McGill Duncan Gallery

Galloway News - Feast of Verse

2012-02-02T10:41:00.001Z

A wee article about Saturday from The Galloway News today. If you click on the picture it will enlarge.

Burns Tasting Buffet By Thistle B Scrumptious

2012-02-01T11:43:00.000Z

Our neighbours Thistle B Scrumptious held a wonderful Burns tasting buffet at our Opening on Saturday.

Their shop sells only local and Scottish produce and last year they won the Dumfries and Galloway Life Retailer of the Year award.

Here's some photos of the table. All the food was themed around the poetry and songs of Robert Burns. Very clever! We'd like to thank Helen and Clint for all the work they put into it. We all had a very enjoyable time and it brought some cheer to a cold January day.

Tommy Thomson gave a captivating recital of Burns poetry. His style is relaxed, and he brings out the gritty reality of the poems. I hope to have a video of that to share with you at some point.

I think Rabbie would have enjoyed our afternoon afternoon of food, poetry and art here in the gallery himself!

New Pots By Archie McCall

2012-01-31T15:10:00.000Z

I love it when I find a group of pieces that go so beautifully together.

This is Winifred Hodge's watercolour 'Gentle River' with ceramics by Archie McCall and some tulips that I got in the sale bin in the supermarket!

Archie McCall was head of ceramics at Glasgow School of Art and recently retired to concentrate on his own practice.

We are delighted to be exhibiting his work and I am really enjoying finding the perfect spot for each of his pieces in the gallery. It's not hard when the work is so serenely beautiful.

Burns Tartan Logo

2012-01-31T12:51:00.000Z

Artist Richard W. Boardman has reworked our logo to go with our current 'Inspired By Burns' exhibition. The background is Burns check tartan, I love it!

Richard lives in Lucca, Italy but keeps up to date with what's happening at the gallery through our web site and Blog and I'm always pleased to hear about his latest artistic projects. I'm excited to say he will be sending us more of his wonderful bronze sculptures this year.

When I eventually move into my new house I will be taking a Richard W Boardman 'Siren' sculpture with me. It's one of the pieces of art that I'm most looking forward to having in my living room.

Galloway News Burns Exhibition

2012-01-31T11:57:00.000Z

A nice wee piece from The Galloway News last week about our Burns exhibition and Opening on Saturday. If you click on the picture you'll be able to read the article.

Nearly Ready

2012-01-27T17:52:00.000Z

Everything is coming together ready for our Opening tomorrow.

We rearranged the large front room to make space for the tasting table and made sure there was a comfy chair in front of the fire for Tommy Thomson to recite his poetry.

Lots of people came in to see how it was all coming along and one lovely customer brought me a bunch of white heather. It looks great on the table (pictured above).

Hannah McAndrew arrived with two gorgeous jugs inscribed with text from A Red, Red Rose. Very romantic and a perfect Valentines gift.

Most of the work is on the web site but some of it was behind glass, and too difficult for us to photograph (like the stunning charcoal Tam O'Shanter drawing by Alexander Robb pictured above) so it's not all there. You will have to come to the gallery for the full 'Inspired By Burns' extravaganza!

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Inspired By Burns

2012-01-21T16:17:00.001Z

Scotch Bonnet by Fiona Watson

Please join us in the gallery for poetry and food at our Exhibition Opening on Saturday 28th January.

• Burns Tasting Buffet from 2 pm to 4 pm with food provided by Thistle 'B' Scrumptious, 207 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DT

• Recital of Burns poetry at 2.30 pm by actor Tommy Thomson, member of Crossmichael Drama Group. The group have been phenomenally successful and recently were finalists of the yet to be transmitted ‘Stagestruck’ SKY Arts programme - watch the series to find out what happened!

The exhibition will feature work inspired by Robert Burns – paintings, original prints and ceramics inspired by the subjects of his poems, the places he lived in and wrote about. Work will be by artists from across the region and beyond

Exhibition opens Saturday 28th January 2012 and will run for three weeks until Saturday 18th February 2012.

All work in the exhibition will be for sale.

Part of The Big Burns Supper festival programme : http://www.bigburnssupper.com/

A Year of Creative Scotland

2012-01-18T14:36:00.000Z

Sorry for my Blog silence. All my spare energy away from the gallery has been taken up with house renovations. I will get there eventually (so I keep telling myself!), and it WILL be worth it in the end, but at the moment, I'm just a bit tired. It's the second renovation project I've taken on and I haven't got used to the unpredictability of it all.

Anyway, back to art - the essence of life! 2012 has been hailed as the year of Creative Scotland so it will be interesting to see what goes on around the country to mark it.

On Christmas day Jill gave each of us a journal to do a Drawing A Day to mark this year of creativity. Some of my drawings are so embarrassing when I look back at them but on the whole I am enjoying it. I think it's a good way to give your brain a different way of thinking for a short period each day.

