Christmas gift idea: Treat someone to a piece of Scottish art

AS the saying goes, art is in the eye of the beholder and for Sarah Spofforth-McOuat it’s a case of the bigger the better!

From her farm studio, near Dunblane, talented Sarah specialists in large-scale textual animal artwork with Highland cows and horses – and pets including dogs and cats – among the many beasts she puts on canvas.

An interior designer from Manchester, who always loved painting, Sarah fell in love with a farmer and moved to Scotland. “One of Tom’s friends asked me to paint one of his cows and that was really how it all started,” she explained.

Normally, Sarah would sell her work at large gatherings such as the Royal Highland Show and Crufts. She also accepts commissions and is making changes to her website to reflect the fact that more people are now shopping online more frequently and will continue to do so due to the current pandemic.

“I’d describe my work as very personalised and I always try to make it quite unusual, too,” she said. “I love doing the big 6ft x 4ft pieces but not everyone has space for something so big so I’m more than happy to do smaller pieces.”

Find out more about Sarah and her work at www.mcspoffart.com

Striking artwork inspired by livestock

DISTINCTIVE and very striking – that's Angela Davidson’s artwork which has a style all of its own that is dedicated to animals, both farmstock and domestic.

Aberdeenshire-based Angela is a self-taught artist who 'just loves all animals' but is particularly fond of horses, dogs, bulls and cows. Much of her work features all-black backgrounds and detailed close-ups of animals, giving her art a point of difference that goes down well at events like the Royal Highland Show.

“Sadly, there was no show this year but we’re selling online although we definitely missed fun and buzz of the show as well as meeting up with friends we’ve made there over the years,” she said. “We even had a special theme for the show – family portraits.”

By families, Angela means Aberdeen-Angus, Limousins, Herefords and Texels – look out for The A Team and Mum, Me and Tiny T on her website to get a taste of family life through Angela’s eyes.

The artist also accepts commissions for which she takes 'loads and loads' of photographs to help her work out the composition of a piece before starting work in her studio near the village of Insch. Husband Sandy, meanwhile, takes care of the day-to-day running of a rural business that gives so much pleasure to people and has even featured on BBC’s Landward.

For inspiration for a Christmas gift for an animal lover, go to www.angeladavidsonart

Bringing colour to your home

COLOURFUL, fun and quirky, original paintings by self-taught artist, Tamsin Thomson, are guaranteed to brighten up any wall this winter – and will surely bring a smile to the face of anyone who receives her art as a gift this Christmas.

Created using acrylic paint, Tamsin’s paintings have a very distinctive style and are largely inspired by the countryside in the Scottish Borders where she grew up. “I was always good at art at school and after I graduated from the University of Glasgow, where I studied Archaeology, worked in an art gallery. That really got my interesting going,” said Tamsin.

She's a farmer’s daughter who loves animals and wildlife, and particularly enjoys painting pheasants 'with their amazing colours'. Now back home living in the Borders with her husband, Fergus, a former Scottish rugby internationalist and young children aged seven and five, the artist’s work includes pigs, hares, cows, pigs, capercaillie and 'assorted country creatures'.

This year, Tamsin is also offering a range of mugs and tea towels as well as her prints and original artwork.

Her creations are available online via the Tamsin Thomson Art website and in outlets including Reston Provisions in her local village in the Borders, Tamsin welcomes commissions.

View her work and get in touch at www.tamsinthomson.co.uk