13th February – 27th February 2025
The Whitehouse is situated at Maryhill Locks on the Forth and Clyde canal. In its previous lives this familiar landmark has been a pub, a lock keepers cottage, and a post office. In 2013 the building was refurbished and is now used as a bike repair shop, pop up gallery and workshop space, and also houses a cafe that provides fantastic community meals every Wednesday.
“ It’s part of the community.”
Thanks to the generosity of the people who run the Whitehouse, the Whitehouse Artists group continues to meet there twice a week. The group is a loose knit group of creatives who encourage and support each other, ranging from from MA qualified professionals to folk that have had no training in the arts at all.
The artists’ styles and ways of working are all quite different, but they do merge sometimes – you can see an example of a collaborative project in the Icon Paintings. Over the years it has evolved into a bustling artistic hub with regular workshops covering a diverse range of subjects from portraiture to mask making. The space has become a welcome resource for locals, enriching lives and introducing people to new areas of interest and activities they can get involved in.
“Our hope is that we can continue to work there, and to bring attention to the importance of the space and help keep it open; to solidify ourselves as a working group of artists within the Maryhill community and to provide a safe space for people to create.”
Workshops run at Whitehouse Gallery every Sunday from 2pm-4pm. Walk ins welcome!
The Artists
Shona Dougall
Shona Dougall graduated with honours in Fine Art Drawing and Painting from GSA in 1981, and won the Mary Armour Still Life Prize in her final year. On moving to Edinburgh she switched from oil painting to acrylic which was more compatible with her style of painting. She tended to paint in layers and glazes and as acrylic dried more quickly it was much more suitable for her work. Recently, Shona has been experimenting with mixed media, enjoying the freedom she feels comes with it. She is currently the president of the Glasgow Group, a long standing artists co-operative group that has been host to many well known faces in its time including Alasdair Grey and Phillip Reeves. Of her time with the Whitehouse Artists group, Shona says:
“I had never done any printing work before I joined the workshop on Sunday afternoons at the Whitehouse. The only previous experience I had of printing was having a go at screen printing at art school. It did not appeal to me, too much of a faff! However I really enjoyed the print workshop at the Whitehouse. It was great to see a design come to life so easily, seeing work repeated in different colours on many different surfaces. It changed my way of looking at an image. One particular advantage of printing is that it forces simplification of the thought process in creating the image. This is a great discipline for any artist to experience and it influences my work in other mediums – concentrating on the essentials of an image and discarding distracting detail.”
Find out more about Shona and her work on the Glasgow Group’s website.
Christine Sinclair
Christine Sinclair is a multi-media artist working in paint, print, and ceramics. She is influenced by Scottish and popular culture, with many of her works drawing inspiration from her favourite films, artists, and musicians.
Christine says:
“I have been making all sorts of art since the early 1980s, ceramics, drawings, prints and paintings. Art classes were always a priority for me. I became involved with the Whitehouse through Jo Sunshine and its a great space to work in, beside great people. Its inspiring and motivating to be a part of it.“
Sue Steele
After graduating from GSA in 1991, Sue Steele became part of the Mutoid Waste Co. in Berlin, combining her three great loves: art, punk, and travelling. When she returned to Glasgow after the pandemic, she was eager to reconnect with her artistic roots and the local community and found a welcoming creative space at the Whitehouse. Sue regards her constantly evolving artistic output as a kind of diary; a tool to help her make sense of the life she is leading and has led, utilising the many techniques that she’s embraced throughout her journey. Of her time with the Whitehouse Artists group, Sue says:
“I have been going to the Whitehouse for a couple of years, making art on Sundays and sometimes popping in for the community meal on a Wednesday. The Whitehouse is a beautifully situated building. I first noticed it when cycling along the canal from the west end to Maryhill. I saw a bike repair shop and thought, what a wonderful idea, so went to investigate. I found out it was also a cafe run by volunteers and more interesting to me they had just opened a gallery space. It felt quite exciting and not what I was expecting to find at all. I wasn’t working then and having just moved to the area was keen to get to know folk and get involved in the community. Initially I volunteered to just make the coffees but I ended up running the gallery and putting on exhibitions. The first exhibition was mine, showing prints that I’d done in Platform in Easterhouse. I created printed wall hangings from Japanese rice paper. It was simple and effective. I decided to do print workshops to coincide with the exhibition to pass on my love of lino printing, something I have to thank Platform for. Lots of folk came along, from renowned printmakers to total beginners. It was fresh, new, and exciting. We all enjoyed hanging out and being creative. Unfortunately The Whitehouse has been beset by a number of problems and the cafe and gallery have had to shut their doors, though hopefully not permanently. There are a number of people working behind the scenes to keep the space funded and open. I had to take a bit of a back seat when I started work at Greencity but throughout it all the Whitehouse Artists have continued to meet twice a week, bringing the space to life with wonderful art.”
Connect with Sue and see more of her work over on Instagram
Jo Sunshine
After Jo lost her eyesight in an accident sixteen years ago she didn’t think she would ever draw again, but through much experimentation and tenacity she eventually rediscovered her love of drawing. Jo is completely blind in her left eye and only has a misty blur in her right so draws everything large and in bold colours. Outlining the images in black helps her to see the image and lead to her distinct style. Jo’s work takes inspiration from animals, people, nature and celebrating life. She draws every day.
See more of Jo’s work on Instagram.
Whitehouse Artists runs at Six Foot Gallery until 27th February 2025.