Bel Pye moved to Scotland in 2011 to study Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since then they have worked as a writer, performer and workshop facilitator in Glasgow. Bel is a long term attendee of the Project Ability studios in Trongate – Project Ability is a visual arts charity and gallery supporting people with learning disabilities and mental ill-health to create art.The Project Studio gallery recently hosted Bel’s first solo show A Soft Place To Land. Bel’s art practice explores the everyday art we make to survive hostile times, often trying to find small acts of accessible protest. This practice is fatigue informed and grounded in the queer, mad, and chronically ill communities Bel lives in.

Thanks for being with us, Bel! Can you tell us how your practice has changed over time?
I moved to Glasgow in 2011 to study performance. My plan was to become a drama teacher, but unfortunately chronic illness impacted me in such a way that being a school drama teacher or youth drama leader full time was not a sustainable option. In 2016 I was referred to Project Ability by my GAMH social worker, who knew I enjoyed creative things. That was when I started finding ways to translate the creative ideas I’d put into my performing and teaching into visual art instead. Once I realised you could make visual art sitting down (or in bed) I didn’t look back! I recently had my first solo show at the Project Ability Gallery. It was a lovely opportunity to look back over the last 10+ years to see how far I had come, both artistically and personally.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
I do something fun (like go shopping for a new pen) or something repetitive and boring (like washing the dishes) or talk to another creative person. This usually works, and even if it doesn’t it will still have got a new pen, some clean dishes, and a nice chat with a friend.

Which artists inspire you? Are there non-artistic influences such as literature or music that impact your work?
Whilst at university I was excited by the work of disabled dance artists based here in Scotland, such as Claire Cunningham and Marc Brew. Since being involved with Project Ability I’ve had the pleasure of working in the same studio as many wonderful artists, and am the proud owner of original artworks by Rachel Hook and Dominic Hemphill-Whyte. It was the paintings of Erin Keogh that finally encouraged me to brave working with paints after spending years focussing on textile based work.I’ve become more aware of other studios that support disabled artists such as Garvald Arts in Edinburgh and Action Space in London. I love the work of Garvald artist John Black,  and my recent solo show a soft place to land was heavily inspired by the work of Andrew Omoding, Lasmin Salmon, Linda Bell  and Nnena Kalu who are all supported by Action Space.

What challenges did you experience during the creation of your work and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge in life and in art is my health. Living with mental and physical illnesses is a constant negotiation and balancing act. I would love to make large scale paintings, but the process of painting on a big scale is physically very challenging and not something I’ve worked out how to manage (yet). Despite the initial frustration, health limitations can end up pushing me in directions I would have otherwise ignored. Recently I’ve been doing very small paintings of objects I find scattered around my home. Initially I was painting on a small scale because it was more physically manageable for me, but I’ve discovered that there is something in small scale work that I’m really drawn to.

Will your next project be a continuation of your current style or are you experimenting with something different? Can you share a glimpse of your next project?
I often feel imposter syndrome as a visual artist, as I’ve never had any formal visual arts training. To try and remedy this I’m planning to focus on my technical skills for the next wee while; observational drawing, life drawing, composition and painting from life.

Are there any upcoming events or additional information you would like our readers to know?
If you have never visited Trongate 103 I highly recommend it! The Project Ability Gallery can be found there, along with Glasgow Print Studio, Street Level Photo works, the Glasgow Project Room, GAMIS, and all sorts of other exciting art organisations. The building has lifts and disabled toilets and as far as I’m aware all the visual art galleries are free to visit 🙂

Find out more about Bel and their work on Instagram. Our Winter Open Call exhibition features an incredible collection of works by twenty-six artists who have each considered the season and explored the interplay of light and shadow, warmth and cold, presence and absence, through a wide range of mediums and styles. Chiaroscuro runs at Six Foot Gallery until Thursday 9th January 2025