COLLABORATION & CURATION

Ages of Wonder: Scotland’s Art, 1540 to Now (2017-18)

Royal Scottish Academy

An ambitious curation with Sandy Wood, in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland, to unite works transferred from the RSA to the National Collection in 1910, along with works remaining with the Academy and those subsequently acquired. In three galleries live projects took place throughout the exhibition, academicians teaching anatomical drawing with work hung from the RSA life school, new etchings were printed on E.S. Lumsden’s press and artist in residence, Calum Colvin constructed an installation towards a photographic portrait of Hugh MacDiarmid HRSA.

A contemporary cabinet of curiosity was commissioned from architect, Richard Murphy to display books, small sculptures and institutional paraphernalia.

Photo: RSA

Double Diablerie (2016)

With Ian Howard, Hisashi Karachi, & Sotaro Ide
Nagoya & Chicago

An initial visit to Japan with Ian Howard as part of Edinburgh College of Art’s Nozomi initiative led by Prof. Alan Johnston. On that visit I did three performances to camera in Kyoto, Nagoya and Yamaguchi with a later exhibition of the screened films in Nagoya. During these visits the proposals for a series of large format artist books was developed prior to production in Japan and at the Visual Research Centre in Dundee with Paul Harrison. Each artist responded to aspects of superstition, landscape and the devil. I expanded on previous work around agricultural land left uncultivated for the devil, and shape shifting within a Scot’s ballad through manipulated images of the Scottish mountain, Devil’s Point. Work in progress at the Royal Scottish Academy 2011.

Work in progress by Watson & Howard in the exhibition ‘Japan’ at the Royal Scottish Academy (2011).

Photo: Arthur Watson

The Water Hen (2015)

For the UNESCO Year of Kantor
With Ewan McArthur & Adam Lockhart

Richard Demarco had invited Tadeusz Kantor and Cricot 2 as the centrepiece of his Polish season at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1972. The production had been filmed for Demarco and this proved to be a unique record of a key performance. The film was restored by Lockhart and subtitled by McArthur. The dual language book was edited and designed by Watson and McArthur who also worked with the RSA on the exhibition, The Water Hen, Kantor, Demarco & the Edinburgh Festival. The image shows the Janicki twins bringing in the Plank of last Resort which was repeated by the elderly twins, watched by Watson and Demarco at the launch of the book in Kracow.

Photo: George Oliver, Demarco digital archive

10 Dialogues: Richard Demarco, Scotland and the European Avant Garde (2010)

The Royal Scottish Academy

Working with Euan McArthur and building on our project, The Demarco Digital Archive (AHRB 2004-08), this exhibition aimed to restate the scale, ambition and reach of Demarco’s exhibitions, particularly surveys of the European avant garde shown at the Edinburgh Festival during the 1970s. It would highlight key artists from Poland, Germany, Romania and the former Yugoslavia – Magdalena Abakanowicz, Marina Abramovic, Joseph Beuys, Tadeusz Kantor, Paul Neagu and Gunther Uecker; along with Scottish artists who Demarco promoted in Europe – David Mach, Alastair Maclennan, Rory McEwen and Ainslie Yule. Images featuring each artist were streamed throughout the exhibition.

Photo: Chris Park

Crannghal (2006)

Bronze sculpture on a granite base with Will Maclean, cast by Eden Jolly.

“Will Maclean and Arthur Watson have captured both the daring and the fragility of the Columban adventure, what St. Paul would have described as a strength that was made perfect through weakness. Those ribs and struts speak of the determination and defiance of the men who pitted themselves against the huge sea. Finally, it calls us all to the building of bridges: what are boats if not bridges that float, objects that bring together what is separated either by sea or by prejudice. Each of us will see different things in this work. For me, supremely, it speaks of the indomitable fragility of human hope”

Richard Holloway at the launch of the sculpture at Sabhal mor Ostaig, Skye.
Photo: Murdo Macdonald.

Strange Fruit (1994)

With Elaine Shemilt for the Demarco European Art Foundation, Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Festival.

We were both teaching printmaking and wanted to make a work together that would extend our practice. Research accreditation at Surgeons Hall in Edinburgh gave us access to their library of large format engraved anatomical volumes. Taking an engraving by Jacques Callot of bodies hanging from a tree as a model (and a title from Billie Holiday) we devised a room-size installation with a scaffolding scaffold supporting greatly enlarged body parts screenprinted on latex.

Photo: Elaine Shemilt

Fire Opera (1993)

With Kain Karawahn
Commissioned by Fotofeis, the Scottish International Festival of Photography.

The British artist, Stewart Wilson and German artist, Kain Karawahn were exhibiting in the gallery at Peacock for Fotofeis. In addition Karawahn proposed a fire performance on the beach. In several movements the Fire Opera included live and recorded music culminating in a burning set with the screenprinted ‘audience’ being burned as the tide came in.

Photo: Robin Wilson

A Voyage Round the Coast of Scotland (1990)

Print publications, commissions and touring exhibition.

A project to revisit the Scottish section of William Daniell’s Voyage Round the Coast of Britain (1814-25). Centred round 5 commissions to Richard Demarco, David Henderson, Will Maclean, Patricia Semple and Sylvia Wishart. The resulting prints were in differing media, scale and approach. Whilst Daniell’s aquatints lost much of the atmospheric spontaneity of his watercolour sketches, Demarco enhanced the accuracy of his images with an exuberance of seemingly abstract marks – a filigree of drawing suggesting stone or sky, foliage or distant architecture.

Edinburgh Castle from Calton Hill by Richard Demarco, lithograph printed by Mary Modeen, screenprint by AW

Photo: Paul Liam Harrison

Etched Glass Screen (1990)

With Elizabeth Ogilvie
Commissioned for Aberdeen Railway Station through Art in Partnerhsip.

After extensive trials Elizabeth Ogilvie’s drawing was enlarged photographically onto high-contrast film. The subsequent screens were used to print an etching paste onto the glass panels of the screen. Further commissions for Scotrail were carried out with Escol Panels in Wellinbourgh in enamelled steel, with John Houston and Willie Rodger.

Photo: Robin Wilson

The Haymarket Print Suite (1989)

Four screenprints by John Bellany, Alan Davie, Bruce McLean, and Adrian Wiszniewski
Published by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Art in Partnership and Scotrail.

Alan Davie wrote
Printmaking for me is always an exciting venture – particularly in this case, as I was not familiar with the silk screen process. I decided to work directly on the silk without any preconceived ideas, and to let the materials themselves dictate. The result was to me a magical revelation from the coming together of silk, gums and coloured inks, making visible the mysterious imagery from the alchemy of the working process. I am most grateful to Arthur Watson and his assistants for their technical expertise and truly inspiring enthusiasm; their workshop is indeed a place for the working of magic.

Alan Davie, Work In the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Patrick Elliot (2000)

Prints by McLean & Davie

Photo: Adam Lockhart at the time of McLean’s retrospective at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (2024)

Rocks and Islands (1989)

With artist Frances Walker and artists’ printer Stewart Cordiner for the exhibition, Tiree Works, Talbot Rice Gallery & Peacock Artspace

A key strength of the team at Peacock Printmakers was the ability to work together on mixed-media prints. This is demonstrated here through one of many projects with the artist. The study for the print was made a stone’s throw from her thatched house on Tiree. The key drawing was made by the artist directly on a litho stone and processed, proofed and printed by Cordiner. Watson advised the artist on her hand painted separations from which layers of transparent colour were screenprinted, modifying the tonality of the black and white litho.

Photo: Andy Rice