The Long Look beautifully illustrates the collaboration between the artists Audrey Grant and Norman McBeath. This hardback publication features the four portraits created by Audrey and descriptive photography by Norman of Audrey in her studio.
The Long Look book was published to accompany the art exhibition of the same name, on display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery from 25 May to 27 October 2019. The National Galleries of Scotland publishing team assisted Easel Press with this book, which includes a foreword by the Director General, Sir John Leighton and a piece by Val McDermid illustrating her experience of sitting for a portrait.
Audrey asked Norman to sit for a series of portraits in charcoal, it was expected that these would take 'weeks probably months' and that Norman would photograph the drawing at the end of each sitting. She would then erase the drawing at the start of the next sitting and begin the portrait anew. Norman was intrigued by the way Audrey was working which led him to photograph aspects of this process such as Audrey's hands, the sitter's chair, the charcoal.
Audrey Grant is an award winning painter who also experiments in drawing and mixed media. Her paintings reflect the human experience in isolation, often devoid of context and frequently inspired by poetry and literature.
Norman McBeath is a photographer and printmaker. His work focuses on people, often directly through portraits but also through studies of places and traces of behaviour.
Val McDermid is a No.1 bestselling novelist and playwright whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold more than sixteen million copies.
Published by Easel Press with assistance from National Galleries of Scotland
