A TILLICOULTRY painter will this week showcase a collection of unique artwork inspired by the experiences of those suffering from dementia.

For Elizabeth Ogilvie the process of creating art is one which can echo the struggles of those trying to connect lost memory fragments in their own minds.

Her methods are a product of her own childhood when her grandfather, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, was not always able to recognise her.

The notion that art could also develop by fitting pieces together to make a clearer picture forms the backbone of her own work today.

Elizabeth says she has no idea what her art will look like before she paints and that she simply continues to add layers until the “conscious mind takes over”.

And having put together a number of paintings in this way, she will now have her collection exhibited at the Green Gallery in Dollar through November.

Describing her process, Elizabeth said: “It’s all like putting together a puzzle of remembered images; slightly distorted and fragmented through time and memory. Just as a person suffering from dementia tries to grasp for remembered fragments to paint a verbal picture.

“It used to take my grandfather half an hour to remember who I was. This idea that a picture is a collection of fragments waiting to come together has fed into all my work. For me, it is all about the process of fitting fragments together.

“There is a great freedom in painting this way,” she added. “I start with a blank canvas and apply mixed media such as acrylic, household paint, ink, and then collage to the canvas randomly.

“This method is entirely involuntary and often goes through several transitions before finally the conscious mind takes over and an image appears to resolve the conflict.

“It’s nice for the viewer to make up their own mind about what they are seeing.”

Elizabeth has been painting all her life and owes her skills, at least in part, to the guidance of renowned Scottish pop art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi, who mentored her before his death in 2005.

Before that, however, she studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, having won a competition to paint a mural for a church in Edinburgh.

She only moved to Tillicoultry two years ago and a few months ago was speaking about her craft with Becky Walker, owner of Dollar’s Green Gallery.

Becky said: “Over the years I’ve got used to people coming in to the gallery and telling me they went to art school and do a bit of painting. These conversations usually end up with me explaining tactfully that I am not looking to show any more artists’ work. But there was something about Elizabeth.

“She asked if I’d have a look at her work and I was intrigued so I went to her house and I could see immediately that she had something quite special. Her work is quite abstract but the layers she creates draw you in completely.

“I offered her a solo show in the gallery because I knew that other people would love it.”

Elizabeth’s solo exhibition opens on Friday, November 4 and will run until Sunday, November 27.