If drawing while watching TV in the evening is good enough for Grayson Perry, then it's good enough for me. He thinks some of his best drawings are done while he's watching TV, and not actually fully engaged in either activity.

I've begun to look back at the drawings already and recollect how I was feeling or where I was when I did them: 'that was when I had loads of time to sit and concentrate on what I was doing', 'that one was drawn in front a huge roaring fire', 'that one was done when I was totally exhausted' etc etc. Really, a drawing a day is like a diary with no words and it's a pretty honest one at that.

We're OPEN between Christmas and New Year.

2011-12-24T16:35:00.000Z

Jill and I would like to wish all our friends and customers a very Happy Christmas. We would also like to thank all the artists who've exhibited their work with us during the year and made the gallery a truly inspirational place to visit.

We are OPEN between Christmas and New Year:

Opening Times:

Tuesday 27th December 10am - 5pm

Wednesday 28th December 10am - 5pm

Thursday 29th December 10am - 5pm

Friday 30th December 10am - 5pm

Saturday 31st December 10am - 4pm

We will have the coal fire lit in the gallery and we'll be serving ginger wine and chocolates to our customers throughout the week.

After New Year will then have a short break and open again at 10 am on Friday 6th January - opening times as usual - Monday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.

Art Classes for 2012

2011-12-21T21:17:00.000Z

JOANNA GISBEY Skyscape

Are you keen to paint and draw?

Artist and experienced tutor Joanna Gisbey is offering Art Classes starting in the New Year.

Mondays 1.30 - 3.30 pm

Starting 9th Jan 2012

Auchencairn Village Hall

Tel: 01556 640 417 to book your place - £10 per class

Still Time to Order Online!

2011-12-18T20:32:00.000Z

Our online shop has been busy over the weekend. It's not too late for some last minute Christmas shopping. We send most items by Next Day delivery. I've just updated the web site and added three copper candle sconces by Allan Craig. They would make a perfect Christmas present.

Photos from our Opening

2011-12-18T19:22:00.005Z

I can't believe we only have a week left until Christmas day.

Things have been very busy in the gallery and I just realised I hadn't posted any photos of our Winter Exhibition opening. It was a jolly affair with lots of Mulled Wine and great conversations. We were so busy I didn't get to chat to everyone but lots of people have come back to the gallery to view (and buy) paintings since that very crowded Saturday, at points it was a bit too busy to see the paintings!

Here are some photos from our opening a couple of weeks ago -

Jools made the delicious mulled wine and looked particularly fabulous in orange tights!

And here's some photos of the gallery and the beautiful artwork that we have in the exhibition -

Ewan McClure's painting 'Two's Company' with copper glaze ceramics by Bridget Drakeford. The flamingo ewer is Wemyss Ware by Griselda Hill.

This striking painting 'Memory of Trees' by Hope London has been sold. The amazing slipware lion, 'The King' by Paul Young sits proudly alongside a lustre vase by Jonathan Chiswell Jones. The vase is the largest we've ever had in the gallery by Jonathan and is exquisitely painted with swallows and poppies.

And finally here's the wall next to my desk with John Johnstone's 'Swing High, Red Sky' in the centre. I'm very lucky to sit and work surrounded by such amazing paintings!

Exhibition Opening 3rd December 2011

2011-12-01T17:43:00.000Z

Please join us on Saturday 3rd December for the Opening of our Winter Exhibition.

Mulled wine (made by Jools) will be served between 11am - 1pm.

A perfect opportunity to buy original art for Christmas by some of the best artists and makers from Scotland and beyond.

Winter Exhibtition Newsletter

2011-11-30T21:41:00.000Z

Read our Winter Exhibition Newsletter Here

KEN GRIERSON Stormy Weather, Carrick

Late night Christmas Shopping

2011-11-30T21:13:00.001Z

ANITA KLEIN Angel of the Winter Moon

We are open tomorrow, Thursday the 1st December for late night Christmas shopping until 7pm.

If you're at work during the day and always busy on a Saturday now's your chance to have a leisurely wander through the gallery and see the amazing original art that we have for sale. The gallery is bursting as the seams with new work we have lots of ceramics and copper work that would make a perfect Christmas gift.

We've been very busy recently getting everything ready for our Winter exhibition, which opens on Saturday. I have been working hard adding all the new work to our web site; so far I've added 58 paintings to our site, and I still have more to add!

Have a browse online - or even better come to the gallery for a bit of late night shopping tomorrow.

New Bags!

2011-11-10T08:00:00.003Z

I've just ordered new jute bags for the gallery. Our previous bags, printed in black, can be spotted out and about shopping with people all around the world.

This time we've chosen a very smart blue. Aren't they lovely?

I'll let you know when they arrive. They take a while so it will be some time in the New Year.

Culture Label - Own Art Online

2011-11-09T10:35:00.000Z

We now have a CultureLabel online shop which allows you to purchase art from the gallery and pay for it in 10 monthly installments using Own Art online. Have a look and shop here.

