Prize-winner: Charlene Scott
Charlene Scott’s decision to take up art later in life led to her winning a top award, writes JULENA DRUMI
A former travel agent who went to art school in her late forties has proved that it is never too late to pursue your passion after being named winner of Scotland’s biggest prize for an emerging artist. Charlene Scott, now 52, will spend three months this summer at Glenfiddich’s Dufftown distillery alongside artists from around the world.
The Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Prize, supported by distillery owner William Grant & Sons, is worth £15,000. It is awarded annually at the RSA New Contemporaries exhibition in Edinburgh and is regarded as the leading showcase of emerging art in Scotland.
Charlene, of Tranent, East Lothian who has two grown-up daughters and a 16-year-old son, fulfilled a lifelong ambition when she started a degree course at Edinburgh College of Art.
She had worked as a travel agent for 10 years, then did a variety of jobs from home while raising her children, but her passion for art and making remained a constant.
Her distinctive work, made by folding paper to create lines and patterns then adding colour from natural pigments she makes herself, caught the eye of the Glenfiddich Award judges.
Andy Fairgrieve, co-ordinator of the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence programme, said: “It would be easy to underestimate the works of Charlene Scott, however, the longer you linger and absorb her works more is revealed.
“Not unlike a well-crafted single malt whisky, her work is a clean yet complex celebration of simplicity with a great sense of hidden depth. She will be a perfect fit to this year’s Glenfiddich Residency.”
Charlene said she was “shocked and delighted” to win the award. “The residency is such a gift. My work is quite slow, and I need time to soak up my surroundings. I’m really looking forward to developing my work at Glenfiddich.”
She began making her own colours from foraged plants while doing a foundation course in art at Edinburgh College and now grows plants to make dyes in her own garden.
Charlene Scott with botanics
She said: “I use a stove in the garden for making pigments – when I use the kitchen my family complains about the smell!
“I can’t help but make connections between the aesthetics of minimalism and the basic principles of herbalism and ecology.
“I use line, folds, repetition and pattern along with botanical pigments to build a framework that I hope will entice a viewer to look closely and linger a little longer.”
While at Edinburgh College of Art, Charlene won the James Cumming Award for Draughtsmanship, the Astaire Art Prize and an RSA John Kinross Travel Scholarship, which enabled her to spend six weeks in Florence.
The RSA New Contemporaries exhibition brings together the work of recent graduates selected from all five Scottish art schools. Due to a cancelled exhibition during the pandemic, this year’s showcase features 104 artists, double the usual number, drawing graduates from the classes of 2022 and 2023.
Gareth Fisher, President of the RSA and co-convenor of the New Contemporaries exhibition, said: “The support offered to emerging artists through the Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Award at RSA New Contemporaries showcases Glenfiddich’s commitment to investing in Scottish creative talent.
“Not only is the recipient provided with the time and space to develop their practice, but the opportunity also gives unparalleled access to a network of international artists. The support the award provides is key at this early stage of their practice, and the Academy is incredibly grateful to Glenfiddich for their ongoing partnership.”
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