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About Stuart Herd
1971 - 2023
Early Beginnings
Born in Scotland in 1971, Stuart grew up in England and briefly attended Amersham College of Art. He started a career in photography in the South East whilst regularly travelling north to Scotland to explore and capture the landscapes.
His photographic career was varied, from Studio and Commercial photography to Press and Lab work around the United Kingdom. During this time his love of travel was born and he combined this by working as a photographer onboard cruise ships, "that was fun" he said. He also embarked on ’character making’ independent solo trips worldwide
" I'll sit and sketch if I have the time but the majority of my work is done from photographs in the studio, but for me that's part of the process. You look for an angle, and you work from that. You use the camera to capture that angle."
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His palette is an old plate - A jumble of colour to the untrained eye. Then the magic happens!
returning back to Scotland in the mid 90s, and living in Edinburgh this is where he would start developing his distinctive style. A thirst for adventure prompted more travel a move to Jamaica with a stint working as an art auctioneer in all-inclusive resort. He stayed on Island for two years, earning a living picture framing, painting and drawing.
In 2002 he returned to Scotland, determined that his painting would take precedence. Supplementing his income by working as a picture framer he started exhibiting in Argyll galleries. Within a few years his reputation had grown and he was working full time on his paintings.
In 2007 he opened The Art Studio in Tarbert to the public.
"Stuart can take an old boat left to rot on the shore, a shabby shelter on a seafront or an old phone box and turn it into a thing of beauty."
Oban Times, 2019
Tragedy would struck in 2011. Stuart had a major accident, ultimately resulting in him losing an eye. However, he was straight back in the studio. He was adamant that having a fake eye made him more 'focused' (pun intended), producing more detailed work.
Stuart would work across several canvasses during the same period.
A Gallery is Born
During his many hospital stays, he realized he needed a plan B. So he set his mind to opening a Gallery in the picturesque fishing village of Tarbert, on the shores of Loch Fyne. A village where he and his young family now lived. The Harbour Gallery opened in March 2012 and quickly developed a reputation for selling a wide range of art. In 2015 he opened his second Gallery - The Harbour Gallery in Ullapool. He discovered the location on a family weekend away in February and had the doors open by April. Just six years later he opened another gallery in Inveraray.
His latest venture, opened in 2022, was a new shop, run by his son, Robbie, called 'The Picture Framer'. The shop is next door to his gallery in Tarbert.
And in January 2023 Stuart launched his website dedicated to his rugby work, www.RugbyArtworks.com.
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