You can borrow up to £2,000 or as little as £100, to be paid back over 10 months interest free - (0% APR Representative). All the information for the loan is filled in from the comfort of your home, making it easy and convenient.

Any items in our gallery, or on our web site, can be added to the CultureLabel online shop, to allow you to purchase art online with Own Art - just send me an email zoe@mcgillduncangallery.com if you'd like to buy something and it's not on the site.

You can also buy art from us using Own Art by coming into the gallery or over the phone.

Happy Shopping!

People of The Year Awards

2011-11-04T20:38:00.002Z

Today we were delighted to find out that Jill and I are finalists in the 'Culture Champion' category of Dumfries and Galloway Life's 2011 'People of The Year Awards'.

Our lovely neighbours Clint and Helen from Thistle B Scrumptious are finalists in the Retailer of The Year category.

Both our gallery and Clint and Helen's shop are located at the bottom of King Street in Castle Douglas but we're definitely the 'High End' of the high street!

We'll all be attending the lunch at the Easterbrook Hall on the 9th December.

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-10-25T21:18:00.000+01:00

Our fantastic artists have been working really hard for our Christmas Exhibition, which opens on the 3rd December.

Michael Ashcroft made a special trip to Dumfries and Galloway to do some painting 'en plein air'. Here he is at The Sands in Dumfries, on the banks of the Nith. And here's the painting he made:

We love hearing about what artists are working on and seeing the work they are creating for our exhibitions so I was delighted to get an email from Michael with these photographs.

Our Christmas exhibition is a little different this year. We are taking a break from the 'Galloway' theme and this has allowed us to introduce some completely new artists and curate an exhibition with them alongside artists who are regularly represented in the gallery. Judging by all the fantastic images I've been getting the exhibition is going to be a stunner!

Unpacking

2011-10-25T14:42:00.000+01:00

Unpacking - that's what I've been doing a lot recently. We have deliveries of new work from lots of different artists: ceramic reliefs from Hilke MacIntyre, paintings from Aliisa Hyslop, lustre ware and domestic porcelain from Jonathan Chiswell Jones, prints from Anita Klein and last week new copper work from Allan Craig. The gallery is brimming with gorgeous new art work.

Away from the gallery I've been doing a lot wall paper stripping in my new house. Lots of progress there! It's quite exciting.

New Paintings by Jonathan Mitchell

2011-10-13T15:16:00.000+01:00

JONATHAN MITCHELL The River Tay at Kenmore

We have a fantastic collection of new work by the talented Scottish landscape painter Jonathan Mitchell. You can view the paintings on our web site here.

There is something about the painting above that reminds me of the Claude Monet painting in the recent BBC TV programme, 'Fake or Fortune' although that painting was of a river in France. I've got Jonathan's painting hanging next to my desk in the gallery and it's completely tranquil, I love the dark reflections in the water from the trees on the river bank.

James Faed 1821-1911 Exhibition at The Tolbooth

2011-10-04T22:09:00.000+01:00

James Faed by Thomas Faed from www.artistsfootsteps.co.uk

My brother informed me this morning that I would have to put something on my Blog that didn't mention whippets, as he feared people would think I was mad if I posted any more photos of dogs. Ok, I take his point.

This morning, after my Iyengar Yoga class in Kirkcudbright, I went to The Tolbooth to see the James Faed (1821-1911) exhibition. Our gallery has been selling work by the Faed family since it opened in 1980. I saw the Faeds' work in exhibitions at McGill Duncan Gallery when I was a little girl so I've always known about them and understand the importance of this family's work. The exhibition at the Tolbooth, which runs until the 30th October, very much concentrates on James' incredible skill as a mezzotint engraver. One of his mezzotint plates is on display and there is even the notebook in which he kept note of the charges for each mezzotint commission. He was commissioned by his brothers- some of the best painters working at the time- to make mezzotints of their paintings. I think he was quite highly paid, with one mezzotint costing £200. I'm not surprised, as his work is exquisite.

The exhibition explains the print making processes really clearly and along side the mezzotints there are many interesting artifacts. The other part of the exhibition is on display at The Mill On The Fleet in Gatehouse so I'm looking forward to a visit there before the end of October.

I love Wigtown Book Festival!

2011-09-30T12:28:00.000+01:00

Wigtown Harbour. Aww, look at Antony's little white paws.

I love the Wigtown Book Festival! In an ideal world I would like to stay in Wigtown for the whole ten days but sadly this year I could only manage one day away. Jill and I went last weekend and took Antony for his first taste of the book festival.

It's always difficult to take dogs out and about as so few places welcome them but we were delighted that he was allowed to join us for tea and delicious gluten free almond cakes at Reading Lasses and also for lunch at the Bladnoch Inn.

We started the day with a great informal chat by Deirdre Nelson. She talked about her residency at last year's Book Festival where she collected over 700 favourite words from festival goers. It was fascinating to hear what happened to the words and all the projects and collaborations that have resulted. Author J P Flintoff was sitting next to us and he drew pictures and wrote down snippets as Deirdre chatted, resulting in a little paper book by the end of the talk. It's creativity like this that the festival attracts and cultivates. You see it everywhere during the ten days of the festival and it's very inspiring.

