Silent Spaces – Cate Inglis, Jayne Stokes & Thomas Cameron

We are often encouraged to look up so as not to miss the world around us – skyscapes in the countryside or the often missed architecture of the city. The artists in our next show encourage us to pause and take another look at the urban landscapes we pass through each day. Each with a different style, all three urge us to look for beauty and charm in places or situations we might otherwise pass by.

We are delighted to welcome three hugely talented artists who are really beginning to make a name for themselves and who are regularly showing and winning prizes at the RSA, RGI and PAI.

Cate Inglis, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, has just completed her first solo show at the Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh. Cate’s interests lie in the transient nature of the urban environment, in particular the often melancholic and nostalgic beauty that can be found with neglected buildings that once thrived with life but now lie forgotten and derelict.

Jayne Stokes from North Berwick, a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, is similarly inspired by the fleeting relationship we have with our environment. Often drawn to studying places that have perhaps seen better days, Jayne also manages to convey a feeling of nostalgia for the personality and character of now overlooked places.

Thomas Cameron graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee in 2014 and had his first solo show at the Sutton Gallery in Edinburgh last year. Everyday scenes that go unnoticed in our busy lives are also the source of Thomas’s inspiration. His skillful handling of light and thoughtful composition can apply a dignity to an urban landscape that might otherwise have been lost. Influenced by film, he likens his paintings to still frames with the suggestion of a narrative, although often devoid of figures, life never seems far from view in his work.

The show opens with a Preview on Friday 15th April from 6-8pm and continues until Sunday 15th May.

Ian Cook RI RSW – Compass Points – Works from Two Continents at Two Galleries

Artwork inspired by global travel and a thirst to study diverse cultures will be on show at two Scottish galleries this March – here at Fidra Fine Art in North Berwick and simultaneously at House for an Art Lover in Glasgow.

Ian Cook’s “Compass Points” is not simply about travel but a genuine curiosity into the life and culture of the world’s indigenous peoples. What started out as a means to seek out creative inspiration for his work, travel has imbued Ian with a deep sense of compassion and tolerance towards other cultures. An empathy that is strongly apparent in his work.

In his own words…

“Virtually all the works in these two exhibitions originate in source and statement from Central and South America and Central Europe. They are a fusion of past and present elements, consisting in some part of biblical/mythical references and contemporary syndromes. Some of them personify man’s relationship with the land he arrogates or the animals he tends; others pertain to folklore and ancient cultural beliefs that still resonate in today’s society. For these reasons the human figure, in its search for greater spiritual understanding and enlightenment, prevails throughout the works.”

Ian’s work is difficult to pigeon-hole. Artistic influences range from Max Beckmann and other North European expressionists to Willem de Kooning and Edward Hopper. W. Gordon Smith in a glowing review of a major exhibition of Ian’s work of 120 paintings in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, probably best described Ian as a “figurative expressionist” which gives those not familiar with is a work an idea of what to expect.

It is entirely appropriate that such a large body of inspirational work, sourced from extensive travels can be exhibited simultaneously at two galleries spanning the breadth of Scotland. The show at House for an Art Lover is as a result of a prize awarded to Ian for work at the RSW Exhibition in 2015 and by collaborating with Fidra Fine Art in North Berwick, Ian is able to exhibit a broader range of work to a much wider audience.

We will be hosting an Opening here at Fidra Fine Art on Saturday 5th March from 12-5pm which we hope you can join us at. The exhibition will run from 5th March to 10th April here in North Berwick.

The exhibition at House for an Art Lover will run from 8th March to 18th April. An Opening evening will be held at House for an Art Lover on Thursday 10th March from 6-8pm.

Mixed Exhibition – January / February 2016

<strong>The Mixed Show starts with an Opening Night on Friday 15th January from 6-8pm and runs through to 28th February</strong>. As usual we try to show a mix of traditional, older works by well known Scottish names from the past alongside current mainstream artists as well as emerging artists both local and from further afield.

For this exhibition we are delighted to be showing the work of another of my favourite artists, Matthew Draper. Matthews handling of light in his land and seascape pastels is breathtaking. His work is regularly on show at the most well respected galleries across the UK so its a real treat to get some of his work here in North Berwick. Not to be missed!

Also new to the gallery for this show is the work of Dominique Cameron, a recent graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, Dominiques observations of the changing seasons living on the coast in the East Neuk should resonate with people on this side of the Forth.

