SCOTTISH artists are walking a financial tightrope with no safety net, a leading painter claims.

"New Glasgow Boy" Adrian Wiszniewski - a celebrated artist who, along with contemporaries like Peter Howson and Ken Currie, brought new life into Scottish painting in the 1980s - has hit out as the Scottish Artists Union (SAU) calls for lifeline help for its members after coronavirus closed galleries and forced the call-off of shows.

The SAU says many creatives - often already on low incomes with insecure earnings - "fall between the cracks" of current provision and are not entitled to welfare benefits, small business grants, furlough payments or some of the other forms of support available to those in other lines of work.

Without access to statutory sick pay and other state help, many are said to be using their savings to pay the bills. It's feared this will create further hardship for the group in future when pensions pots and other long-term funds run dry.

SAU president Lynda Graham said: “Visual artists and makers across Scotland are facing real hardship. Galleries are closed, exhibitions postponed, residencies and projects cancelled, the classes and workshops they run have had to stop. Some landlords are continuing to demand rent even though the artists aren’t allowed into their studio, so they are unable to make or sell their work.

The National:

“Despite the fact that they are frequently on low incomes and have little in the way of savings they often find they don’t qualify for Universal Credit or for some of the schemes aimed at small businesses and the self-employed.

"Some 81% of our members earn less than £10,000 per year from their art and already supplement their income with other part time work which has also been affected.

“What is needed, as a matter of urgency, is for the UK Government to remove the rules and restrictions that discriminate against this very vulnerable section of the workforce and to ensure they have the same level of protection and support as others.”

SAU member Wiszniewski commmented: “Artists, on average, earn the least of the professions. This should not mean they are the least valued. They have a multitude of skills and talents and the financial benefits to society from a strong cultural portfolio are massive.

“Yet many artists spend their lives walking a financial tightrope. Right now, if they look down, they’ll see there’s no safety net.

“Society, if it’s lucky, gets the artists it deserves. Sometimes it gets better than it deserves.

“If the only support they are offered in a time of crisis is that of the begging bowl then it will be reflected in an impoverishment of our cultural identity, health and wealth.

“But if society gives artists the support they deserve then there will be benefits for the health, wealth and wellbeing of everyone.” 

The National:

The SAU has met with national agency Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government on the issue and has joined the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) to campaign for equal treatment for all those working in the creative industries.

It says members "appreciate the emergency funding measures put in place by Creative Scotland", but want a "stronger public message" from its board at Creative Scotland on how they aim to tackle the "fragile" arts infrastructure in the longer term. 

Graham said: “Artists are integral to our society and economy, they deliver invaluable work in schools, colleges, and through socially engaged practice in Scotland’s communities within health and social services.

“The classes and workshops they run add a great deal to people’s quality of life and to their health and wellbeing. The art they produce and the galleries they supply also play an important part in our tourism industry. 

“One of the big concerns is that Covid-19 could be the final straw for many artists who are already finding it hard enough to pay the bills.

“Strategies need to be put in place that ensure a sustainable future for Scotland’s artists and the wide benefits they bring to our society and economy.”