By Rachel Mackie

NORTH Berwick artist Andrew Guest is displaying his medicinal artwork in his local pharmacy for a week to make a statement about people’s relationship with tablets and medicine.

A series of clay pots cast from the box of every piece of medication that Andrew took between 2012 and 2015, including everyday tablets such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, as well as the first types of tablets he took after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, are displayed in the window of Smith’s Pharmacy on High Street.

The 67-year-old moved to North Berwick in 2016 and, after a career as an exhibition officer putting on displays of other people’s art, decided to make his own, completing courses in ceramics at Gateshead before studying pottery in Edinburgh.

“I’ve always been interested in recycling and waste materials, especially pill packaging,” he said.

“I just started making each box in clay, one for each pot, and it started there really. It’s fascinating, and so much fun plasting and casting objects.

“I find a real beauty in the ordinary. I can’t paint some unique and beautiful scene, but I can create something that people see everyday, and give them a chance to see it in a new light. It is also a picture of one person’s dependency on this method of treatment.”

Sheila Pearson, sales supervisor at Smith’s Pharmacy said: “It’s generated some interest. People are stopping and looking and taking notice. It seems to be a positive reaction so far.”

The exhibition is on show at the pharmacy until Sunday.