Antony at Bladnoch Inn

Our afternoon talk was by David Mach. I enjoyed his current show at the City Arts Centre in Edinburgh but a lot of his talk didn't really resonate with me. We came away with lots of interesting thoughts about public art and private galleries, and went home to have an interesting debate about it over dinner that evening.

Antony in Andy Priestman's Studio

Finally we went to Andy Priestman's beautiful studio to choose work for the gallery and buy some pots. Antony looked as if he was made to pose in Andy's grey and red studio and Jill was wearing exactly the colours of one of the paintings!

Antony @ Wigtown Book Festival

2011-09-29T11:50:00.003+01:00

Here's some photos of my dog and gallery companion, Antony, taken by J D Andrews, who we met at Wigtown Book Festival last Sunday. Thanks for the lovely photos J D! Antony is five and a half months old now and it's a while since I posted some photos of him.

We visited the Artist In Residence at the Wigtown Book Festival, Kim Ayres who is taking portraits of festival goers but Antony was too wriggly to sit still on my knee for a portrait. Take a look at Kim's blog and Facebook page though as he's gathering quite a collection of interesting faces.

Antony has a W for Whippet on his chest!

Vault Art and Edinburgh

2011-09-16T14:52:00.001+01:00

A weekend off meant I went to Glasgow and Edinburgh to see what's going on in these two fabulous cities.

On Friday I attended Vault Art in Glasgow's Briggait. The open panel discussion called Art, Money and Value - Artists Talking About Making A Living was an interesting and engaging debate, very well chaired by Graham Jeffery from the University of The West Of Scotland. It was a shame that a discussion about money and art didn't have commercial gallery on the panel but I did manage to make a small contribution and I think some of the points raised were so interesting that the discussion will emerge again in some form!

It was great to catch up with the two Marions from Glasgow Print Studio and then we had to rush back for Gatsby the puppy as he'd had two hours on his own, which was long enough!

Then on Sunday I finally got to see two exhibitions in Edinburgh that I had been looking forward to all summer. David Mach at The City Arts Centre and The Queen: Art and Image at The National Gallery.

Gatsby, Leo and Inga

It was a bit of a family outing as I went to Edinburgh with my brother Leo, his girlfriend Inga and Gatsby the whippet puppy.

David Mach's exhibition, Precious Light: a celebration of the King James Bible 1611-2011, is dramatic, both in scale and subject. His collages are huge and you feel yourself being pulled into all the detail, and a sense of amazement when you step back and see the pieces as a whole. It also made us all want to get a bunch of magazines and start creating collages! Very inspiring.

The Queen: Art and Image is a fascinating exhibition - I'm glad I waited until after the Festival was over as I imagine the space would have been very crowded. The piece I specifically wanted to see was the tiny oil painting by Lucian Freud. It didn't disappoint. I was lucky enough to see a huge retrospective of Freud's work at the Pompidou Centre in Paris last year. This small painting managed to capture an amazing sense of power and was just as striking as the large scale work which I'd seen in Paris. The three dimensional holographs of The Queen by Chris Levine were quite fascinating and the little holographic postcards in the gallery shop are pretty cool too.

There are only two days left to see this exhibition - if you're in Edinburgh, go!

Dumfries Delineated

2011-09-13T13:34:00.002+01:00

I've yet to make it to this two-venue exhibition 'Dumfries Delineated' but I've heard nothing but good reports.

I am looking forward to David Steel's talk at Gracefield on the 21st September.

Here's a link to an article written by Jim Henderson about his grandmother Christian J Fergusson (her work is featured in the Dumfries Delineated exhibition) and published in The Scottish Review.

Antony and Rollo

2011-09-12T16:32:00.000+01:00

Rollo and Antony

Last week we had a visit from our good friend Rollo the lurcher. Last time he'd been to the gallery Antony hadn't arrived so this was their first meeting. How gorgeous do they look together? Rollo is an elderly chap so he didn't really feel like playing. But Vicky and Simon, who live with Rollo and tend to his every need, brought Antony a great monkey rope toy which he loves prancing round the gallery with.

Antony is really lucky because he has so many nice visitors all day long in the gallery, never a dull moment!

New Paintings by Winifred Hodge

2011-09-06T18:45:00.000+01:00

WINIFRED HODGE Track Through The Beeches

The weather here is distinctly Autumnal but the gallery is looking very vibrant and uplifting with the work from our current exhibition.

We have new paintings in the gallery by Winifred Hodge and this atmospheric painting of beech trees couldn't be more appropriate for the start of Autumn.

The Magnificent Seven!

2011-09-01T17:21:00.000+01:00

This article about our forthcoming exhibition was published last Thursday (a bit early!) in The Galloway News. If you click on the article it will enlarge so you can read it.

