Mythologies - The Scottish Gallery

22 | PAUL REIDFor Reid drawing is vital to his process. Elaboratepreparatory drawings, some squared up and transferredto canvas (Fig. 1), are made; individual poses are exploredand even drapery studies undertaken. There are no opticaldevises deployed; there is no projection or manipulationof imagery within a computer programme. His technicalrepertoire is faithful to Renaissance studio practice, exceptthe painter has no studio assistants and carries out thework himself in the east of Edinburgh. This discrepancybetween the all embracing aesthetic of his imaginedworld and the mundane surroundings of his workplace isstark. The explanation is that Reid is not isolated becausehe has embraced digital media and devices which givehim access to imagery, ideas, sounds and communitieswhich feed his imagination. Graphic novels, metal music,literature of weird, the work of Odd Nerdrum, videogames and Spanish Masters can be accessed at the touchof a button.Fig. 1 – under drawing for Theseus and the Minotaur II