The Artist

It's occurred to me, after offering to write this post, that I have incredibly talented friends. I've already written about my friend, Alasdair Cooper, who is an insanely talented musician (you can find him in the sidebar to the right) and now it's the turn of my friend, Rebecca Sydenham.

She moved down to Glasgow recently and, if I'm honest, I haven't been so happy in a long, long time. It was the first time in the best part of five years that we had lived in the same place, after I moved away half way through high school. We've known each other for around nine years and know each other inside out.

Also, her brother mooned at me the first time I went round to her house when I was only 11. If that doesn't cement a friendship, then nothing will.

There is a chance she may never speak to me again after posting
this picture, so I hope you appreciate my dedication here!

But now we've grown up a little, and her reason for moving down to Glasgow aside from getting to be with her boyfriend more often (it's just a cover story, she missed me), is because she wants to be an artist. She's not afraid of punching pretention in the face, standing up and working extremely hard to pursue what she wants to do. It was pretty rare through school to see her without a sketchpad or paper of some sort. I even have a doodle she drew of me from years ago, that makes me smile every time I see it.

Needless to say, her skill has improved with age.

And I want to help her get her work out and about a bit more, to get the exposure that it really deserves.

A great deal of her work is inspired by the bar she worked in at home, and the patrons she served and got to know. It's striking but warm and rustic - true to the Scottish Highlands where we were born and bred.

I'd insert Braveheart here, but I did it already.

"Lachy"

"Barry and Pele"

"Fabric Hanging Tree"

"Iain Strachan"

"Lucian Freud"

"Ribcage"

"Seascape Glass"

"Self-portrait at Work"

"Self-portrait Having a Dram"

"Self-portrait in the Snug"

Also, Rebecca's started a blog of her own that I've got a link to in the sidebar on the right, so check her out and tell her if you like her work - it'll make her day.