Autumn Exhibition Opening

2011-08-31T22:14:00.002+01:00

Liz Knox PAI PPAI Flowers and Frippery

Please join us on Saturday for the opening of our Autumn Exhibition. We have, as the Galloway News described, a line up consisting of 'The Magnificent Seven':

Leo Blamire (paintings and screen prints)
Margaret Brampton (ceramics)
Diana Hope (paintings)
Liz Knox PAI PPAI (paintings)
Hilke MacIntyre (paintings, lino cuts and ceramic relief)
Joe McIntyre (paintings)
Clare Melinsky (lino cuts)

Drinks will be served from 11am to 1pm and the gallery will be open as usual for the rest of the day until 5pm.

LEO BLAMIRE Song

Our hugely successful Galloway Paintings exhibition ended last Saturday. This week we are very busy hanging all the new paintings and prints and we're very much looking forward to Saturday,

William Stewart - Castle Douglas Paintings

2011-08-20T16:27:00.001+01:00

WILLIAM STEWART fl. 1823-1906 Carlingwark Loch, Castle Douglas


WILLIAM STEWART fl. 1823-1906 Castle Douglas from across Carlingwark Loch

We are entering the last week of our Galloway Paintings exhibition and and we are still busy with lots of people coming to view the paintings. If you haven't seen it yet do try and visit next week, it is an exceptional collection of paintings.

I thought I would put the two paintings of Castle Douglas on our Blog as until now they haven't been on our web site. Leo has just photographed them for us. It's very interesting to see two paintings like this as you don't see many of Castle Douglas - Kirkcudbright is always more popular as a subject!

Dumfries and Galloway Life Magazine - Arts News

2011-08-18T17:21:00.001+01:00

We're busy preparing for our next exhibition, which opens on Saturday September the 3rd.

Dumfries and Galloway Life Magazine has featured the exhibition in their September issue, on Mary Smith's Arts News page. The magazine is just out this week with Joanna Lumley on the cover. It's a bumper issue packed full of interesting articles.

(if you click on the image above it will enlarge)

Glasgow Boys at Kirkcudbright

2011-08-18T12:25:00.001+01:00

The Glasgow Boys exhibition at Kirkcudbright Town Hall is well worth a visit. There are less than two weeks left to see it, as it closes on 29th August.

Entry is free, but donations are very much needed as the money will go towards staging future exhibitions in the town.

Here are some photos, taken at the opening by Ian Howie. We really enjoyed the opening night but we've both been back for a second look when it was less crowded.

John Faed HRSA 1819 -1902 ~ The Spinning Wheel

2011-08-16T21:22:00.001+01:00

We have a new addition to our current exhibition, this beautiful John Faed painting called The Spinning Wheel. You can view the exhibition on our web site here.

The work of the Faed family is always incredibly popular in our gallery. This painting has just come from someone's private collection so if you were at the opening you won't have seen it - do come in to the gallery for a viewing.

Jupiter Artland

2011-08-15T22:20:00.004+01:00

Yesterday my neighbour Vince took me for a tour round Jupiter Artland, near Edinburgh. We had a fantastic morning chatting about art and wandering round the sculptures and installations. The woodland and parkland surrounding Bonnington House would be stunning without all the sculpture, but with them you are transported into a magical world.

JIM LAMBIE 'A Forest'

ANTONY GORMLEY 'Firmament'

LAURA FORD 'Weeping Girls'

CHARLES JENCKS 'Life Mounds'

ANDY GOLDSWORTHY 'Stone Coppice'

MARC QUINN 'Love Bomb'

Miniature Donkey Foal

Antony At The Stewartry Show

2011-08-14T21:38:00.003+01:00

Things have been hectic to say the least in the gallery. My Blog has been a bit quiet as a result. So much has been happening recently that I have plenty to Blog about - I just haven't had much quiet time for writing. Expect a massive Blog catch-up this week.

I'm just back from a wonderful day in Edinburgh but I thought I'd start with something that happened at the beginning of the month...

Our whippet puppy Antony won a first in the puppy class at the Stewartry Show. He had a very enjoyable afternoon meeting lots of lovely dogs and people.

Looking gorgeous is hard work so he had a nap while we watched the grand parade.

Here's my brother Leo with his dog Gatsby, and Antony. Regular visitors to the gallery will probably have met Gatsby too. Antony comes to work with us every day and Gatsby joins us when Leo is working down in Castle Douglas. We're mad about whippets!

A Weekend of Art - At Home

2011-07-30T21:12:00.000+01:00

Kathryn with Antony the whippet.

A few weekends ago my friend Kathryn came for a visit. She moved to London last year and I miss her a lot so it was good to spend time together and catch up with all we've been up to since we last met.

Having a couple of days off work gave me a chance to tour around the region and it felt like a holiday, even though we only ventured a few miles from home. We took Antony my new puppy with us for a lot of the trips and he loved going out and about. The only photo I have from the weekend is this one of Kathryn and Antony in the gallery garden. I wish I had taken my camera to Kirkcudbright as Hornel's garden at Broughton House is in full bloom and absolutely beautiful.

