A graffiti artist involved with the striking Kingston Bridge pillars project has created a generational link in her latest painting on Thornliebank’s Mural Trail.
Gillian Ramsay is an artist and fashion designer from Glasgow. For the past eight years she has been creating murals alongside her clothing brand LAW design Studio, and was the creative behind the ‘crushing hands’ pillar under the Kingston Bridge as part of the SWG3 Yardworks GRID public art project.
Now she has designed a spectacular historic street scene for a community project celebrating the history, heritage and people of Thornliebank.
The Thornliebank Mural Trail was developed with the involvement of Thornliebank Community Council and funded by East Renfrewshire Council, with a series of murals created by Gillian, Little Book Transfers and Frodrik, alongside lead artist, MackColours.
Thornliebank Community Council has described the trail as “inspiring, educational and unmistakably Thornliebank: celebrating the village’s past, reflecting the voices of the community today”, adding that it is “something special” for residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come.
The pieces invite people to stop, look closer and discover more about the Thornliebank story.
The striking designs were shaped by summer workshops in Thorntree Hall using local memories like old printwork chimneys, Main Street cherry blossoms, local wildlife and the kingfishers and swans of Rouken Glen.
They can be found at Capelli’s Wall, Eastwood Crescent and Kennishead Road, which features Gillian’s mural incorporating old village photographs.
Gillian told Scottish News: “For my mural, I wanted to create a link between generations.
“The main figure is a young woman today, holding an old photograph of Thornliebank, with the historic street scene and shops appearing behind her. It was important to me to include the old photograph of the shops as part of the artwork as it’s such a recognisable piece of local history and gives the mural a real sense of place.
“The mural celebrates heritage as something living, held, valued and passed on. By placing the old street within the hands of a young person, the artwork represents memory, identity and hope, suggesting that while Thornliebank continues to evolve, its history remains at the heart of its future.”
She added: “The other murals along the trail explore different aspects of Thornliebank’s history and heritage, so together they create a visual journey through the area’s past, while also celebrating the community as it is today. I love the idea that public art can make local history feel accessible and relevant, and hopefully encourage people to stop, look and learn a little more about the place they live.”
Commenting on the heritage trail, Kirsten Oswald, MSP for Eastwood, said: “What a joy to be in Thornliebank to see the wonderful new murals for myself. Lovely to chat to residents themselves out to admire the artwork. The local theme of the designs is brilliant and was being much admired.
“I know there’s more to come for Thornliebank with the heritage trail and I can’t wait to see it come together. A huge well done to all involved in making this happen with special plaudits to Thornliebank Community Council for their tireless efforts and community focus.”
Gillian was one of the local artists involved in SWG3’s Yardworks project which saw 23 giant murals painted onto the pillars beneath the Kingston Bridge.
However, just months after they were finished, the eye-catching artworks had to be painted over to align with the gritty urban aesthetic of the new Batman film which was being filmed in the city centre, with scenes being shot in the car park under the Kingston Bridge.
Initially it was thought special paint was to be used by top Hollywood special effects artists to temporarily cover up the murals until the cameras stopped rolling, but it turned out they had to be completely redone once filming had finished.
Filming for The Batman Part II blockbuster, starring Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell and Scarlett Johansson, spanned three weeks in August and September, transforming Bothwell Street into the dark dystopian Gotham City.
Gillian admitted painting the pillars the first time was the “most challenging” job she has done, but said the repainting gave her the opportunity to make her artwork stand out even more.
“It was my first time working at a height and the curve of the pillar made it particularly hard due to skews in how the artwork is viewed”, she said.
“I was really proud of being able to achieve this, so when I found out it was being painted over I was really gutted at first.
“However, the more I thought about it, I realised it was an opportunity to revisit an artwork and correct the things that I wasn’t happy with the first time. I enjoyed the process more the second time and was much more relaxed at the height - and even managed to touch the roof.
“I think my finished work is far better than the original so I was happy to get this opportunity. I think this is an unused part of the city that needs to be celebrated. A market would be really cool for the area or maybe some late-night pop up bars.”