We will also have some abstract mixed media landscape work by local artist Jean Laing and also new to the gallery, Allan Roberston, a graduate from Edinburgh College of Art who works on industrial landscape painting will also be here for the first time with a couple of interesting and haunting pier studies.

Also in the mixed show will be a few “hot of the easel” pieces by George Birrell, again not to be missed. Jayne Stokes, Angela Reaping, Georgina Bown and Andy Heald will have some new work on show and a few exquisite, reclaimed wood sculptures from Michel Rulliere.

As well as current artists work, we also have a few recently acquired pieces by John Houston, Patrick William Adam (who used to live next door to here in Ardilea a hundred years or so ago!), John Bellany and few others if we can find the space!

Hope you can make it along.

Sandy Murphy, James Cosgrove, Michael Durning & Euan McGregor

This Christmas we are delighted to welcome four very popular Ayrshire artists, each with a different and distinctive style – Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI, Jimmy Cosgrove RSW RGI PAI, Michael Durning PPAI PAI RSW and Euan McGregor PAI.

Sandy Murphy studied at GSA under Barbara Rae and Duncan Shanks and like them his work is typically rich in colour and texture with lovely balanced tone. These features wonderfully, capture the changing seasons in his landscapes and control the mood in his still lives.

Jimmy Cosgroves work is instantly recognisable. Like Sandy his work is rich in colour and harmonious in tone. But it is perhaps the imagery in his paintings which is so unique. He accumulates ideas from his travels abroad or from up an down his native West coast of Scotland. Ideas captured in written or painted form are posted back to his studio for further work on his return. Jimmy was a member of staff for many years at GSA, retiring as Deputy Director in 1999 to return to his own work.

Michael Durning is currently President of the Paisley Art Institute but is in the process of stepping down so he can return to focus on his own work. Michael studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee and then as a Postgraduate at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. More representational in style than Jimmy and Sandys work, his work whether landscape or architectural in subject, is strong in draughtsmanship and composition but also has a real feeling of historic time and place.

Euan McGregor, fresh from a successful one man show in London, provides another dynamic to our Christmas exhibition. Currently working as a teacher in Renfrewshire, Euan studied Printmaking at GSA but still manages to find time to create his own work, exhibiting regularly at the PAI, RGI and RSA and commercial galleries up and down the UK. More abstract in style, Euan has a strong interest in mid 20th Century British landscape painting and in particular draws inspiration from the work of Ivon Hitchens, Keith Vaughn, Milton Avery and the St Ives School.

A great mix of work from four highly accomplished and much in demand artists which makes us really fortunate to have attracted them to the gallery for our Christmas Exhibition.

I hope you will join us for a glass of wine at the <strong>Preview on Saturday 5th December between 12 and 5pm</strong> where you will be able to meet the artists and discuss their work.

Joseph Urie – New Monotypes and Early Oils

We have the perfect exhibition coming up for Halloween… Joseph Urie will be here to exhibit his new monotypes as well as a number of dramatic, large (6ft square) early oils on canvas. The two styles complement each other perfectly and demonstrate a continuity of style and a mastery of the different techniques. Joe has been exploring the medium of Monotype print making over the past two years and has found it to be a perfect match to his expressive style of painting. Both in terms of subject matter – monochrome suits his dark exploration of the human condition, as well as his painterly application.

Monotypes, by definition are unique original artworks. In these cases Joe has applied both an additive process – creating the image directly onto the surface in much the same way as he would in a painting albeit the printed image will be a mirror image and also a subtractive process where the plate is covered in ink and an image is created by taking the ink off the plate. Both processes offer opportunities to explore textures and tone using different tools, pressure and techniques. In comparison to other forms of printmaking it can offer a very immediate and expressive final image but the ability to perfect, for example, a graduated tone, takes months of practice.

Joe, a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee and the Royal Academies in London is an expressive, figurative painter and since the 60s has endeavoured to portray mans struggles to seek contentment in the face of adversities such as war, betrayal, jealousy and rejection. To portray this on the canvas Joe has developed his own symbolism. The use of animals such as cats (mysterious creatures of the night), dogs (companions, protectors), horses (Joe was once bitten by one!) and birds bearing gifts, appear often. Common too are masks to suggest duplicity and also shrouded figures which hark back to childhood memories of a mysterious old lady who would sing Scottish laments in the close below his home in Glasgow, suggest mystery, fear and protection. Although the work appears sometimes dark and troubled the inspiration for the symbolism stems from similar memories and experiences we have all encountered.

