Scot grabs art world’s eye – thanks to her student flat

A YOUNG painter inspired by her down-at-heel student flat in Glasgow’s West End has been singled out as a future star of the art world by the prestigious Saatchi Gallery.

Gabriella Boyd received a special commendation as part of the gallery’s New Sensations Prize – the first time in the history of the award that an artist has received such a mention.

The 22-year-old, who studied at Glasgow School of Art, paints from drawings or photo- montage of interiors she concocts using random pieces of furniture.

The Glasgow-born artist, who now works from a studio in Peckham, south London, said her work had been influenced by a “scummy” student flat in Kelvingrove Street which she shared with four others.

She said: “Glasgow has been a huge influence of me, just in terms of the architecture and particularly these huge tenement flats.

“I lived in this kind of scummy flat, but it had great plasterwork and a ceiling rose. Living in a flat with five people, everyone has different things going on – everybody is living in the same place, but being in different places mentally. That really affected my work.”

Boyd, who moved to London with her family at the age of eight, said moving back to the relatively cramped confines of her studio in the city after art school had affected her work after becoming used to Glasgow’s high-ceilinged tenement flats.

Her paintings are currently being shown at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the 2011 New Sensations Prize. Rebecca Wilson, director of the Saatchi Gallery, said: “The judges were so impressed with her work, which is why we decided to give a special commendation award to her, the first time this has happened in five years of doing the prize.

“We loved the confidence of her work and were very struck by how assured it is for someone so young.

“The new paintings she made specially for the exhibition show great talent and also huge potential for her future as an artist. We feel that she will, without question, go on to make many more wonderful paintings.”

Jim Birrell, head of painting and printmaking at Glasgow School of Art, said: “Selected from over 600 entries from across the UK and as the only Scottish graduate to be short- listed, we are delighted with Gabriella’s success in the Saatchi New Sensations awards.

“She now joins the ever- growing list of GSA fine art graduates who are making a significant impact to contemporary fine-art practice both within the UK and internationally.”

The winner of the overall 2011 Saatchi award was London-trained artist Jonny Briggs.