An artist who feels “compelled” to draw Dundee has revealed an incredible gallery of work profiling the city centre and West End.
Linda Brownlee, 64, has spent the last four years capturing the beauty of her adopted city in 40 separate drawings.
Linda, who is originally from Glasgow but moved to the east more than 30 years ago, says she can’t stop drawing the City of Discovery’s picturesque skyline and buildings.
Drawings are Dundee ‘rearranged slightly’
Her work has been described as a reconstruction of the city, though she herself describes it as “Dundee rearranged slightly”.
It means Linda tweaks her portraits to include more than what can be seen in reality, often adding in views of Dundee Law.
She said: “I started out drawing in Barcelona sitting out looking at a view and thinking ‘I need to capture this’.
“Then I began doing it in Dundee and started off drawing Groucho’s (former record store on Perth Road) because the building fascinated me.
“I’ve focused a lot on the smaller Perth Road places like Mennies (Edwardian pub also known as The Speedwell Bar), Agacan (brightly coloured Turkish restaurant), and Kist gift shop.
“My favourite though is a big 5ft-wide panorama of Perth Road and the city centre.
“I do feel like I’m documenting what’s going on in Dundee right now with all the changes.
“I’m addicted to it to be honest; I do feel compelled to draw Dundee.”
Having worked in the NHS as a nurse for 38 years and latterly managing the Scottish Bowel Screening Service in Dundee, she now spends much of her time following her second passion.
The idea for the composition of Perth Road came about from a friend named Ged Gourlay, a former Dundee bus driver, who gave Linda lots of clippings of The Courier including photographs of the West End in years gone by.
She studies these and sometimes creatively adds in elements to give her drawings a unique historical feel.
But many of her drawings, which she sells online and in local gift shops, focus on well known vistas including the McManus, V&A Dundee, and Union Street.
Painting is ‘far too messy’
Linda says her passion for capturing Dundee’s streets shows no signs of waning.
She said: “I don’t use paint at all; it’s far too messy.
“I tear out little bits of magazine and that helps me block in the landscape.
“Using pen and ink on canvas or paper, I can then put in the finer details.
“The smaller ones generally take me around a day but the Perth Road panorama took me months.
“I’ve managed dozens so far but I’m not finished yet.”
Linda, who is president of Dundee Art Society, can be spotted pedalling around the city on her tricycle armed with pens and paper.
The full artwork collection will be showcased at Eduardo Alessandro Studios in Broughty Ferry from Saturday, before moving to Blackness Library in a few weeks.
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