Category: Exhibitions Previous

 

“Firth of Forth”
Matthew Draper SSA VAS PS

With Astronaut-ical Sculpture by Arran Ross

Preview: Friday 1 November 6-8pm
2 November to 1 December 2019

Our only solo exhibition this year is with Matthew Draper and will open with a Preview on Friday 1 November 6-8pm. Following exhibitions featuring the grandeur of the Scottish Highlands and, most recently, the Sound of Raasay on the West Coast of Scotland, Matthew has turned his attention to the land and seascape closer to his adopted home in Edinburgh – the Firth of Forth.

Matthew’s atmospheric cityscapes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, shrouded in a haar, the sea mist which has crept in from the Firth of Forth, are amongst the most iconic artworks of the city. In this exhibition the city still makes an appearance but on this occasion as a feature of the panorama looking across the Forth from East Lothian.

Of course, no exhibition on the Firth of Forth would be complete without Bass Rock and in this case, the accompanying islands of Craigleith, Lamb and Fidra. Matthew has also been working on a number of pieces from above North Berwick from the Law, looking back along the Forth towards Edinburgh and Fife. The ever-changing weather sweeping down the Forth from the West plays out some of the most dramatic and atmospheric landscapes anywhere in Scotland – the perfect subject for a series of Matthew Draper studies.

Alongside Matthew’s work we will also be exhibiting a range of Astronaut-ical sculptures in bronze, ceramic and plaster by Arran Ross.

Arran provides a little background to these enigmatic figures…

“The Astronaut first emerged from a series of characters I was creating in drawings and paintings during the 1990’s. It gradually took on a life of its own sometimes appearing in a whole variety of settings and materials. On the surface there is a childlike, cartoon like simplicity but the character is enigmatic, timeless and mysterious -an explorer standing with one foot in this world and one foot in another. There is an obvious sci fi element yet the figure is decidedly low tech – primitive yet futuristic at the same time – a timeless icon part ancient part modern- a next generation Gormley – something of the Romanticism of Caspar David’s Friedrich’s the Wanderer – standing on the hill gazing at the beauty of it all and lost in time: a journey that is as much through inner space as it is outer.”

Floral

Douglas Davies RSW
Alison McWhirter BA MA
Gail Murray RSW PAI
Ann Oram RSW
Naoko Shibuya MFA
Ronald F Smith RSW RGI PAI

28 September to 27 October

Preview: Friday 27 September 6-8pm

Our next exhibition has a Floral theme and features six invited artists who are all well known for their work in the genre. As with all our small group shows, each artist exhibits a completely different and recognisable style which results in an interesting and varied exhibition.

Douglas Davies graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1970 and lectured in Ceramics at Glasgow School of Art until 1986 when he left to concentrate on his own pottery and painting. Douglas is inspired by the landscape of the Scottish Borders where he lives and produces beautifully expressive, impressionistic landscapes and still lifes.

Alison McWhirter graduated with a BA in painting from Bath Academy of Art where she stayed on to do her MA in Visual Culture in 2000. Alison went on to work in Publishing and teaching before concentrating on her own painting career. Alison’s work is instantly recognisable – her beautiful abstracted floral still lifes are applied in an instinctive, painterly fashion with a bold, vividly coloured palette.

We have recently exhibited Ann Oram’s architectural pieces but here we concentrate on another of her loves, still life, floral painting. Ann graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1982 where she studied under some of the great Scottish artists; Robin Philipson, John Houston, Elizabeth Blackadder, Victoria Crowe and David Michie. Working in a variety of mediums, oil, watercolour, acrylic and ink, Ann’s floral pieces, underpinned with beautiful ink drawing, are joyously exuberant, bursting with vitality, a real celebration of colour.

Gail Murray graduated in Printed Textiles from Glasgow School of Art in 1969 and since then has exhibited throughout the UK regularly showing at the Annual Exhibitions at the RGI, RSA, RSW, SSA and PAI. Gail’s paintings are mainly still life or landscape but often an intriguing mixture of both. Using mixed media, print and collage, Gail’s subjects are drawn from personal experiences, memories and treasured objects. Each composition develops as the painting progresses, never starting out with a defined goal in mind.

