Animal Magic

I love it when a big box arrives at the gallery.  There is always a guarantee of goodies within!

I love to slowly and carefully unwrap the layers of bubble wrap and discover each piece.  This can almost be as good as unwrapping pressies on Christmas morning!

And look what have climbed out of the box! This ceramic rabble are beautiful hand-built sculptures by Lancashire artist Christine Cummings.

I have always loved Christine's work.  She lives in the countryside, so source material and inspiration are never far away - a cow in a field, sheep and their lambs, a scratching chicken, or a dog lolloping down the street!

I confess to being a massive animal lover and I like Christine's work so much because it manages to avoid the twee element that sometimes creeps into animal sculpture.

Sketching from life is also an important part of her work.  She observes from nature, and manages to capture the life and character of the animals without anthropomorphising them.

The sculptures are skillfully hand-crafted and raku fired, giving them this beautifully random crackled finish.  The finish is muted and gentle, making way for the movement and character of the animal. The regal pussy cat, the playful puppy, or the soporific sheep.

These beautiful pieces will be residing in the gallery until each and every one of them finds a good home!

Thanks for reading!


Natalie

Hazel Nagl RSW RGI PAI

I have wanted to exhibit works by Hazel Nagl for a long time.  In the many renowned annual exhibitions I have visited, her paintings have always sung out to me as something special. 

Summer Morning

Some people say that they are not drawn to still lifes, but like true artists such as Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI or Carlo Rossi RSW RGI, Hazel is merely using the objects to 'hang the paint on'.  The objects make up the composition, but it's the artist's use of colour and tone that create a truly unique end result. 

Spring Flowers, Versailles

In Hazel's case, working in difficult water-based paints, she can't rely on texture, but only on tone and colour, and this is where she excels.

Jardin de Colombieres

Of course her work isn't just about still life.  Having graduated in drawing and painting from Glasgow School of Art, she lived and worked at GSA’s Workshop at Culzean Castle where she developed a special interest in gardens and landscape painting, in response to the beautiful surroundings there.

French Antique Shop

She is a beautiful painter, and has many accolades to prove her success. Her elected awards include:

1988 Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW); 1994 Scottish Artists and Artist Craftsmen (SAAC); 1996 Paisley Art Institute (PAI); and in 2000 Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Art (RGI).

We are delighted to be showing her work as part of our current exhibition, Six Degrees of Separation.

Please click on the link to view all of Hazel's paintings currently on show.

http://smithygallery.co.uk/CurrentInages7.html

Thanks for reading!

Natalie

Carlo Rossi Memorial Exhibition

I feel honoured to have been asked to hold a memorial exhibition for the late, great Carlo Rossi RSW RGI.  Carlo passed away at the age of ninety in 2010 and his two sons want to pay tribute to their father.  They have chosen four galleries from around the UK that Carlo favoured, and I am touched to be one of them.

La Fornacetta Barga

I met Carlo around five years ago, having always been a fan of his glittering Italian scenes and strong linear still lifes.  I didn't know that when I met him I would like him so much too.  I have exhibited him often in group exhibitions, and I was pleased to see that the admirers of his work were as enthusiastic as I was.

Still Life with Fruit Bowl

Unfortunately Carlo never made it to the gallery.  I would visit him at his home in the east end of Glasgow and be allowed to chose four paintings, perhaps only two, of the array in front of me.  He would smile a little at this, knowing I found it hard to choose.  

San Gimignano

The exhibition promises to be a dramatic array of works spanning  Carlo's seventy year career.

Carlo as a young man

The memorial exhibition opens on 1 July and the exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue commemorating Carlo's life and work.



Thanks for reading


Natalie

The Wonder of Alice McMurrough

I love a bit of bunting.  I know I am not supposed to admit that, but there, I said it!  I also love ribbons, forests, small creatures and fairy tales.  What a dream then to be exhibiting works by Alice McMurrough in our current exhibition, Six Degrees of Separation.

The Little Pretender

I loved Alice's intricate paintings from the first moment I saw them.  Full of character and symbolism, they grab you, lure you in and invite you to discover the many mysteries hidden within.

The Balance Between Give and Take

She says it better than I ever could, she says: ‘In my artwork, I create connections. I paint the gap between innocence and experience. I use distortion, metaphor and symbolism, in a context free from chronological time and precise place.  I intertwine memories of personal events with contemporary issues, family legends, cultural myths and religious fables. Objects, colour and scale are employed for symbolic reasons.'

