Watercolour Floral Painting Workshop with Ailsa Mackay and Frank Hayes

After graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Ailsa has spent over 30 years as a professional artist and designer. Her designs have been sold globally, appearing on fashion, home décor, and household products in the UK, Australia, Germany, and the USA. She has also worked as a stationery and interior designer and as an art tutor. Commissions for her original paintings and prints have sold widely across the UK and internationally.

Ailsa’s bold and dynamic style, influenced by her design background, breathes life into her acrylic, gouache, and soft pastel works, drawing inspiration from daily life and the  natural world.

Now back in Scotland after working in the south of England for the majority of her career, Ailsa has become an established art educator, teaching core drawing and painting skills to all abilities.

She is a Director of  “For Enjoyment CIC” an arts based social enterprise that teaches core creative skills throughout Dumfries and Galloway. She is a Trustee of the DGUnlimted, the Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of the Arts, and sits on the Artists of Shambellie House Steering Group.

Beyond art, she works across academia, government and practice, as Lead for the National Centre for Resilience, a scientific research centre focusing on community resilience to natural hazards and climate change. She is passionate about employing creative approaches to improve health and wellbeing, utilising them in a way that can help individuals build better and stronger resilience to the inevitable challenges that we all face throughout our lives.

Ailsa is the co-author of a number of research projects exploring community resilience building and fostering resilience in young people with special needs. She was recently interviewed on ITV Border news for spearheading a landmark creative Burns event in collaboration with Dumfries Museum. She has regularly displayed her work across the UK and her most recent exhibition was at Shambellie House, New Abbey.

Frank Hayes is the Creative Director and Founder of “For Enjoyment CIC”. A foundation of studying at Art College started his creative path over 30 years ago. Over the last two decades Frank has worked in conservation and as a creative force and more recently as a core part of the creative movement that is For Enjoyment, as a mentor, inspirer and tutor. He’s passionate, driven and dedicated to his work. A love of travel, cycling, walking and swimming makes him an explorer of the great outdoors, with a love for natural history since a very young age which is evident through his own creative practice.

Frank’s many hats include photographer, illustrator and environmentalist. He is committed to nurturing the artistic ability within everyone and improving mental and social health, confidence and wellbeing through the power of art and creativity. Through his work with For Enjoyment he’s seen much success and recognition including becoming a two time finalist for the Culture Champion Award and the winner of Community Champion award in the Dumfries and Galloway Life Awards of 2021. He has produced artworks with many organisations across Scotland including one in partnership with Whizz-Kidz which is permanently installed in the First Minister of Scotland’s office. He supports many people from a diverse range of backgrounds into creative careers and helps them forge new paths into the wonderful world of the Arts.