Ronald F Smith also graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1969 in Painting and Drawing and has exhibited extensively in group and solos shows across the UK and has won numerous prizes at the Annual RGI, RSW and PAI exhibitions. Influenced by some of his great tutors, Duncan Shanks, James Robertson and David Donaldson, Ronald’s painterly style exudes warmth and colour. Seemingly simple compositions are transformed with his bold yet subtle use of colour. As is often the case, photographs really don’t do them justice.

Naoko Shibuya was born in Tokyo and graduated in 2001 from Edinburgh College of Art with an MFA in Painting & Drawing. Exhibiting across the UK, New York and Tokyo, Naoko’s work is inspired by “fleeting moments from nature” gathering information from regular visits to botanic gardens. The circles and spirals in Naoko’s work represent reincarnation, often found in Zen & Celtic philosophies, and express the perpetual flow of nature in her compositions.

 

Narrative Painting by

Harry Holland, Alan Macdonald, Robert Macmillan & Paul Reid

24 August – 22 September 2019

Private View, Friday 23 August 6-8pm

Our next small group exhibition features four outstanding figurative artists who lace their work with intriguing narrative. Imaginative and thought provoking, each artists work is immediately recognisable with their own very distinctive style.

Harry Holland is widely regarded as one of Britain’s leading figurative artists. Born in Glasgow in 1941, he trained at St Martin’s School of Art in London and has been living and working in Cardiff since the early 70’s.

The technical rigour he applies to his drawing and painting allows his often whimsical compositions a plausible reality. Exquisitely painted figures provide a satisfying aesthetic whilst ones imagination is rewarded as the often intriguing narratives play out.

Harry’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo shows across the UK, Europe and in the USA. His work is widely collected and is held in a number of Public collections including Tate Gallery, London, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the British Museum in London among many others.

Alan Macdonald was born and grew up in Malawi. A childhood spent without television might seem a mundane prospect for children today but it meant that playtime was always inventive and more often than not in Alan’s case, creative. A move to Scotland led to study at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (“DJCAD”) in Dundee graduating in 1984 followed by a Post Diploma in Fine Art at Cyprus College of Art. A period living and working in London followed before returning to Scotland in 2003 where he works now from his studio in Carnoustie.

The playful creativity that evolved from his childhood in Malawi is much in evidence in Alan’s work today. Strong figurative compositions with narratives infused with influences from art history are peppered with references to the contemporary pop culture of today. The work can be serious and intellectually stimulating but at the same time surprising and humorous. His canvasses are playgrounds for his imagination to roam free…an artist equipped with great technical skills who clearly enjoys the empowerment of trusting the more playful side of his ego.

Paul Reid, also studied at DJCAD in Dundee, from 1994-1998. Choosing to paint figuratively, at a time when conceptual art was more the norm, Paul was drawn to the classics as a source for narrative inspiration thereby narrowing his furrow further. Perseverance was rewarded with an incredible interpretation of Death of Actaeon for his Degree Show which secured him a First Class Honours. Invited twice in 2004 & 2009 to accompany HRH Prince Charles on official visits to Italy, Turkey, Jordan and Canada allowed him to exercise his skills as a landscape artist. Although forming the background in his narrative paintings, the landscapes are every bit as meticulous as the figures and still lifes of the foreground. By staging his reinterpretation of classical myths and legends in contemporary Scottish landscapes complete with modern day clobber, Paul’s compositions are much more than an illustrative interpretation of mythical literature. Highly accomplished drawing and painting underpins Paul’s exploration of Greco-Roman mythology and represent it through his unique and contemporary imagination.

Another student of DJCAD in Dundee, Robert Macmillan graduated in 1997. The figures in Robert’s paintings exude a luminosity that creates a strange ethereal quality creating a mysterious, timeless, narrative. Unlike the other artists in this group Robert’s figures fill voids of empty spaces which accentuates the luminosity of the central figure. Influenced by great painters of the past, Robert employs a continual process of layering, scraping and glazing which results in richly textured surfaces similar to that in Rembrandt’s portraits.