In my opinion one of the stand out images from his recent Monotypes is that of the "Dead Scarecrow" which portrays a figure grotesquely slumped, lifeless from a cross in a desolate landscape. It perfectly expresses Joes revulsion to the recent murders and destruction of artistic treasures by the ISIS movement in Syria – "men of straw". In my opinion a very fine example of expressive figurative art which wouldnt look out of place next to the work of Kollowitz, Dix and other German Expressionist artists. Visceral stuff!

I have also been fortunate to persuade Joe to show some of his larger early work. We have three (if I can get them hung) 6ft square(ish) canvasses featuring some of his well known subjects shown at the Vigorous Imagination exhibition – a landmark exhibition at the SNGMA in 1987 which launched the careers of some the most well known artists in Scotland today; Peter Howson, Ken Currie, Stephen Conroy, Steven Campbell and Adrian Wiszniewski. Several pieces havent been shown before so it is a real treat to have them here in North Berwick.

W Gordon Smith, the much loved art critic for the Scotsman once wrote of Joe, "Urie is maybe the most poetic of our contemporary painters, a unique stylist whose images are a personal synthesis of classical stricture and primitive symbolic mythology." Come and see why.

<strong>Joe will be here for the Preview on Friday 30th October from 6-8pm to which you are invited to join us. The show runs until November the 29th so if you cant make it to the Preview do try and drop in at some point. Always if you cant make the weekend feel free to visit midweek but maybe contact us first just to ensure we are not out.</strong>

Mixed Exhibition October 2015

Our Mixed Exhibition for October features seven new pieces by Gordon M Scott. We had a few of Gordons pieces in earlier in the year and they were all well received. Similar in style, these landscape works in pencil and pastel are meticulously constructed with a real atmospheric, mystical feel.

Also back for October with three new, large pieces is Andy Heald. Again Andys work was well received before so we are sure you will enjoy this new work featuring the East Lothian landscape.

We also have a few typically vibrant pieces from Dundee artist, Jonathan Hood, some stunning Monoprints from Georgina Bown, a lovely pencil and crayon study by Tom Wilson and a number of canvasses from Donald Manson as well as three new pieces by George Birrell.

We are also delighted to be selling for a client, a beautifully atmospheric watercolour by William James Laidlaw Baillie titled "Dusk, Caithness". A past President of the RSA and RSW and Hon RA, William Baillies work is held in many public collections including RSA, SAC and SNGMA so its great to have it on show here in North Berwick.

We also have a few watercolours by John Hamilton Glass ARDA (fl.1890-1925) of the local area from around the beginning of the last century. One is a village scene of Athelstaneford and the other two, which can be bought as a pair, of the Old Mill at Humbie and corn stooks at harvest, also from Humbie.

We welcome a new sculptor to the gallery this month, Jane Smith from Aboyne in Aberdeenshire. Jane has 4 beautiful new bronze pieces which are suitable for positioning outside in the garden…or in the case of "Dragonfly", in a pond.

<strong>The show previews on Saturday 10th October from 12-5pm so please feel free to join us for a glass of wine. The show continues until Sunday 25th October.</strong>

Neal Greig – Scottish Landscapes

We are delighted to welcome the award winning Northern Irish landscape artist, Neal Greig to the gallery for our late Summer Show.

Neal was born in Belfast in 1965. He first attended the Edinburgh College of Art in 1983 graduating with a B.A. (Hons) in Fine Art in 1987, and later completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Art between 1988 and 1990 again from ECA. Neal has won numerous awards including the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Award from the Jackson Pollock Foundation, New York. His work is held in many public and private collections including Donegal County Council, Monaghan County Council, Tyrone Guthrie Art Centre, AIB Bank, ACC Bank, Bank of Ireland and New Brunswick, Canada.

Neal’s land and seascapes of the wild and rugged Atlantic coast of Ireland have been well received in the gallery to date. Brimming with the organic colours of nature from the splashes of greens, pinks and oranges of the lichens and grasses on the clifftops to the deep blues of the ocean and sky. Painting en plein air, his spontaneous brushstrokes and flicks and drizzles of paint are applied expressively with the confidence of an assured artist. The final result really capturing the raw energy of the ocean and the timeless beauty of the rugged coastline near Donegal.

For this exhibition Neal has explored the Scottish landscape. From the windswept beauty of the West Coast and Islands to the more sedate East Lothian coastline, Neal’s exuberant plein air brushwork and innovative mark-making, coupled with his natural palette is sure to provide a vibrant and interesting body of work.

Preview with refreshments Friday 4th September 6-8pm.

