Callum Kellie, MA Fine Art
Callum Kellie, who is originally from Kingussie in the Highlands, took to the stage at the RGU graduation ceremony on Wednesday, December 11, when he was cheered on by colleagues, tutors, family and friends.
Callum previously studied for his undergraduate degree at Gray’s and decided to spend some time honing his practice before signing on to the Master’s in Fine Art.
“After graduating from my BA I explored the possibility of studying my MA here at Gray’s but at the time decided to gain some experience and practice as an artist before returning to study,” Callum said.
“Since my undergraduate degree, I had regularly made work and exhibited at festivals and gallery exhibitions. However, I wanted to lift my work and practice to a higher level and go deeper on a topic than I had previously.”
The focus of Callum’s work over the last two years has been on Scottish landscape, using his talents as a fine art filmmaker and photographer to help understand how the land affects national identity.
“My project explored the imbalance between our perception of the Scottish landscape and what could be considered the reality. I try to piece together the myriad threads that bind the tapestry of our landscape together, in an attempt to better understand what shaped it, and to question the common perceptions of what is wild or natural.”
Although finding balancing work, family and studies challenging, Callum has been supported by his wife and the team he is part of within Gray’s. He has found the course and his experience extremely beneficial in his development.
“There were a number of factors which attracted me to the course. The broad access to workshops and support staff from across the campus was extremely useful and, with the topic of my project being as it was, being close to rural Deeside and the Cairngorm National Park was a huge benefit.
“I really feel this degree has enhanced my skills and capabilities. From acquiring new skills such as gold leafing through to improving my project management experience from the film making aspects of the project. I have found my critical and contextual thinking towards my work has moved up a level.”
Find out more about Callum’s work: