[Fiona:] Well yes since leaving college yes it's been predominantly figurative and I always take my subject matter from things that I've seen which have interested me for one reason or another.
[Liz Davies:] Which college did you go to?
[Fiona:] I went to Edinburgh College of Art.
[Liz Davies:] Is it a while since you were at school here then?
[Fiona:] Yes it's in fact er I left school here in nineteen seventy six so it's eleven years since I was here. But I've been back recently as a teacher so it's I've to do a quick change act from a twin-set and pearls into a beret and er smock [LAUGHTER] to become an artist [].
[Liz Davies:] What sort of questions have the children been asking you?
[Fiona:] Well they've been very direct and they've been having to make me think a lot about what I'm doing. They asked me first of all why I paint on paper and I'm using older to paint on. And I explained to them it's because having been unemployed [LAUGHTER] most of my [] professional life that I've always been short of money and that's what's led me to work on very cheap materials. So I explained it's mostly a practical thing. There's not the mystery around it really and I've sort of made that into one of my points about bout my work and also erm I always thought perhaps once I became wealthy and had money I would do real paintings in oil and canvass. But er I then explained to them that I realize that it doesn't actually matter and it's the quality of the image that you produce that matters and not what it's made of or on. So I try an encourage them that their images and what they chose to make pictures of are as important as my ones.
[Liz Davies:] Have you ever had Arts Council grant assistance or grants from any other source?
[Fiona:] No. I've had indirect help through the Arts Centre and the Traverse Gallery but I've never had funding paid to me directly in any way or prizes or anything like that.
[Liz Davies:] So it's not an easy life?
[Fiona:] No but I think you do I mean I manage. And in a way I'm quite glad to be outside that circuit because my existence as a an artist is in many ways more real than to be cosseted by Arts Council money....
[speaker003:] It's been good I like I really like the way she's used. I think it's really relevant to the pictures I think it's really good. And I think that Marion's it's awful sort of bold and bright and I'm not so keen on that.
[Fiona:] Are you hoping to take up art after you leave school?
[speaker003:] Well I did think about it but the Careers Officer advised me no cos he thought that you have to be really really good before y get in and he asked me if I thought I was really good and I said that well I was not too bad but and he said that he thought it would be better to concentrate on something else. It's quite difficult to get a job afterwards too it's quite hard to make money after you have come out of college.
[Fiona:] Are you going to give it a try though?
[speaker003:] I don't know made my mind up yet.
[Fiona:] Jenny, what have you enjoyed about watching these two at work?
[Jenny:] Well I think it's been awful interesting to see the pictures develop and like they're so rough at first and they're and more developed and they're more things in them and the colours are getting more definite and everything.
[Fiona:] How much do you paint yourself apart from in school?
[Jenny:] I've just sort of painted recently so I do a bit but no much.
[Fiona:] Are you going to take it up?
[Jenny:] No [LAUGHTER] I don't think so [].
[Fiona:] Too hard a life?
[Jenny:] Yes I would say so [LAUGHTER]
[Fiona:] Do you like er colour work or abstract work or more figurative work, which do you like best?
[Jenny:] Well I think colour's awful important so I liked in Marion's an awful lot. That was very good.
[Fiona:] What what did you like about the work Lucy?
[Lucy:] Erm I like Marion's because of the the colours in it but I didn't I didn't really like Fiona's because I didn't think it was vivid enough. Whereas Marion's sort of it it didn't tell a story like what erm Fiona's did but it was just it's the kind of painting I like.
[Fiona:] Has it been an interesting experience then for you all seeing artists so close and at work?
[speaker006:] Yes definitely
[Fiona:] Would you like to have more of it?
[speaker006:] Yes
[Fiona:] How much has it made you think then about your own painting just watching these two hard at work?
[Lucy:] Maybe I'm just a bit too careful with what I do. I don't like they've both they've worked as they've gone along and haven't been scared to put colours in and things. Whereas when I work I'm sort of too careful I think I'm too scared to do something.
[Jenny:] Well I think like Lucy said it has made you think about the really. You put the paint on thick you no to be too careful and just er do what you feel like you know just what you think you should.
[speaker003:] I agree with Jenny but I don't think I am too frightened to slop on paint cos you know since I've started doing pallet knife paintings cos it's really made me feel fair more confident.
[Fiona:] Would you all say that?
[speaker006:] Yes
[speaker003:] Well I'm trying [LAUGHTER] anyway []. [recording ends]