A MUSSELBURGH man beat the blues of the Covid-19 lockdown by painting almost every day.

Alistair McIntyre, 57, said he found it “a true lifeline” and celebrated the completion of his first painting after he plunged himself into art during the pandemic.

The avid artist now has about 1,000 paintings at his Mayfield Crescent home, where he has transformed the conservatory into an art studio, and is now selling his artwork worldwide.

Mr McIntyre, who works with a charity in community development to reduce social isolation, developed his interest in art after moving to the Honest Toun four years ago. He started with the “odd drawing” before moving into watercolours and oils, and finding a love of painting with acrylics.

His passions are landscapes and seascapes, particularly the harbours of East Lothian, including Fisherrow, Port Seton and Dunbar, as he grew up near Newhaven harbour at Edinburgh.

He said: “When lockdown happened and no one could go anywhere, I was so thankful that I had moved to East Lothian just two years prior.

“I had been inspired on moving here to take up painting by the breathtaking scenes and the friendly, welcoming people I met.

“But during lockdown it was a true lifeline. I painted every day almost and it spared me the mental health problems that so many people experienced because of the isolation.

“I not only had many times of great joy painting away in my makeshift studio but started selling pieces of art and did so as far afield as Canada and Australia.

“I, like so many people, used to think art was something that others did and I couldn’t possibly be an artist but the joy of achieving the completion of my first painting was so great that it has kept me going and growing as an artist.

“Because I paint so much during this pandemic, I have a house full of paintings. All the walls are covered in artwork and my wife loves it. It gives us something nice to look at and think about, an escape from the troubles of the world.

“Not only that but I’ve taken to do a part-time painting degree online and I am halfway through it.”

He said it was “amazing” to have one of his paintings published in a booklet launched by the Musselburgh-based community health project CHANGES, which invited people to contribute their experiences of Covid-19.

Mr McIntyre said: I can’t believe that I now consider myself an artist, a calling I’d never recognised until now at the age of 57.

“All my close neighbours have paintings of mine on their walls.

“They all encourage me and are delighted to display my work, which is great because I’m rapidly running out of space.

“I think I’ll have to build a shed to store paintings soon. I worked from home during most of lockdown, calling people who were socially isolated and had a wee blether with them and heard their concerns, but what kept me going was definitely art.

“I would recommend it as a way of beating the blues. It does help to be creative when you live in such a beautiful place as East Lothian. There is so much to inspire.”

His artwork can be bought via Instagram at specky.al1