Alasdair Gray and Steven Camley

I find it immensely encouraging when one artist endorses another.  The writer and artist Alasdair Gray was one of those whose interest in Steven Camley's work originally encouraged me to have this exhibition.

Such was his enthusiasm for his talent, that I couldn't help but be immediately interested.  It didn't take long for me to share this enthusiasm.

We got together earlier in the year and had the great pleasure of going through many of the original paintings behind the cartoons that appear in The Herald on a daily basis.  We finally chose sixty to be framed for the exhibition.  Not an easy task, but one of the most enjoyable afternoons I have had at the gallery.

Of course Steven Camley's opinion was paramount, so once he was happy with the final collection, our good friend Nichol Wheatley arranged to have them framed beautifully for us.  He also created a fabulous film montage of many unframed cartoons that are also available within the exhibition.

We opened last week and haven't looked back.  Twenty-nine have sold already to some very happy people.  Steven's daily cartoon has had a huge fan-base for years and as Alasdair Gray has said:

'Newspaper cartoons are sold cheaply in such large quantities that hardly anyone thinks the original pictures from which they are scanned have value till after the cartoonist dies. This exhibition is a chance to acquire an original work to enjoy before posterity catches up with you.'

I'm so delighted that so many people are agreeing with him.

This exhibition continues until 9 June.

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Happy Days!

It's been a really fun time at the gallery this week enjoying the response to the Steven Camley exhibition.

Steven has been producing daily satirical cartoons at The Herald for over eleven years and has developed a huge following of fans.  There have been so many people coming to the gallery for the chance to view the original paintings.

It has been such a joy to hear people laughing and speaking about this talent that is viewed in print every day by thousands.  Except now people have the chance to buy their favourites.

They are mounted and framed beautifully and are selling incredibly well.  Each one is a gorgeous mix of draughtsmanship, wit, satire and humour.

Many are available to view on our website:

http://www.smithygallery.co.uk/Current%20Images%20Steven%20Camley.html



This unique exhibition runs until 9 June.

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Steven Camley Preview

We had the pleasure of choosing sixty of Steven Camley's original cartoons to be framed for this exhibition.  They hung beautifully in the gallery waiting for their preview on Sunday.  Having so many brilliant ones to chose from, we also showed a film of sixty more of them playing on a loop for people to view also.

I already knew that this exhibition would be a little different, but I didn't anticipate that the opening would be one of the most enjoyable yet.

We always get a good crowd at our previews, but it wasn't until people started to arrive in force, some clutching cartoon clippings from The Herald, did we realise the extent of the fan-base that Steven's work has.

It was a joy for people to see the original paintings behind the cartoons that they had enjoyed in print.  They were also delighted to meet the man behind their daily fix of satire.  

Steven is very happy working away putting a great deal of work into creating these gems on a daily basis, but I hope it was enjoyable for him to directly see the joy that people take from them.

So the sales started and didn't seem to stop!  It's twenty-five and counting at the moment, and I couldn't be happier for such a unassuming and talented man.

 

 

It was a very busy day, full of laughter and chat.  Thank you so much to Steven for agreeing to exhibit with us and thank you to all who came.

Thank you for reading!

Natalie

Almost Preview Time

We had a fun photo shoot with The Herald at the gallery yesterday.  The reluctant star was modest artist Steven Camley, whose exhibition opens this Sunday.

Steven has won a plethora of awards, proclaiming him one of the best at what he does.  And now that the exhibition of his works has been hung, people will be able to see why.

The gallery is unofficially closed until the exhibition previews on Sunday, but anyone who has popped in has quickly become intrigued by these beautiful, satirical watercolours.  Each one has appeared in The Herald at one time.  Each one is signed and dated.

And they have been selling all week!  I can already feel a little bit of magic about this show.  The artist is an understated talent whose work speaks for itself everyday in print.  But this is the first time his original paintings can be appreciated for their true value.

Look out for more in The Herald this weekend and next week.

This very special exhibition previews this Sunday from 2pm to 5pm.

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Hanging!

We are starting to hang the Steven Camley paintings for the exhibition preview on Sunday. There are sixty-five paintings, and this is one of my favourites.



We now have most of the exhibition to view on the website.  Take a look!  Quite a few have sold already, but I'm not going to put up my red dots quite yet . . . .

http://www.smithygallery.co.uk/currentExhibitions.htm

This exhibition previews on Sunday

2 to 5 pm

wine

Thanks for reading!

Natalie



Steven Camley

The Steven Camley original watercolour paintings have just arrived at the gallery, beautifully framed. We have sixty-five pieces from this multi award-winning satirical cartoonist. 

Steven has been creating these works five days a week for The Herald for over eleven years, and we have had the privilege of choosing our favourites.

They are beautiful works of art, thought-provoking, and of course, funny.  And there are so many to choose from.  I can tell that this is going to be a really enjoyable exhibition, inspiring conversation and opinion.

This is the first exhibition of this kind that we have had, and the interest has already been overwhelming - and yes, the sales are already starting!

This exhibition opens on Sunday 19 May.  It is being endorsed by famed writer and artist Alasdair Gray who will be present at the opening alongside the artist.

Our current exhibition, Fifty Shades of Glasgow, continues until Sunday 12 May.  A huge thank you to Carol Dewart who has already sold almost half of these gorgeous paintings.  I know that we will have a busy weekend ahead of us though.

For more information on both exhibitions, please view the website:

http://www.smithygallery.co.uk



Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Brief Encounter

I can never predict which paintings are going to sell from an exhibition.  It's the beginning of the third week of our current Fifty Shades of Glasgow exhibition and 22 of the 50 paintings have already sold, which is wonderful. 

I find it interesting that all three scenes of Glasgow Central Station have sold.  Sales from this particular exhibition have been very much to do with the association the buyer might have with the scene, a personal connection.

I always find railway stations a little romantic.  For me, Central Station conjures up memories of meeting people under the big clock which hung from the glass ceiling.  A perfect meeting place for friends or first dates!  You could always spot the latter looking shifty and a tiny bit petrified.

Scenes from Brief Encounter come to mind - a shadowy figure emerging through the steam.  Okay, there are no steam trains in Central Station, and I think I may be projecting here. 

In reality, each client had very different reasons for their purchases.  Some divulge, some don't.  But buy they do, and they all have a little piece of Glasgow to take home with them.

This popular exhibition runs until Sunday 12th May.

All images can be viewed on:

http://www.smithygallery.co.uk/Current%20Exhibition%20Images.html

Thanks for reading!

Natalie