Original artwork description:

The first time I went up these stairs was doing a paper round, decades ago. I remember the smell of disinfectant and cooking, cabbage, butter, pine. The twilight shone through small windows, creating the aura of a church, or perhaps a castle. I ascended to the top, to a turret, the walls coloured in brown, in purple, like raspberry ripples that reminded me of a past century, of another continent. I returned recently, feeling like a trespasser. The communal stairs of a Scottish tenement have a distinct atmosphere, proudly watched over by unseen, jealous eyes, mopped in secret, a laminated command thrust periodically into our letter box, “It’s your turn to clean the stair.” This work is rich in shadow, detail and light. A perfect gift, an ideal souvenir of Scotland.

Texture has been added to create extra depth. The canvas is 0.5 inches deep and can therefore hang without a frame if wished.

Materials used:

acrylic and card

Tags:

#edinburgh #sunny day #old fashioned #andrew reid #stairwell #scottish architecture #windows and #scottish buildings #flats and #stairs and #scottish tenement #scottish apartments #scotland tenement