Hanging The Exhibition

 

We are busy hanging our new exhibition 'To See the Summer Sky', a solo exhibition of paintings by Jenny Matthews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jenny is one of Scotland's foremost watercolour artists and we are adorning the gallery walls with twenty nine of her beautiful paintings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanging a new exhibition is always such a pleasure as the gallery takes on a new life. 

 

Jenny is known mainly for her flower paintings, her love of the subject began on Scottish Highland holidays as a child. Since then it has been her passion to seek out flowers and plants wherever she goes.

 

 

 

 

This exhibition is already taking on the feel of this - the wonder at natural beauty and in particular the fleeting nature of flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

We have a quite a way to go before the preview on Sunday, but we are getting there.  It's going to be a stunning exhibition.  It previews this Sunday, 2-5pm with champagne and flowers!

 

All the paintings can be viewed now on http://www.smithygallery.com/jenny%20matthews.htm

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Natalie

Kirsty Wither

I have been wanting to exhibit the fabulous Kirsty Wither since I opened the gallery.  I have known her for a long time and have been a huge fan of her luscious paintings as well as her personally.  

A Pile of Plums

She's a relative youngster.  She graduated from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen in 1990 and since then, her career has been on an upward trajectory, a rare feat for any artist. 

Time Out

With talent and a lot of hard work, Kirsty has already risen to the point of having regular solo exhibitions in London and Edinburgh, earning a growing fan base that doesn't seem to falter. 

I think people can sense that her colourful, textured paintings are more about the act of painting than the landscapes, flowers and figures they depict.  The subject matter is what the viewer sees, but the passion and enjoyment is what they feel.



Pick Me Up



She says: ‘My paintings are as much about the actual paint on the surface as about the subject matter. Working with oil paint, I build up layers of colour and texture to create an image that will hopefully have some resonance with the viewer. Being in the studio is a mysterious place where the paint takes over from any set ideas I start with and often unexpectedly leads me to a finished work. "

Blustery Country

Her work is part of many private collections all around the worked, and also several

public collections including: Eastwood District Council, Glasgow; Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh; Gleacher & Co, London; Misys plc, London.

Her beautiful work has also been very successfully reproduced as cards and posters.

Right Royal Bunch

The gallery is aglow with her paintings, and we are delighted to be exhibiting her work as part of our current Six Degrees of Separation exhibition.  The point of which was to bring together six very different, very distinctive and very successful artists.

The lovely lady with artist Laura Harrison



Kirsty sums this up and here is the stunning lady herself at the recent private viewing.  All of Kirsty's paintings can be viewed on www.smithygallery.co.uk/CurrentInages8.html

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Beauty

The sun is out in all its glory and everything seems to cease for a moment as we wonder at the blue of the sky and the comforting warmth we feel just by being outdoors.

This is a rare phenomenon in Scotland and must be enjoyed at all costs before the clouds descend once more, hiding that rarely seen glowing ball.

I've been musing in the gallery's little cottage garden today about beauty in art and beauty in nature, whether the two can be compared. 

Nature's beauty is exquisite and seemingly infinite in it's variety.  Art is as varied as the people who choose to create it but certainly isn't always exquisite.  Beautiful art can be bold, simple even, but when it's successful the balance is exquisite.  Perhaps the experience of beauty in any of its forms is an exquisite experience.

Artists through the ages have been inspired by nature, trying to capture it's beauty and life.  Even though the flowers are usually cut, they seem to spring to life through the artist's eyes.  I love this little painting in our current Laura Harrison exhibition.  It makes me happy just to look at it.

What a beauty.  I must pop my head outside again though, just to compare. . . . .

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

It's Here!

The Laura Harrison exhibition has had so many visitors who have commented on the positive energy in the room.  And they are right.  This new collection of work has filled the gallery with spring-like optimism and vibrancy.

The small flower paintings seem to be jostling for the sunlight and the limelight, and they are all being adored by viewers.

 

The larger still life paintings are bold and dynamic, full of glorious colour and sunshine.

It really is a pleasure to be surrounded by this beautiful work as the daffodils raise their yellow bonnets to the sky and the first cherry blossom can be seen adorning the twiggy branches.

After a long dark winter, spring is definitely here, and what better way to celebrate than to get out into the countryside, enjoy the views, stopping at Smithy Gallery to enjoy the springiest view of all!

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Flower Girl

Being of a romantic nature, I love flowers, particularly roses.  I also love orchids and wild flowers if anyone is interested . . .

I always have flowers at the opening of an exhibition, but when I am feeling particularly happy, I will have flowers in the gallery always.  I like the flowers to compliment or contrast with the paintings that surround them.  But when I spotted the gentle beauty of these roses on the way to work today, I had to have them for the gallery, and in particular, for this exhibition.

It occurred to me as I arranged them, that I was already surrounded by flowers.  Sandy Murphy often paints flowers, but as he once explained to me, he is using them to 'hang the paint on'.  

In a way, the painting is not about the flowers, the flowers are about the paint.  And this is how I see these paintings.  Paint, texture, colour, time, beauty.

Subject matter is almost not relevant with Sandy's work, which is an extraordinary thing to say.  Usually what a painting appears to be depicting is what the artist finds important.  Well, Sandy is different.  These aren't paintings of flowers, they are an expression of something else.

 

And they have to be seen in person to be fully appreciated, to be seen as more than just flowers. 

Although, as I said, I do love flowers.  So thank goodness I have my real ones, but I am also lucky enough to be surrounded by so much more.

Thanks for reading!

Natalie