This is a rare and very early work by the Scottish artist Sam Ainsley. She is an important artist and teacher and until recently was Head of the MFA Programme at The Glasgow School of Art. She has forged a remarkable career within the visual arts sector nationally and internationally.
This wonderful work is a large abstract collage - made with watercolour, acrylics and oil pastel on card - some of the shapes have been cut out and stuck down. It is not signed on the front of the work - but has the remnants of an old label and inscriptions etc written by the artist on the back giving details of the title etc.
It is one of two early collage pieces by Ainsley made in the late 1970s in my online store. These are very rare survivors and this is reflected in my price for them.
This one is entitled Toi et Moi ("you and me"). It is dated 1979 - I have taken images for your inspection of the back of the frame.
They are a nice large size - and I have taken a couple of photographs of Robert holding them up. The frame is the original one used by Ainsley - it is a thin plain wood - and glazed with perspex. The perspex has been quite reflective so it was rather difficult to photograph the work properly.
As you can see a nice dramatic large artwork. The frame is 75.5 x 60.5 cm. The image size is 66 x 51 cm.
Sam Ainsley was born in 1950 in North Shields in England and in the early 70s studied at Leeds and Newcastle. In 1978 she moved to Scotland - spending a post-graduate year at Edinburgh College of Art.
This work is a very early work by Ainsley and was made after she returned from a trip to New York when she started to use unstretched, shaped canvases and her work developed from monochrome colours into abstract shapes using the full-colour spectrum,
She was a contributor to the landmark exhibition "The Vigorous Imagination" held at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 1987. In recent times she has contributed to a broad range of visual art initiatives in Scotland and has served as a board member of many important art organisations. Ainsley has exhibited in and curated a number of exhibitions and undertaken residencies in numerous institutions and art organisations across the USA, Australasia, Europe and the UK.
There is currently an exhibition of her work in The Academicians' Gallery, at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh - this is on show until 2 October 2022. She was elected a full Member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 2016.
We can send this artwork to you outside the central region of Scotland - please discuss it further with us - or look at delivering it to you if you live nearby.