All four artists exhibit in the top galleries across the UK and abroad and are widely collected with work being held in both private and public collections. It is a real treat to be able to welcome them here to exhibit in East Lothian.

 

Our next exhibition is a little longer than normal and spans two months over the summer and will feature a variety of gallery artists as well as introducing a few new artists who haven’t shown with us before.

At the moment the lineup includes work by;

Sam Bain, George Birrell, Georgina Bown, Alison Burt, Dominique Cameron, Alan Connell, Ann Cowan, Joseph Davie, Carol Dewart PAI RSW, Fee Dickson, Aine Divine, Matthew Draper SSA VAS PA, George Gilbert RSW, Andy Heald, Jennifer Irvine RGI RSW, Stephen Mangan, Rachel Marshall, Hazel Nagl RSW RGI PAI, Jacqueline Orr RSW RGI PAI, Angela Repping, Arran Ross, Jayne Stokes SSA & Astrid Trügg as well beautiful new ceramic vessels from Sarah Lawson and also one or two older pieces including a stunning large watercolour by Sir Robin Philipson.

The exhibition kicks off with Preview on Friday 14 June 6-8pm and continues until Sunday 18 August… hope you can make it along.

 

Colin Brown, John Brown RSW, Rowena Comrie, Annette Edgar,  Alexandra Gardner, Charles Jamieson MFA PAI PPAI, John Kingsley DA RSW PAI, Liz Knox DA PAI PPAI, Steven Lindsay, Michael G Clark PAI RSW, Kim Scouller, Elaine Speirs and Peter Tudhope.

Our next exhibition leads us into the Summer months and with a theme of Cafés and Tearooms there are a number of pieces that will get you in the mood for lazy, sunny days, coffee and croissants, continental cafés and village squares.

The work has been provided by the Group 13 Artists.

A little background…

“In 2010, artist Liz Knox took part in an exhibition at Kelvingrove in Glasgow called The River Runs Through It.

The exhibition, which raised thousands of pounds for The Riverside Museum Appeal, featured original paintings by established and emerging Scottish artists who were asked to respond to both the River Clyde and the new Zaha Hadid Riverside Museum, which was at that point, unfinished.

Knox was inspired by the experience and when chatting with arts writer, Jan Patience, who agreed it would be a great progression from this, it was decided to ask 13 of the artists who took part in the show to re-assemble for another exhibition under the name Group 13 Artists.

The first exhibition was a response to Glasgow and called “Glasgow Haiku” because the artists were all asked to write a haiku – a short Japanese poem – as a title for each work.

Liz Knox said: “Jan and I were chatting about how sad it was that The River Runs Through It didn’t lead to anything else because there was such a lot of energy surrounding it.

“We decided that we would ask some of the artists to get back together again and make new work that responded to Glasgow in a poetic way – hence Glasgow Haiku.”

This set the pattern for future Group 13 Artists’ exhibitions. A subject is chosen and each artist produces visual work and words for their response to that subject.

The list of artists in the group changes slightly with each exhibition, but we are still 13.”

The exhibition features a great variety of styles provided by 13 fabulous artists… it’s a real treat to have them exhibiting here in East Lothian.

The exhibition opens with a Preview on Friday 10 May from 6-8pm and continues until Sunday 9 June.

 

Chris Brook, John Brown RSW, Dominique Cameron, Alison Dunlop RSW, Simon Laurie RSW RGI, Christopher Wood RSW and ceramics from Lucy Dunce.

6 April to 5 May, Preview Friday, 5 April from 6-8pm

The third of our small group shows this year concentrates on an Abstract theme.

The Chambers Dictionary defines “abstract” as, to draw away, to separate or to summarize, and as a noun, “That part or thing which represents the essence.” In many ways all painting and drawing is abstracted to some extent. Some of the best drawing is achieved using the very minimum of lines, abstracting the essence of a subject. In simple terms, think of it as a sliding scale with photo realistic artwork on one extreme through to completely non-representational on the other.