Summer Mixed Exhibition

Our next exhibition is a mixed show of gallery paintings from the past 100 years. An interesting mix of figurative and landscape work from some of Scotlands greatest artists.
Artists will include, John Blair, John Bellany, William Walls, Henry Kondracki and new work by Alan Connell, Arran Ross, Jonathan Hood & Donald Manson and also, new to the gallery, Glasgow artist, Gregory Rankine with beautiful equine studies and still life pieces.

Preview with wine Friday 14th August 6-8pm.

East Meets West

Three of the most popular and intriguing artists from Glasgow will be bringing a variety of new and recent work to North Berwick. Fidra Fine Art is delighted to welcome Lesley Banks, Alice McMurrough and Neil Macdonald to the gallery this summer.

Lesley Banks studied at Glasgow School of Art (GSA) specialising in Drawing and Painting. After graduating, funded by an Elizabeth Greenshields Scholarship, Lesley travelled and painted throughout Europe. She worked as a gallery assistant at the Compass Gallery, Glasgow, where, encouraged by Cyril & Jill Gerber she began to exhibit more of her artworks winning numerous prizes and awards, such as the 1991 Scottish Prize, Royal Overseas League London. Since this time Lesley has exhibited throughout the UK and as far afield as Singapore & USA.

Lesley’s work is always well crafted with rich colours but it is often a brooding narrative that draws the viewer in. In these paintings, which are a mixture of work from her last trip to Venice and Tuscany, the beautiful land and cityscapes are captured with intense, atmospheric colour but there is always something about the scenes that leave the viewer with a sense of unease.

Alice McMurrough PAI RGI RSW also studied at GSA graduating in 1979. She then went on to teach including Acting Principal Teacher in the 1990’s and marker and moderator for the SQA until she left the profession in 2007 to concentrate on her own painting. She has won several awards including; D Muirhead Purchase Prize, RSA (2002), James Torrance Award, RGI (2011), Joe Hargan Award, PAI (2012) and in 2013 she was awarded the Diploma of the Paisley Art Institute, elected member of the RGI and the RSW.

Like Lesley, narrative is an important ingredient in the mysterious, magical work of Alice McMurrough. Always beautifully crafted there is a mesmeric quality to the detail and mystery behind the characters in her work.

In Alice’s words…“My artwork is a tool to understanding self and the surrounding world. I make connections. I create from memories of particular events and general influences: family legends, cultural myths and religious fables. I aim for an attention that children have for the world, before ritual and maturity strips life of its daily magic. I paint the gap between innocence and experience using distortion, metaphor and symbolism, free form chronological time and place.”

Neil Macdonald PAI RGI RSW completes the trio of GSA graduates. Neil studied from 1975-79 and then a further year of Post Graduate Studies. He attended Hospitalfield Art College Summer School near Arbroath in 1978. Awards include; William Shanks Painting Prize in 1979, David Cargill Travelling Scholarship (Italy & Belgium) in 1981, Robert Innes Award – Scottish Drawing Competition 2011 and was awarded the Diploma of the Paisley Art Institute 2012, elected member of RGI & RSW in 2013.

Again, narrative plays a strong part in Neil’s work. Drawing inspiration from familiar, distinctive, landmarks he subtly distorts and bathes them in a luminescent light then adds a little mystery to further engage the viewer – Dunbar, St Monans and Portsoy will be among the subjects in this exhibition.

In Neil’s words…“I am drawn to locations which exert historic and mythic presence. I explore the lyrical narrative of natural sites and strong bold shapes of castles, old townships and harbours. I do this through distortion of perspective, invention and editing, aiming to capture an essence of the structure or place. Colour is used in an emotive way to heighten the sense of mood. I apply each layer upon layer of paint in a divisionist manner. Slowly I realise a unity of statement as the image emerges, revealing the subject’s unique sense of place.”

Mixed Exhibition

Our next exhibition is a mixed show of gallery paintings from the past 100 years. An interesting mix of figurative and landscape work from some of Scotlands greatest artists.
Artists will include, John Blair, John Bellany, William Walls, John Houston, Donald Moodie and new work by George Birrell, Davy Brown, Arran Ross & Jayne Stokes and also, new to the gallery, all the way from Cornwall, lovely work by Jilly Ballantyne and from Ireland, plein air landscape work from Neal Greig. Also new to the gallery is the quirky Flying Scotsmen from Glasgow artist Donald Macleod.

Preview with wine Saturday 16th May 12-5pm.