Rootbound - Q&A with Kyle Blain

I was recently approached by Ellen and Molly, who run the Scottish-based social platform, Rootbound, dedicated to celebrating the seasons, place, and people through food, music, and art. They’re particularly interested in spotlighting artists whose practice connects with nature, the seasons, or community, which they felt aligned with my work.

I answered a few questions to give some context around my practice. The feature includes a selection of my pieces alongside a short Q&A, offering a bit more insight into my work and process. Here’s how we got on…

Your painting series, Common People, reflects on growing up working class in Scotland. How has growing up in Scotland shaped both your artistic voice and the stories you feel drawn to tell?

I grew up in Clackmannanshire, a small town in central Scotland, about forty minutes outside Glasgow, but I studied in the city for five years. Growing up in a small town means everyone knows everyone. There were always stories being told round the dinner table, by the fire pit or wherever, that were passed down through generations.

That sense of shared history really interests me. Common People is about those stories and gatherings that form a collective memory, moments most people experience growing up in a working-class household and wider community, particularly in central Scotland.

What first prompted you to create Common People, and what conversations were you hoping it might open?

It started as a nostalgia trip. After my grandad passed away, we were looking through old photos at my gran's house trying to find pictures of him. We came across everything from baby photos of my brothers and I, to photos of my dad at my age now, and even ones from before the 1940s. At first, I was drawn to the sense of a time gone by, things like outdated landline phones and tacky wallpaper choices. As I kept painting, the focus deliberately shifted from nostalgia to my own childhood and lived experience. I realised how much people related to these scenes and recognised similar moments in their own family photos. From there it naturally grew into a wider curation of what I knew growing up.

Community seems central to your practice. Why is it important to you that art feels accessible and reflective of everyday lives?

Community is really important to my work. I've done a lot of volunteering and projects with schools and local groups across Clackmannanshire. It started when I was invited back to my former primary school in Clackmannan to set up a pop-up gallery for the pupils. Many of them had never been in a gallery or seen original paintings up close.

Seeing how strongly they connected with the work made me realise how important that access is. For them to see someone local doing something different, and something they can see themselves in, can be inspiring. I want my work to stay accessible and relatable, especially for young people.

Can you tell us about some of the community work you're involved in, and how that work feeds back into your artistic practice?

Since that first school exhibition, more opportunities followed. In 2024, I was lucky to receive funding from my local council to work in schools, hosting pop-up workshops and exhibitions and developing legacy projects. These included creating a large-scale mural in a local care home with Advanced Higher art pupils and donating a painting to Forth Valley Hospital in memory of my grandad. I was also grateful to be named a finalist for a Young Scot Award, which led to me being appointed Community Artist for Clackmannanshire's Family Wellbeing Partnership. Through that role, I've created a nineteen-foot mural for Alloa Athletic FC, worked in schools and community spaces like The Hive, and produced work designed to remain visible long after the projects end. All of this feeds into a wider practice centred on community storytelling and shared experience.

Rootbound is about celebrating the seasons, place, and people through food, music, and art. What drew you to being part of the Autumn 2025 event? [in Sylvan Bar, Glasgow]

I was really excited by the idea of an event that brought art and music together. My work has always had a strong relationship with music, so seeing that connection play out in real time felt natural. I also appreciated the invitation and the chance to show my work to a new audience who I felt would connect with both the work and the wider event. I'm very thankful for that opportunity!

What does it mean to show work in a setting that brings people together socially, rather than in a traditional gallery space?

Traditional gallery spaces are becoming harder to come by, and they were never easy to access in the first place. I really value artist-run spaces like Grateful Gallery or SaltSpace in Glasgow, as they often feel more accessible and authentic. Sometimes the best way to get art in front of people is to bring it to them, whether that's in a restaurant for a Rootbound event, a primary school or a care home for example.

These are places where art can have a real impact.

Massive thank you to Ellen and Molly for their insightful questions, you can check out more from Rootbound and their ongoing events on Instagram here: @_root_bound_

(https://www.instagram.com/_root_bound_)