When I picked Kathryn up from the station in Dumfries we went round the corner to Gracefield Arts Centre to see the Vija Celmins exhibiton - it is part of the Artist Rooms series of touring exhibitions. Dawn Henderby, the Arts Officer, very kindly let us watch a 20 minute film of Celmins talking about her work and the techniques she uses. The woodcuts, charcoal and pencil drawings are meticulous and you can really only appreciate their qualities with close observation. This was my second visit and I definitely needed to come back and really study the work. Unfortunately the exhibition closed today but hopefully there'll be more Artist Rooms touring exhibitions coming to Dumfries.

On Saturday, after a trip to Loch Ken, we went to Kirkcudbight to see The Glasgow Boys. I had seen the exhibition briefly on the Opening night but it was good to go back for a much closer look. I think I'll go back for a third visit before it closes at the end of August. Most of the paintings are different from the major Glasgow Boys at Kelvingrove last year. There are so many I absolutely love: David Gauld's portrait of a girl and Patterson's portrait of his wife to name but two.

The Tolbooth on Kirkcudbright's High Street has a really interesting exhibition called The Glasgow Style with lots of applied arts: copper work, painted pottery and glass and jewellery by artists such as Jessie M King and Mary Elizabeth Watt. It was much quieter than The Glasgow Boys exhibition but it really is worth a visit if you're in Kirkcudbright this summer.

Further round the corner on the High Street, past Jessie M King's house - Greengate, is Broughton House. I've been visiting Broughton House, which was Hornel's home and studio since I was tiny. We picked a good day to visit as the sun was blazing and the garden was looking quite magical. I loved the greenhouse full of geraniums and the beds of scented roses. It inspired me to plant some Sea Holly in my new garden as the purple thistles looked so magnificent. They were planted next to a bed of bright red flowers and the red and purple looked fantastic. I am surprising myself with how much I love my new garden... I just have to get my house renovated so I can actually spend some time there!

Galloway Paintings - online

2011-07-28T20:45:00.017+01:00

The Tolbooth, Kirkcudbright by Charles Oppenheimer RSA RSW 1875-1961

Our Galloway Paintings exhibition is available to view on our web site. Please phone if you would like to view any of the paintings prior to our Opening on the 6th August.

We are looking forward to this exhibition with much excitement. Jill has been busy painting the gallery walls ready to start hanging the paintings next week and I have been updating our web site and also working on a new site. More news of that to follow

The Scotsman Steps

2011-07-18T22:48:00.000+01:00

I recommend a visit to the newly refurbished Scotsman Steps in Edinburgh.

Martin Creed's work 1059 uses 104 different types of marble. The work was commissioned by The Fruit Market Gallery. I love all the beautiful colours and patterns in the marble.

Last week I visited climbed up them on a gloriously sunny day. I was in Edinburgh to view work for our forthcoming 'Galloway Paintings' exhibition. We have some outstanding paintings for the show and we are really looking forward to having Oppenheimers, Mounceys and James Faed Juniors (to name but a few) in the gallery for our annual exhibition.

The Yellow House

2011-07-13T23:20:00.002+01:00

Tea and Cherries in the gallery garden as Jill finishes The Yellow House before her book group meeting.

Jill had her book group on Friday. It was started by her friend Vivien and is a very friendly informal group who meet at each others houses about once a month. Jill chose The Yellow House by Martin Gayford and hosted the book group at our house. We chose snacks to theme the evening 'Old Amsterdam' and Brie cheeses to represent Van Gogh being dutch and Gauguin's french heritage, and a lemon tart because of the yellow colour of the house in Arles where they stayed! We even had a bowl of sunflower seeds and Joyce brought a lovely bouquet of Sunflowers.

Leo recommended the book originally and then I read it and recommended it to Jill. It is about the time Vincent Van Gogh spent in Arles, staying in 'The Yellow House'. During his time there Paul Gauguin came to stay, and they painted together. The letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo give many details of Van Gogh's life at that time. Gayford has cleverly woven the tale around historical facts. Reading the book made his life very real. I loved reading about how he furnished the house and the details of how he managed the domestic arrangements when he had another artist come to stay in the house. He was obsessed with making a sucesful artists' house and how they should both work together to fulfill their artistic visions. I've been lucky enough to see Vincent's paintings at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and my visit there was definitely enhanced by all the little facts about his life that I gleaned from reading 'The Yellow House.' I highly recommend it, and so did the book group. The worst thing about the book is the poor reproductions of the paintings, they are only in black and white.

Joyce is now suggesting a book group trip to Amsterdam to see all Vincent's paintings described in the book in all their colourful glory.

