A FORMER professional designer is hoping it is third time lucky in his quest for a national prize.

Kenneth Blues Wilson has made it through to the shortlist for the Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art for the third time.

His painting – Her American Cousin and Big George (pictured below) – is one of 30 images being weighed up by a judging panel including Imogen Gibbon, chief curator and deputy director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and award-winning artist Calum Stevenson.

East Lothian Courier: Kenneth Blues Wilson is hoping Her American cousin and Big George can scoop a top national prize

Kenneth said: “I’m getting on now and to say the least I don’t have much of a profile.

“I’ve worked all my time since retiring on painting and sculpture so I would think what it would mean, apart from the nice bundle of cash, would be the notoriety of having won this national competition would be quite good, really good.

“It might give rise to other commissions, which is partly the reason for the competition.”

The 75-year-old previously worked as a professional designer in industry after leaving school at 16.

Since then, he has studied illustration at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee.

Now, after making it through to the shortlist in 2019 and 2020, Kenneth is hoping to go one step further and be crowned the winner.

'A homage to him and the girls'

The Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art is for portraits in any 2D or 3D medium – all painting formats, all sculpture formats, collage, printmaking, weaving, photography, digital art or anything else.

A touring exhibition for the top 30 fine art entries is stopping off in various places, including Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A winner will be announced at the Scottish Art Club in the Capital on September 10 and Kenneth said: “The first prize is £5,000 – it is worth going for!”

Kenneth, who lives in Dunglass, revealed the inspiration for his oil painting, which measures five foot by three foot.

Her American Cousin and Big George features not only two close relatives but also a feline family member.

Kenneth said: “Both of the people in the painting are family members.

“One is my step-daughter and the other is her cousin, who lives in California.

“They sometimes get together and the cat is important because he was with us for many, many years and just died last December.

“It was a kind of homage to him as well as the girls.”