katie forbes

Resilience

I had shown the other side of this mural with a spelling mistake in the Gaelic, where I’d used ‘o’ instead of ‘ò’. The mistake was promptly corrected but I never managed to get another video on the lift. I didn’t think it would be a big deal at the time but today I have heard a few concerns that my use of Gaelic is being seen as tokenistic. That is the very last thing I want it to be. Being from the Highlands, I grew up around Gaelic but never had any direct teaching. I remember watching BBC Alba getting ready for school, reading all the signs in town and learning phrases or idioms from locals. As a teenager, I essentially lost any knowledge through lack of use or enthusiasm. As an adult, I’ve really tried to make the effort to reverse this. I wanted to make this effort for my Granny Annie. My Granny Annie was from Stornoway and her first language was Gaelic. She had a beautiful, melodic voice, one that I remember fondly like music. It was because of her that I started trying to learn again, I was specifically practicing my writing so I could write her a poem. I started using Gaelic in my murals after my Granny Annie passed. For me, it’s a way for me to feel connected to home. It gives me some sense of purpose. As for my ability in Gaelic, it’s still broken but I am committed to learning. It’s completely understandable that seeing an imperfect representation of Gaelic would be frustrating, especially if it’s seemingly from a person who is not fluent. There are lots of Gaelic artists who deserve visibility and recognition for their work. I think it’s really important to address this topic and how we represent a historically marginalised language with respect, and not just use it for superficial gain. I can’t help but feel emotional the weight of my decision to use Gaelic in my public artworks, both personally and culturally. I’m committed to learning Gaelic and promoting it with authenticity. I really do understand these viewpoints. I wouldn’t usually make a post that is corrective but I believe these conversations are valuable. Tha mi dìreach airson mo Granny Annie a dhèanamh moiteil. Tha mi airson a dhèanamh nas fheàrr.

‘Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl’ ‘The world will end, but love and music will endure’ @yardworksglasgow Paint by @farrowandball

PRINTS LIVE NOW link in bio ‘Bhiast’ & ‘Mo Chridhe’ are limited edition risograph prints, grab ‘em while you can

straight from the horses mouth (i’m sorry)

My Grampa drew this. I’m unsure when exactly, or even why, as I don’t remember him being particularly religious. My mum never raised her children under any sort of religion and actually used to keep us off school on church days - not because she was atheist, but because she wanted us to decide, on our own terms, if we wanted to be religious. I’m very grateful that she did this because it has let me learn about God in a way that was natural and intuitive to me. I am now very interested in God and I find myself learning more and more with the curiosity of a child. My understanding, as a person who believes in God but doesn’t prescribe to any specific religion, is that everyone is kind of talking about the same thing, just through different stories, and that religious scripture such as the Bible is to be used as a basic set of principles for living a good and moral life. That heaven and hell exist in the now, not the afterlife, and we have muddied the lessons of God by overly humanising and warping the rules to suit our (corrupt) agendas. For example, when the Bible is used to justify violence or hate etc. But I digress. I’m also certain that I know nothing.

trump being punched by a doctor

wisdom from the internet

i am not down to clown

been struggling to make art in these trying times because truly what the fuck is going on

It’s the final 4 days of Looking For Love? These paintings are still available and looking for good homes. Make sure you come see the show before Sunday we close at 5pm. Thanks again for @kfrbs for creating such an incredible show for us.