New Etching by Pamela Grace

2011-07-06T12:57:00.001+01:00

Pamela Grace Late Spring In The Garden solar plate etching £135

Pamela Grace came to see us in the gallery yesterday. She brought a new collection of her Solar Plate etchings. The image I've chosen for this Blog post is my favourite - Late Spring In The Garden. It is a hand coloured etching, so each one in the edition will be slightly different. There's something absolutely lovely about a good washing line and the hens really make it for me too. I regret not taking a photo of an all pink washing that I hung out once - it looked amazing, an art work in itself!

The etching is available to buy in our online shop, so where ever you are in the county it can be yours. It is mounted, ready to frame.

New Greeting Cards - in the gallery and online

2011-06-23T15:10:00.001+01:00

Frans Wesselman - blank Greetings Card with envelope - £2 - buy online

I have just been restocking our online shop and I've added lots on new Greetings Cards by our favourite gallery artists. 36 different cards! They are all only £2 each. I particularly love this card - 'Owl' by Frans Wesselman.

Irises Everywhere

2011-06-17T21:30:00.000+01:00

Our friend Anne, gardener extraordinaire, must have been keeping an eye on the weather forecast. Last night she brought us tons and tons of flowers - if they'd stayed outside they wouldn't have had much of a chance in the rain storm that we've had today.

We now have five huge vases of gorgeous blooms in the gallery, ready for our Saturday visitors.

Antony's First Day At Work

2011-06-11T15:42:00.001+01:00

Antony is enjoying his first day in the gallery. I think he's going to make a great gallery assistant!

Dress A Girl Around The World

2011-06-08T13:14:00.001+01:00

On Sunday I had a lovely afternoon learning from So Sew Pretty's Leah Halliday how to make a sundress from a pillowcase!

The afternoon was organised by Leah as a charity event for the charity 'Dress A Girl Around The World' and was held at her lovely workshop and shop in Castle Street, Dumfries. Well worth a visit for ribbons and trims and many other delights!

We made 12 pretty sundresses all individually customised with beautiful trims, the dresses will be sent to little girls in developing countries around the world.

I used 'bondaweb' and a zig zag stitch to sew a heart on the front my dress. The fabric I used for the heart had been for a skirt or a pair of shorts that I'd had when I was little. I loved the fact that when I learnt to sew I could make things with so many memories attached: using buttons from my granny's button box and lace which she bought from gypsies that came to her door over fifty years ago! Can't wait for my next project. I want to do some free hand machine embroidery I think, oh and I'd love to learn to patchwork.

'Song' - a new painting by Leo Blamire

2011-06-04T17:09:00.000+01:00

LEO BLAMIRE 'Song' oil on gesso wood 10 inches x 8 inches

My brother Leo has been quietly working away on a series of exquisite oil paintings and I wanted to share one with you. This is a portrait of a whippet we know called Song Bird, or Song for short.

He is having an exhibition with us in September. We are also looking forward to some new screen prints from him as he has just joined Glasgow Print Studio.

New Photos

2011-05-28T18:08:00.000+01:00

I've just added a lovely new set of gallery photos to our Facebook page. You can take a look here.

Spring Fling Weekend

2011-05-28T10:58:00.001+01:00

Spring Fling weekend has arrived and we're open every day, including Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. It's a bit rainy but that doesn't seem to have put people off so far! We've been busy since we opened this morning.

Look forward to seeing you all as you tour about the region.

The Herald arts supplement Gallery Round-Up

2011-05-22T18:28:00.002+01:00

Jan Patience reviewed our current exhibition in The Herald arts supplement Gallery Round-Up on 21st May 2011. Here's a copy of the article:

Far, far from the madding crowds of our capital city, degree shows and groovy city art shows, one small gallery in Castle Douglas is celebrating the work of eight Ayrshire artists.

JAMES COSGROVE Red Sky At Night

The McGill Douglas Gallery has assembled a fine mix of artists here in Glen Scouller, James Cosgrove, Sandy Murphy, Michael Durning, Clare Harrigan, Euan McGregor, James Orr and David Palmer.
There are some artists who are quietly brilliant and yet the wider public don’t know about their work. A goodly few are represented here. Sandy Murphy’s still lifes and landscapes are beautiful and understated, like little nuggets of poetry within four sides of a canvas. Glen Scouller too has a definite following, but why his work is not flying onto walls all over the land is a mystery. He paints light, space and colour like no other Scottish artist I know. His sense of composition is as clear as a bell. You can almost feel your senses reordering themselves when you look at his work.

James Cosgrove too is a well kent figure around the Glasgow art scene through a long teaching career at Glasgow School of Art. He ‘retired’ in 1999 but is still as busy as ever painting at his Ayrshire home and working as a director of House for an Art Lover in Glasgow. There is always a sense of anticipation in Cosgrove’s work, which has a strong narrative running through it. In this exhibition, he has a few gems such as Fisher’s Wife a la Mode and Red Sky at Night (both incredibly well-priced acrylic, ink and collage on board paintings).


