Ann Thomas Paintings
About Ann Thomas
About Ann
Over 50 years in Argyll...
My love of the west coast of Scotland and sailing brought my husband Pat and I to Tarbert in 1966 where I have lived ever since. In fact my first view of our new house was sailing into Tarbert on our honeymoon! We had sailed up from Aberdovey in Wales - where we had met - our common interest sparked by me having undertaken a navigation course on the west coast.
Prior to moving I was an art teacher and lecturer. The joy of helping others see the world around them and to capture something they had never seen before (even if only in the mind) was often completely new; teaching others the enjoyment of texture, colour, form and the sheer joy of light was a privilege.
In Tarbert I continued to offer art classes at night school but my husband and I also partially rebuilt a seafront shop which had fallen into disrepair to create the Ann R Thomas Gallery (now the Loch Fyne Gallery) which we opened in 1975. Here we printed many of my ink drawings, some local books, offered picture framing and exhibited and sold many of my paintings as well as books, art materials and crafts. I had the gallery for over 25 years before supposedly retiring in 2000 - but an artist never retires!
We also attended trade fairs in Scotland and England and I spent many years undertaking commissions for Scottish National Heritage, the Scottish National Trust, historic castles and abbeys as well as many well-known businesses.
