2025 PRIZE WINNERS
 Elaine Wilson, 'Whispers of Arran' |  Allison Taylor Davis, 'Thunder Roll' |
|---|---|
 Emma McLachlan, 'Walk Along the Beach' |  Donna Nicholson-Arnott, 'Her Elbow' |
 David Tapner, 'The Big Blue' |  Kevin Moffat, 'Wan Man & his Dug!' |
 Sandy Gowings, 'A Winter's Day' |
Elaine Wilson -UPM Caledonian Paper, 'Visitors' Prize Winner
Elaine is a full-time primary teacher based in North Ayrshire, painting whenever she can steal a quiet moment.
"I work mainly in oils but I enjoy experimenting with a range of media and textures. I am inspired by nature, moody skies, and the ever-changing beauty of the Scottish landscape. My work often features seascapes, rolling hills, and wildflowers, always rooted in places that mean something to me. Painting is a kind of meditation for me – a way to slow down, breathe, and reconnect. I only paint what I love, and I hope that sense of peace and connection comes through in every piece."
Allison Taylor Davis - 'Scotland's Artist's' Prize Winner
Allison is a retired administrator and part time artist.
"I paint in oils and I love nature. My work is mainly seascapes and I love a good stormy sky and sunset. I am an active member of the North Ayrshire Open Art committee and enjoy helping my fellow artists display their work."
Facebook: Allison,s Art
https://www.instagram.com/allisonsart420/
email: alimince@gmail.com
Emma McLachlan - 'Buckreddan Care Home' Prize Winner
Emma is an Ayrshire artist whose paintings focus on Scotlands countryside, cities and coastal views. Painting mainly with oils, she uses eye catching perspectives and techniques to create a distinctive style. Emma is also a framer so is able to select frames that complement each painting. Her work can be found in galleries in Scotland and the North of England and her art is available to purchase on www.emclachlanart.com.
You can also view her work on Instagram at @emclachlanart.
Donna Nicholson-Arnott - 'Studio 44' Prize Winner
Donna graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2004, but she has drawn since she was little.
"I don’t remember starting. I love drawing, and relish every opportunity to work observationally from life. I can draw using many traditions, and my specialism is continuous line drawing where I’ll often indicate tone or colour with a watercolour wash. My preferred subject is people. I attend a regular life drawing club in Glasgow to practise drawing from life models, and I draw portraits whenever I can. I recently ran my very first drawing workshop. It went very well, and I’m planning the next one."
Follow my art on Instagram: @donnanicholsonarnott
Keep up to date about upcoming workshops: @thatdefiniteline
David Tapner - 'FSS Wealth & Pensions' Prize Winner
David Tapner is a retired mariner based on the Ayrshire coast with over 30 years of creative exploration across a rich variety of artistic media. He has an affinity with the sea, islands and coastlines but his work spans numerous genres, from evocative seascapes to lush landscapes and figurative pieces, resisting confinement to any single style.
An accomplished freelance artist, David undertakes both private and corporate commissions of various sizes, showcasing his versatility and commitment to tailored client work. David’s strives to ‘Create a connection between a painting and the viewer, focusing not just on the view but on the atmosphere, mood or emotion’.
Please visit his website at: https://davidtapner.com/
Instagram @davidtapner
Facebook @davidtapnerart
Kevin Moffat – ‘Freckfest’ Prize Winner
"Born in Dreghorn a long time ago , I have always drawn in graphite or colour pencil. I draw what interests me at the time and take many hours to finish a piece…usually over 100 hours"
Sandy Gowings - 'Gallery 8' Prize Winner
Sandy started painting 9 years ago and likes the expressive nature of this art form. She enjoys observing the changing skies and light, the colours in the sea and landscape and the different moods this nature produces. She endeavours to capture a sense of these in her paintings.