A respected Scottish artist has created a series of paintings which will be showcased at the annual art Aberdeen Art Fair next month.
Graham McKean, 55, has focued on personal issues of alcoholism, addiction and mental health – hurdles McKean has had to overcome in his own life.
After leaving school at the age of 15 with few qualifications, he was encouraged to follow in the family tradition of working in the Govan ship yards.
However, he was only there one year when he decided to pursue his true passion and turned to art.
Now his paintings feature in numerous exhibitions and are on display in prestigious private and public collections worldwide.
Many of his pieces are inspired by the picturesque landscapes of Scotland, in particular Cruden Bay on the coast of Aberdeenshire, where he previously lived.
Now living in Troon, with a studio in Irvine, he hopes his new display will help people tackle their mental illnesses head on.
He said: “As these issues have become more relevant in my personal life over recent years I have decided to confront them directly and try and bring them to the attention of more people through my art.
“Today it seems more of us are being touched by mental health and addiction issues and it can only be a good thing if people can start to at least talk about their problems whether it is through social media or a painting which may trigger a reaction or discussion on the subject.
“Being affected myself recently with my own issues, art has proved to be a great therapy to me and I do believe in producing images that offer not only a bit of hope but humour also to the viewer.”
Mr McKean’s work will go on display at the Aberdeen Art Fair at the Beach Ballroom, between September 7 and September 9.
