurring themes within my painting include architecture with visible signs of decay; urban and industrial spaces; suggestion and manipulation of the horizon.
“By interpreting these surfaces through paint I aim to give my work a sense of history.”
Sold-out degree show
In 2011 she graduated with a degree in drawing and painting.
“My degree show was sold out and I sold all of my paintings for it,” Georgina said.
“They sold for a lot of money which I had never experienced before.”
She was also invited by the Royal Scottish Academy to exhibit as one of their new contemporaries.
Georgina explained: “They go around all the major art schools in Scotland and pick a fairly small number of people to do a big exhibition and they say ‘these are the next ones to watch out for.’
“It was amazing.”
Exciting news
For the next six years she was a resident artist at the former Flaubert Gallery after one of her paintings for the degree show impressed staff.
But the Covid lockdowns had a bad effect on galleries and Georgina was relying on commissions until Graystone Gallery got in touch.
The good news is that the gallery displaying two of her paintings – both a take on Leith landmarks – in its opening exhibition that runs until April 22.
The even better news is that she will also be one of the gallery artists.
“I was over the moon when the gallery told me,” she said. “It’s a huge, huge thing.”
Also big is a similar role at Aberfeldy Gallery and the pieces she is working on for Glasgow’s Roger Billcliffe Gallery.
“I am painting Wade’s Bridge at the moment which is a big landmark in Aberfeldy,” Georgina said.
“I have never done paintings of Aberfeldy before so it’s super exciting to do some of home.
“If I can stick with Aberfeldy, Graystone, Roger Billcliffe and all the commissions in between then I am in a happy place.”
Advice is to stick with it
Reaching it has taken a long time.
And Georgina has some helpful advice to aspiring artists who may be toiling away without success.
“Definitely keep going,” she urged.
“Find a style, experiment, go to as many classes as you can.
“I used to go to evening classes in Perth every week.
“Stick at it until you find a niche.
“Everyone is an artist and has their own little thing.”
- The Graystone Gallery show runs until April 22.
- Georgina’s work can be seen here.
Conversation