Scottish Young Portrait Artist of the Year 2019

Having moved to Scotland in 2018, I’m studying for a BA in Painting at Edinburgh College of Art. I make figurative work, sometimes with fantastical elements and characters. I’ll work in any media and especially love drawing people.

A core interest of mine is mural paintings. I relish the opportunity to make a place more beautiful for communities of people. In the spring of 2019 I painted a commission of a 12 metre square mural for a client’s home, of the cherry blossom we see here in Edinburgh on the Meadows. This summer in 2020 myself and fellow painter Allie Dixon carried out a chalk mural in Salut Coffee, Edinburgh, as a gesture of solidarity with small independent businesses during the Covid pandemic.
In summer 2021 I began an extended project of seven murals on the outside of the Edinburgh Student Housing cooperative, representing the seven cooperative principles.

My other main interest within visual art is comics. I wrote and illustrated my first graphic short story in winter 2020: Peg in the Fire and the Sea, which was about the loss of music and unrequited love. I have since written another story with the same characters which can be read here on my website under “comics”.

I’ve carried out logo design and branding for several university of Edinburgh societies, and enjoy graphic design. Interested in visual media of all kinds, I’ve also been involved in stage painting and set design. This year I am illustrating a series of articles written by a University LGBT society on trans issues.

I’ve been lucky to lead art workshops with diverse groups of people, including children with disabilities, and people facing homelessness. In 2019 I ran a series of workshops at Edinburgh College of art for students of all disciplines, hiring local artists to teach their skills – as I care greatly about practical teaching.

As an Aces ambassador at Edinburgh College of Art, I run and support session with high school students to help develop a portfolio for applying to university.

At the centre of my art is the desire to communicate and bring joy, and make the world a slightly more interesting for my having been here.

Contact me at robingage.art@gmail.com, for questions, commissions, and workshops!

Instagram: @robin.gage