ALEXANDER MILLAR

Born in 1960 into a small mining community of Springside on the west coast of Scotland, Alexander’s childhood was very traditional. His formative years were spent in the company of old men dressed in dark suits, smoking woodbines with large missile-shaped women decked out in headscarves and pinnies.
 
His father worked for British Rail and Alexander spent much of his childhood sitting in the atmospheric steam filled stations, which today form the nostalgic and romantic settings for many of his paintings.
 
He left school in 1976 and eventually fled Springside to set himself up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This jump from sleepy peacefulness to the hustle and bustle provided great material and inspiration later on in life when he finally discovered his destiny as an artist.
 
Alexander is completely self-taught and after many years of developing his own style, his work has become incredibly popular and everyone seems to be taking notice of the solitary figures he creates. After a number of sell out exhibitions one of his paintings was entered in the Daily Mail’s ‘Not the Turner Prize’ along with ten thousand other works. His painting was chosen as one of the finalists, which were exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London.
 
“I am fortunate enough in that the things I love to paint are right in front of my eyes everyday. The hairs on the back of my neck still stand on end every time I see an old ‘Gadgie’ … the gossiping old ladies standing on street corners, the tired old guy wandering home after a long hard day at work and the wee dog cocking its leg against the street corner are all appealing and interesting to me. I see them all as different choreographed parts in a sort of street ballet.“