Alasdair Thomson

Alasdair Thomson is a sculptor living and working in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is Italian-trained and has significant experience in carving large scale sculpture and other elements of decorative stonework, both in Scotland and abroad.

Since graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 2004 with a degree in History of Art, his experience of working in stone has been varied. He was apprenticed to the American sculptor Mark Mennin, in Connecticut, USA, and has undertaken the restoration of historic stone through working for a specialist firm in Edinburgh. He also studied sculpture in Italy in 2009/10, receiving his training from Italian masters in the studios of Mauro Beretini, and achieving his diploma in sculpture from the Senese Scuola Edile in Siena.

In November 2012, Alasdair Thomson was selected as a participating artist in the 2013 Open Exhibition at Edinburgh's Royal Scottish Academy. He went on to win the 2013 People's Choice Award for his submitted work titled 'Blouse'. In February 2013 he exhibited in his first solo exhibition, titled 'Fabricae'. Inspired by the drapery swathed around the shoulders of portrait busts, he was interested in producing his own contemporary take on a very classical subject, and sought to capture the way that fabric hangs and folds. His inclusion of ‘found’ elements in these sculptures are intended to enhance the ‘trompe l'oeil’, and challenge people’s perceptions of what is achievable in stone.