NICOLA WILTSHIRE

The Loom Runs. The Smoke Rises is a series of paintings that invite you to take a look inside Halley Stevensons, one of the last surviving textiles factories in Dundee, a city with a rich textiles heritage.

Each painted in oil on waxed cotton, these works feature scenes from inside the factory, sharing with you the people and processes I encountered during my six-month residency at Halley Stevensons. The residency involved painting from a studio in the middle of a bustling factory floor, which allowed the atmosphere of the factory to work its way into the paintings.

If you have ever been to Dundee, it is impossible to ignore the magnificent Baltic Works chimney, which punctures the city’s industrial horizon. Few people, however, realise that the chimney marks the humble beginnings of Barbour’s iconic waxed jacket.

Based at Baltic Works since 1864, Halley Stevensons are the leading manufacturers and innovators in waxed cotton and weatherproofed fabrics. Their clients include Barbour and Ralph Lauren, but also new designers such as Kerrie Aldo and Nicholas Daley.

“The Baltic Works chimney was the first thing I wanted to paint when I moved to Dundee, so I’m very excited that I’ve been painting from a studio inside the factory. Dundee has a rich textiles heritage, but I wanted to highlight what is being produced in the city today. It’s been such a unique experience. The bustling atmosphere of the factory floor has really worked its way into the paintings. My favourite aspect of the project has definitely been the studio visits from the guys that work in the factory. Their brutal honesty has played a major role in developing the paintings!"

The full collection of paintings was initially displayed as part of a large solo exhibition, The Loom Runs. The Smoke Rises, which was open for three months in 2017 at Verdant Works, a museum celebrating the jute history of Dundee.

The paintings were then exhibited at second solo exhibition The Meffan Gallery in Angus in 2018. The extended exhibition included paintings borrowed from the Dundee Heritage Trust art collection, alongside wall hangings, fabric collages and the photography that inspired the painting. Two paintings have been exhibited at The National Galleries Of Scotland on seperate occasions - once for the Visual Arts Scotland Open Exhibition (Pattern Forklift, 2018) and most recently at The Royal Scottish Academy 193rd Annual Exhibition (Adagio, 2019).

The paintings were also included in the Halley Stevensons exhibition for Dundee Fashion Week 2018.

Three paintings were aquired by Dundee Heritage Trust and now sit in their permanent collection (A Collection Of National Significance). Many paintings have also joined private collections in Scotland, France, Germany and Cyprus. You can purchase available work here.