In this exhibition most of the work bears some representational connection with the subject but all have been distilled into a simpler, purer yet expressive interpretation. Visual cues are not the only sensory inputs… the smells, the tastes, the hubbub of a French market place or the contemplative silence of an Italian hillside, the heat of a Mediterranean beach or the bone-chilling cold of a Wester Ross winter, all these elemental experiences can be channelled into the final work. Using an innate understanding of colour and compositional balance the resulting work has an emotive impact that is both powerful and enduring.

Chris Brook grew up in Sheffield and worked as a freelance illustrator before working full time as an artist since 1995. He shows regularly at the RSW and VAS group shows and last year won the RSW Watermark Award at the RSW Open exhibition. Subject is predominantly landscape driven, the coastline around his studio in St Abbs being a constant source of inspiration. His work is not intended to be site specific however, instead it attempts to reflect the overall visceral and elemental experience of the surroundings. He achieves this through a series of layering, over-painting and scratching to result in weathered, tactile pieces.

John Brown studied at Glasgow School of art under the guidance of David Donaldson and Duncan Shanks both of whom have had an influence on his work. Following a successful period teaching, John returned in 1996 to concentrate on his own work exhibiting in regularly with solo shows in Edinburgh and London. The work in this exhibition is informed by his sketchbooks from his travels to exotic destinations such as Havana, Catalonia and Tuscany. The representational associations to the places he visited act simply as a support to the physical experience – the sights and sounds, the warmth and atmosphere are much more informing in the final pieces than the recognisable landscape or figures. The combination of colour and texture is both beautiful and evocative and makes this viewer long for the summer months.

Dominique Cameron completed her MFA in Art, Society & Publics at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee in 2014 and since then has had two successful solo shows with us focussing on her walks around Leith and her experiences from the time spent visiting a wood near her studio in Pittenweem. The work in this exhibition, mostly taken from her walks during a residency in Collemacchia, near Rome last year, is much more abstracted than the free flowing, expressive but representational mark-making we have become accustomed to from her previous exhibitions.

Alison Dunlop was born in Canada, graduated from University of Guelph, Ontario in 1980, came to Scotland in 1982 to undertake postgraduate studies at Edinburgh College of Art and has since made Scotland her home. Alison has won numerous prizes, most recently the Walter Scott Award at the RSW Annual Open Exhibition in 2018 and exhibits regularly at commercial galleries across the UK as well as at the RSA, RSW, RGI and VAS. In 2006 Alison and her husband bought and renovated a derelict croft on the North West coast of Scotland. This exhibition features work from that croft and the views from her studio across the Inner Sound as well as pieces from her most recent Shiant Isles series. Remarkable, distilled and abstracted watercolour studies which somehow, very simply and so succinctly capture the light and raw, elemental drama played out on this Wester Ross coastline.

Simon Laurie was born in Glasgow and studied at Glasgow School of Art. Influences are many but the work of Ben Nicholson, William Scott and others from the St Ives group have been important. Using some of the antiques and artefacts he collects from around Scotland and from his trips to Greece, his Still Life’s are like small abstract compilations of his experiences from the places he visits. He has an uncanny ability when it comes to balancing colour and form, creating beautiful harmonious compositions.

Christopher Wood trained at Edinburgh College of Art, graduating with an Honours degree in Drawing & Painting in 1984. He has been a full-time professional artist since his first one-man exhibition in Edinburgh 1987. His work is inspired by personal experience, birth and death but also the elemental landscape found around his East Lothian home. Although he has an intimate and intuitive understanding of the application of paint, collage is also an integral and important part of Christopher’s work. The use of rugged and torn cloth not only provides line drawing to his compositions but also provides a raw, weathered texture and a sense of permanence.

Joyce Gunn Cairns, Henry Jabbour, Angela Repping, Rebecca Westguard & Graeme Wilcox

The second of our small group shows this year focusses on Figurative artists. The Tate defines Figurative Art as “any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world and particularly to the human figure.” The five artists participating in this exhibition have been invited as their references to the human figure display varying levels of abstraction and individual expression.

Joyce Gunn Cairns graduated from Edinburgh College Art having previously studied German & Comparative Religion at Aberdeen University. She has several works held in the collections of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and City Arts Centre, Edinburgh as well as many other major institutions throughout the UK. Employing a muted palette, Joyce’s figurative paintings feel intensely personal, almost voyeuristic to the extent that the viewer might feel they are intruding on an intimate moment between the artist and sitter. The subtle palette combined with its constant layering and scraping back results in the most expressive and gentle of portraits.

