Walker Laird Supports Scottish Drawing Competition

Walker laird continues to support national culture from the local base of Paisley Art Institute. The Scottish Drawing competition has been run by Paisley Art Institute more or less every alternate Autumn since 1983. It is the oldest existing drawing competition in the United Kingdom. The exhibition took place within the Art Galleries of Paisley Museum and Art Galleries. The biennial Scottish Drawing Competition is open to all with a Scottish connection whether this be by birth or residence. A number of prizes are awarded by sponsors of Paisley Art Institute.

Walker Laird has supported Paisley Art Institute’s annual art exhibitions (in May and June each year) for a number of years now. We were pleased to support the return of the Scottish Drawing Competition with the sponsoring of the Walker Laird Prize.

The Winner of the Walker Laird Prize

We selected the work of Lesley Banks called “Misty Ardrishaig” to be the recipient of our award. We appreciated the subtle detail in the work, the colours, and tone that rendered the impression of dusk, and touches of gold alluding to life going on within the picture. The drawing element of the work sat nicely with the other components and we thought the whole piece came together well. We were pleased that the work was purchased by a private buyer at the opening of the exhibition.

Paisley Art Institute

Paisley Art Institute is a charity which was founded in 1876 to encourage and promote art. Paisley Art Institute’s collection of artwork including oil paintings, watercolour paintings, drawings and sculpture is of national and international importance and includes works of the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists. The Institute included within this year’s exhibition of the Scottish Drawing Competition a small selection of works by the French artist Alphonse Legros. Legros presented eighty-two of his drawings to Paisley Art Institute in 1880. Legros was the most highly regarded teacher of drawing in Britain at that time. Legros was invited to visit Paisley initially by John Polson, inventor of cornflour, and of the world renowned Brown and Polson factory, manufacturers of starch and cornflour. The Paisley Art Institute is strongly supportive of the Paisley 2021 UK City of culture bid as is Walker Laird.

Our Senior Associate, Lindsey Ann McLachlan, has served on PAI’s committee of management for a number of years now as a lay member. Walker Laird is delighted to support the promotion of Scottish art and culture from the Paisley Art Institute based at Paisley Museum and Art Galleries. Lindsey selected the work of Lesley Banks for the Walker Laird Prize.

The exhibition of Paisley Art Institute’s Scottish Drawing Competition ran from 28th October to 25th November 2017 within Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, High Street, Paisley.

The image of Lesley Banks’ picture “Misty Ardrishaig” has been reproduced by the kind permission of the artist who retains ownership of the copyright over the picture. The image cannot be copied or reproduced without the prior permission of the artist.