Creativity is all in the mind
[6 May 2006 - The Scotsman (UK)] TODAY, SCOTLAND'S FIRST GALLERY devoted to Art Extraordinary - also known as Art Brut or Outsider Art - opens in the town of Pittenweem in Fife. The gallery is the first of its kind anywhere in the UK. Run by the former art therapist Joyce Laing and simply called the Art Extraordinary Gallery, it will be opening its doors for two days a week from now until 29 October, thanks to a modest grant from the Scottish Arts Council. It will also be open throughout this year's Pittenweem Arts Festival, which runs from 5 to 13 August. So what is Art Extraordinary? Laing defines it as "visionary imagery inspired directly from the unconscious". Many of those who produce it suffer from mental illness, but by no means all. Some are simply recluses, making art in private with no intention of showing it to anyone else. But Laing has identified certain traits common to all the artists. More