Henry Jabbour, initially trained and worked as a medical scientist before following his passion for art in 2010 by enrolling in the Leith School of Art where he completed a Diploma in Drawing & Painting which was followed by an MFA in Painting & printmaking from the New York Academy of Art. Like Joyce, Henry’s work is intensely expressive but his mark making and his palette is bold and energetic. In his paintings the paint application appears haphazard and thickly applied but the finished portraits exude a myriad of evocative human emotions.

Angela Repping studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee and now lives and works in North Berwick. Angela describes herself as “a figurative artist, and is fascinated with the magic of drawing, of making marks that express her feelings for the human form, in space, light and movement.” In contrast to the loosely expressive styles of Joyce and Henry, Angela’s drawing is very considered and meticulous but still manages to create a deeply emotional portrait that goes beyond the likeness of the sitter.

Rebecca Westguard, studied at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen where she now teaches life drawing. It’s great to see the art of life drawing alive and well in Aberdeen. Rebecca’s exploration of the human form produces beautifully composed, honest studies. Rather than shape and size, the studies explore the strength, fragility and beauty found in every sitter.

Graeme Wilcox graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1993 and has worked as a figurative artist ever since. His work is shown regularly throughout the UK and has won numerous awards. More traditional and representational in style, Graeme’s studies of individual sitters are contemplative and thoughtful, exploring the subtleties of strength and frailty in his characters.

 

 

 

Our Winter Mixed Exhibition pulls together a number of our regular gallery artists along with one or two new faces. With a wide variety of painting, sculpture and ceramics, there’s sure to be something to suit most tastes.

Participating artists include, Claire Beattie, George Birrell, Georgina Bown, Davy Brown, Dominique Cameron, Sandra Collins, Alan Connell, Ann Cowan, Fee Dickson, Matthew Draper, Neal Greig, Andy Heald, Henry Jabbour, Rachel Marshall, Ann Oram, Allan J Robertson, Arran Ross, Gordon M Scott, Jayne Stokes, Astrid Trügg with ceramics from Leonie MacMillan and Sarah Lawson and driftwood sculpture from Shaun McLaren…and much more.

Allusion III

RGI artists working in the Narrative tradition.

Ade Adesina RSA RGI, Reinhard Behrens RSW RGI, June Carey RSW RGI PAI, Jimmy Cosgrove RSW RGI PAI, Jim Dunbar PRSW RWS RGI, Ronald Forbes RSA RGI, Gordon Mitchell RSW RSA RGI, Neil Macdonald RSW RGI PAI, Neil MacPherson RSA RSW RGI, Alice McMurrough RSW RGI PAI, Heather Nevay RGI, Murray Robertson RGI, Peter Thomson RGI, James Tweedie RGI, Helen Wilson RSW RGI PAI & Adrian Wiszniewski RSA RGI.

10 November – 4 December 2018

Private View, Friday 9 November 6-8pm

This exhibition is a selection of work by 16 of the elected members of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI), whose vision could be considered part of the Narrative tradition. The Narrative tradition has a long lineage in Scotland from the dramatic subjects of Gavin Hamilton, the rustic scenes of David Wilkie, the subtle story-telling of the Glasgow Boys and on to the New Glasgow Boys.

The artwork in ‘Allusion III’ invites a more personal response, with clues sometimes being found in the title of the work. However, any authoritative meaning is often deliberately buried. You are invited to read your own narratives into the often beguiling artwork of this exhibition.

This is the third incarnation of the RGI Allusion Group, the first being held in 2015 at the Kelly Gallery in Glasgow before they moved the show out of Glasgow in 2017 to the Tatha Gallery on the banks of the Tay in Fife. This year the show is on the road again, this time to Fidra Fine Art in their new premises in Gullane, East Lothian. With no RGI Annual Exhibition in the familiar November slot this year, this assembled group of RGI artists is a great opportunity to access some of the most talented and imaginative artists working in Scotland today.