I'm Jimmy Mackellar, a retired Optometrist, and have always painted. I attended many part-time classes at the Glasgow School of Art and RIG in Greenock when working as an optometrist.
Now as an artist I have time to fulfill a dream and pursue my passion - life drawing and painting from the model in a studio, or landscapes outdoors.
As I said in the Herald Magazine's 'Lifelines' in 2011, "The human form is the hardest thing you can attempt to replicate. Not only does a vase of flowers not move, but neither does it have a soul or an essence you have to capture. Plus, you have only two or three hours to capture a life model in a studio.
I did not set out with the intention of making any money from my art. I just feel drawn to it. That thing of starting with a blank canvas and not knowing what is going to happen is wonderful. Art is one of the most fulfilling things you can do."
Painting is never easy - it can even make you weep at times if you don't get it right. But when things go well and I convey the message to the viewer, then life sparkles once more! Of course, ever since participating in BBC's The Big Painting Challenge, my approach has changed for the better, and, rather proudly, I have started selling my work.
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