On The Edge of The Kingdom

'I often find archetypes in old children’s books, toys and television programmes. I aim for an attention that children have for the world, before ritual and maturity strips life of its daily magic. The resulting images display theatrical characters on stage- like sets, inviting open narratives and subjective interpretations. Unlike the consistent symbolism in medieval art, my work revels in the absence of an authoritative reading.  I invite the viewer to engage with the paintings and derive their own interpretation.’

The Perilous Passage of The Precious

And engage they do.  People have been studying the paintings, discussing them and telling stories.  I love this.  I love it when the paintings in the gallery inspire discussion.  Most of us can relate to some of the fairy tale symbols in Alice's paintings.  There has been delight, fear, wonder, and always fascination.

Out in The Woods Today

Her outstanding and intricate paintings have deservedly won several awards, including the Joe Hargan Award, PAI (2012); James Torrance Award, RGI (2011); Glasgow Art Club Fellowship Award, PAI (2010) and many others.

Me with Alice and her husband, artist Neil MacDonald

Thank you to Alice and her lovely family for bringing such magic to the gallery and for making this exhibition extra special.  Please click on the link to view all of Alice's paintings currently on show.

www.smithygallery.co.uk/CurrentInages4.html



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

Christopher Wood RSW

As a gallery owner, I have a secret list of 'would love to show' artists. 

There were many things that inspired my dream of one day opening my own gallery.  One of those things were the artists whose work I most admired, wished I could paint like, and hoped one day to be lucky enough to have their work hanging on my walls.

One of those artists was Christopher Wood RSW.  He has always been on my dream list and at last he is exhibiting at the gallery in our special exhibition, Six Degrees of Separation.

His paintings go straight for my heart.  Essentially abstract, they are full of passion, colour and fearlessness.  Everything I love, and terribly hard to find in the one package!

Still a young man, Christopher is an incredibly highly esteemed artist with the accolades to prove it.  Having trained at Edinburgh College of Art, graduating with an Honours degree in Drawing and Painting in 1984, he has been awarded as: 

President of the Society of Scottish Artists (SSA); Vice-President of the Society of Scottish Artists (SSA); Board Member of the Exhibiting Societies of Scotland (ESSA); An elected member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW); Elected to serve on the Council of the SSA; A Professional Member of The Glasgow Art Club; An Elected Member of The Paisley Art Institute (PAI); An Elected Professional Member of the Society of Scottish Artists (SSA).  Collections include: HRH Prince Charles the Duke of Rothesay.

You get the picture!  A highly successful artist who is respected by art-lovers and artists alike, always a sign of a truly great artist.  I am delighted to be exhibiting his work at long last at Smithy Gallery.  Dreams do come true! 

To view all works by Christopher Wood RSW, click on the following link:  http://www.smithygallery.co.uk/CurrentInages6.html


Thanks for reading!


Natalie

Kevin Low

Kevin Low is currently exhibiting in our new exhibition, Six Degrees of Separation.

I spotted his work a year or so ago and was immediately taken with it.  This response is always what I'm on the look out for, and it doesn't happen very often.

The Acrobat

His work is striking and enigmatic.  Each painting draws you into the world of a carefully crafted character, complete with back story, hopes and dreams.  They are at once intriguing, witty and mysterious.  And most intriguing of all, this isn’t painting as we know it.

Annie Copeland as the Ingenue from 'The Devil in the Wings'

Kevin is using a new technique to create his beautiful works.  Recently championed by David Hockney, the technique of digital painting is being explored by more and more artists.  Never to replace painting, it is another medium that can now be used to create works of art.

Miss Heatherwicke as 'Winter'



He draws and paints with a digital 'tablet' and 'pen', building up layers and layers until his vision is complete.  Then they are printed using the highest quality archival papers and inks. Each print is produced only in an edition of 10, making them pleasingly more affordable.  They will never be reproduced.

Parlour Window Waiting

Kevin is fast becoming one of Scotland’s best-known digital painters and we are delighted to welcome this new medium and it’s gorgeous results to Smithy Gallery.

The medium, like any other is secondary to what is created.  I think these paintings are beautiful and intriguing, and yes I'm taking one home with me!

Take a look at the website for all of Kevin's paintings at http://www.smithygallery.co.uk/CurrentInages9.html 

And just look at those red dots!

Thanks for reading!

Natalie