Jack Vettriano

One of Fife's most successful artists in recent times is Jack Vettriano. Born in St Andrews (as Jack Hoggan, 1951), he was raised in the industrial seaside town of Methil and began his working life in a coal mine as an apprentice engineer. He later moved into white-collar jobs and took up painting as a hobby when his girlfriend bought him a set of watercolours for his 21st birthday. Upon moving from Fife to Edinburgh, he began his quest to launch an artistic career and took the surname Vettriano - a variation of his mother's maiden name.

Kirkcaldy Galleries arranged to host an exhibition of Vettriano's early work, a major coup for the excellent council-owned complex, which also includes the town museum and library. Being situated next to the railway station on the East Coast Main Line can't have done any harm to the visitor numbers. After Covid-induced delays, the extravaganza was ready to roll this summer and the planned run extended into the autumn. My mum and sister had already visited and were full of praise for the artwork on display. I had resolved to check it out some weeks previously and finally found the time during my October break. Nicole had taken our German guest Hella out for the day and I hopped on the X27 bus to Kirkcaldy, taking a couple of library books due for return. Upon arrival, I was collared by a representative of the homeless charity Shelter. They were doing market research and asking people to try out and comment on their new smartphone app. A £5 gift card was thrown in as a sweetener and I was happy to oblige. Job done, I took my books into the library. The building opened in 1925 and also includes a café and PC suite, in addition to the aforementioned facilities. It's a welcoming community hub with a charming mix of old and new but I still can't believe they ripped out the high wooden shelving units in the lending library and replaced them with puny plastic stands. Not a good look in my opinion. More open plan, yes, but the former warren of nooks and crannies was exactly what I loved about the old design. Every bit as intriguing as the historic Carnegie Library in Dunfermline. The volume of books must surely have decreased too. Libraries have always moved with the times but I think they've gone a step too far here. The museum is superb and I highly recommend a visit. The story of Kirkcaldy is relayed through a wide variety of objects and detailed information panels. You can find out what the Prime Gilt Box was. I poked my head into a couple of rooms before heading upstairs to the art galleries.

The ticket price for the Vettriano exhibition was £8.50. I would assume the proceeds are split between the venue, artist and owners of the paintings. The gift shop will be a nice little earner but perhaps the serious money is made through sales of original artwork and reproductions. I noticed a few pieces in the foyer available to those prepared to part with three grand. After watching a video interview with Jack, I proceeded into the first gallery, where a dozen paintings were signed under his real name of Hoggan. After receiving the set of paints for his birthday, Vettriano borrowed books from the local library in an attempt to teach himself some rudimentary art skills. He began - as many do, I suppose - by copying works he admired. The room contained his pastiches of old masters, impressionists and surrealists, as well as paintings influenced by Scottish artists. Vettriano has never worked from life. Since becoming established, he uses photographs of carefully posed models with selected props, costumes and backdrops. In his early days, he relied upon postcards and pages from art books and auction catalogues. One of the paintings came with the attached guilty confession that he failed to return the borrowed book with the Rembrandt image inside. His final creation as Jack Hoggan was based on the Oyster Gatherers by John Singer Sargent. Jack was so pleased with the result, he knew he wanted to make it as a professional artist, but also realised he needed to find his own unique style. After a rejection from Edinburgh Art School (letter on display), a turning point came when the newly-christened Vettriano submitted two paintings to the Royal Society for Art's annual summer exhibition in 1988. He also firmed up his ideas for subject matter, derived from a lifelong obsession with women and his romantic melancholic view of days gone by. His success at the RSA event led to further interest and the critics began to take notice.

The second and third galleries took the viewer through Vettriano's burgeoning professional career in the 1990s. Jack was now in a position to use his Georgian townhouse as a stage set for his models. The final painting was the only one to be created after the year 2000. Long Time Gone (pictured right) was completed in 2006 and features Methil Power Station - a dominant coastal landmark in Jack's home town. The plant was demolished in 2011 and I used to have a nice view of the chimneys when watching Cowdenbeath play matches against East Fife. I enjoyed the chronological arrangement of the exhibition and more than a few of the paintings caught my eye. I finished my tour around 12pm, just as the place was becoming quite busy. With only three days left to run, the event was no doubt pulling in people (like me) who had promised to attend and were now getting round to it. A new Vettriano work, fresh from the easel, will set you back between £50,000 and £200,000. Jack apparently earns half a million a year in print royalties and has homes in Kirkcaldy, London and France. The Singing Butler sold for £750,000 in 2004 - a canvas rejected by the RSA years beforehand. Clearly a local boy made good.