Barotrauma (Descent) Painting

Claire Paterson graduated from the Glasgow School of Art Painting and Printmaking department in 2008, winning the inaugural Steven Campbell Hunt Medal for Poetic Creativity, the School of Fine Art Dissertation Prize, and the British Airways Travel Bursary. Her first solo show, Unsign, was held at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 2008. In 2009, she used the British Airways Travel Bursary to fund a trip around California, New Mexico, Mexico, Arizona and Texas, doing research into the symbolism and iconography of various religious groups in these states, with the trip culminating in a stay at the Lama Foundation in New Mexico. In 2013, Paterson spent a month at the Cornaro Institute in Cyprus, where she worked towards a group exhibition with other residents. Other notable exhibitions include the group show Gradients and Thresholds, Contemporary Perspectives on the Figure, which was held at the Royal Institute of the Fine Arts Kelly Gallery, Glasgow. Paterson’s most recent body of work, The Arbitrary Ritual, was inspired by collaborations she undertook while on the 2016-17 Steven Campbell New York Scholarship, which was funded by Creative Scotland, The Saltire Society and The Steven Campbell Trust. Paterson’s 3 month residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Programme (ISCP) in Brooklyn provided her with an exciting opportunity to work with other artists from around the world, exploring ideas related to the theatrical language embedded in totems and gestures. In keeping with the aims of The Steven Campbell Trust, Paterson also used her time in New York to promote the legacy of Steven Campbell’s work and the contribution he made to the development of Scottish Art on the international stage. The work produced as a result of this project was exhibited at the Glasgow School of Art’s Reid Building from 14th November – 20th December 2019. Paterson has also hosted a series of Master-classes at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Tramway and the Gallery of Modern Art, on behalf of the Steven Campbell Trust, emphasising the importance of figurative painting in contemporary practice.