Lesley Burr

Contemporary Scottish Artist

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Commissions

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS
PAINTED GLAZED TILES

My M.A. was studied at Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee, opting to do the brand new Course in Public Art and Design, where I was keen to take advantage of opportunities to make work for public spaces extending and challenging my skills as a painter. All students on the course were able to forge their own links across the Fine Art Department in Dundee and I eventually chose to concentrate on painting, low relief sculpture and ceramics, using the closely linked sculpture and ceramics department as my base. I experimented extensively with painting glazes onto tiles and found the processes of glazing fascinating and liked the rich and yet subtle results that could be achieved by using the glazes as paints. Importantly glazing onto tiles also provided a permanent solution that could be applied to various types of buildings.

I had been looking for a solution to making two-dimensional painted artwork that could survive well outdoors; and would allow also for painterly freedom of expression and ideas and yet still be highly durable to the elements. I found that painting with glazes onto manufactured tiles produced satisfying results that I liked in terms of richness and depth of colour as well as the subtlety of transparent layers. Another very interesting process for permanent 2-dimensional artwork was mosaic and I had the opportunity to work on a collaborative project with other MA students from my course to design, make and install a large-scale ground mosaic.

Following this, I was commissioned individually to design and make hand-painted tile panels for two converted jute mills by Hillcrest Housing Association in Dundee. Further commissions include a large-scale tile mural for Dundee Leisure Centre by Dundee Public Art Programme in 1989, a large tile mural in tile and mosaic with the community of North Queensferry in 1990, Six 3xm shapes in hand-painted tiles and mosaic for Rutherglen Swimming Pool by Glasgow City Council (1991-2), two project with hand-painted tile panels for East Kilbride Development Corporation in 1992 and 1994-5. My more recent projects have been community-based projects working in schools as a visiting artist and with community groups in Glasgow, Shetland, Edinburgh and Argyll.