A Scottish artist who creates his works with gunpowder and has a fan in Patrick Stewart has been nominated for a prestigious award.
Dennistoun-based Frank To has exhibited alongside artists like Banksy, Jimmy Choo and Antony Gormley, and Star Trek legend Mr Stewart owns several of his works.
He is one of only three Scottish artists to be shortlisted for the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists National Art Prize, a biennial celebration of creativity and innovation showcasing work in at the cutting edge of contemporary art.
Mr To is noted for creating his artworks using gunpowder and one such work, titled 'For Fork Sake', has earned him the RBSA recognition.
The other Scots nominees are painter audiovisual artist Bertie Fritsch and Malcolm Barton, a figurative painter.
Mr To said: "It is a massive honour to be shortlisted in this national royal institution art prize. The piece is actually a gunpowder observational drawing of a simple kitchen fork; it’s this piece that got shortlisted into the RBSA Art Prize. Originally it was an exercise piece that was made to test my observational drawing limits both mentally and physically. I suppose having a dark humour twist in the title makes it even more interesting."
Born in Falkirk in 1982, Mr To graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a degree in fine art before getting his Masters at Jordanstone Art College in Dundee.
In addition to his nomination for the RBSA prize, his work has been accepted to the prestigious Royal Ulster Academy exhibition at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and the famous Royal West England Academy Annual open exhibition at the RWA in Bristol.
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As a result, he is the only Scottish artist to achieve all three milestones this year.
Mr To said: "To be selected as one of only three Scottish artists for the prize as well as officially accepted into the Royal Ulster Academy in Belfast and the Royal West of England in Bristol is both overwhelming and humbling.
"For me, it’s a way to show both nationally and internationally how Scottish contemporary drawing is still well regarded. I want to contribute to this in any way possible even if it means being competitive."
His piece 'I Want to Break Free' will be on show at the Royal West of England Academy Annual Exhibition from September 14 to January 5, while 'Cours, Petit Lapin, Cours' will be at the Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition from October 18 to January 6.
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