JAMES COSGROVE Fisher's Wife a la Mode

Gallery owner Jill Blamire says: “McGill Duncan Gallery formed most of our connections with Ayrshire artists through exhibiting the work of Sandy Murphy RSW RGI. His paintings are hugely popular in our gallery and we wanted to introduce the work of some of his friends and contemporaries to our customers. Ayrshire shares a rich artistic history with Galloway and this show proves that we have some of the best artists in the country working very close to home.”

You can read Jan Patients Blog here.

Joanna McLeman Gisbey Necklaces

2011-05-21T22:00:00.002+01:00

I wore one of these fabulous necklaces to the Opening of our new exhibition. They are intricately cut from giant balloons by artist Joanna McLeman Gisbey.

The vibrant colours of the necklaces are found in this painting by James Cosgrove which we have hung above them in gallery 4.

JAMES COSGROVE Like a Bird That Flew

Ayrshire Artists, Galloway Connections - Exhibition Review

2011-05-20T11:08:00.000+01:00

GLEN SCOULLER RSW RGI Tulips and Puglian Cloth watercolour

Published yesterday in The Galloway News, here is a review of our current exhibition.

McGill Duncan Gallery in Castle Douglas is exhibiting the work of a prestigious group of artists from Ayrshire in its new exhibition. The Exhibitors are: James Cosgrove, Michael Durning, Claire Harrigan RSW, Euan McGregor, Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI, James Orr, David Palmer and Glen Scouller RSW RGI.

All the artists live and work in Ayrshire, but many have connections with Galloway and come to the region to paint. The exhibition in Castle Douglas shows their work in a place of artistic inspiration.

Ayrshire and Galloway share dramatic coastlines and scenic beauty. Landscapes from both regions are featured including the ‘10th Tee at Turnberry’ by James Orr, ‘Storm, Ailsa Craig’ by Sandy Murphy RSW RGI and, nearer to Castle Douglas, ‘Orchardton Tower’ by Michael Durning.

Each artist works with an assured confidence in his or her chosen medium. This expertise has been recognised by the fact that three of the artists in the show have been elected to the The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour: Claire Harrigan RSW, Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI and Glen Scouller RSW RGI.

Glen Scouller RSW RGI’s ‘Tulips and Puglian Cloth’ is a perfect example of his masterly use of watercolour. The colours simply sing and he has produced a painting that will bring great joy to whoever is lucky enough to hang it in their home. Glen Scouller is one of the most notable and collected representational painters working in Scotland today. He studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1968-73 under Donaldson, Robertson and Shanks. His first solo show was in 1977, and he has had over 40 solo exhibitions in his illustrious painting career.

There is only one printmaker in the exhibition – etcher David Palmer. He is exhibiting a collection of his etchings of Jugs. David finds inspiration in simple domestic objects. The Jug has been a recurring theme in his work for some time. He captures their expressions, personalities, moods and emotions as if drawing a portrait. His expert etching technique allows him to create rich textures and atmospheric tones through scraping, polishing and re-etching to create the desired effect. The result is almost three dimensional in appearance. David is exhibiting two etchings which have never been shown before ‘Old Spoon’ and ‘Recess II’

Michael Durning has painted a collection of ‘Galloway’ paintings specially for the exhibition, including local landmarks such as Sweetheart Abbey, Orchardton Tower and Caerlaverock Castle. He says ‘My work values a sense of place, history and cultural identity. I use blighted and broken images of monuments, buildings and landscapes to create powerful statements that question attitudes to Scottish cultural identity.’

Gallery owner Jill Blamire said ‘McGill Duncan Gallery formed most of our connections with Ayrshire artists through exhibiting the work of Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI. His paintings are hugely popular in our gallery and we wanted to introduce the work of some of his friends and contemporaries to our customers. Ayrshire shares a rich artistic history with Galloway and this show proves that we have some of the best artists in Scotland working very close to home’ All the work can be viewed at www.mcgillduncangallery.com

Ayrshire Artists

2011-05-09T21:48:00.002+01:00

GLEN SCOULLER RSW RGI

Village Garden, Fox Amphoux, Provence

Our new exhibition 'Ayrshire Artists' opens on Saturday with the Private View from 11 am to 1 pm. Most of the artists are coming to the Private View so it will be a great chance to meet them and talk about their work.

The exhibition is now online for you to view here. 67 new works!

We are busy hanging all the paintings and the gallery is transforming once again. I love this time before every new exhibition when we get to know the paintings and find the perfect place for everything.

Eight fantastic artists from Ayrshire are exhibiting:

paintings by-
James Cosgrove
Michael Durning
Claire Harrigan RSW
Euan McGregor
Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI
James Orr
Glen Scouller RSW RGI

etchings by-
David Palmer

with Jewellery by Joanna McLeman Gisbey

Michael J Ashcroft M.A.F.A.

2011-04-26T12:28:00.003+01:00

We have three new paintings by Michael J Ashcroft in the gallery this week. Michael also contacted me with some exciting news. He has just been elected to the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts. He is following in the footsteps of great artists such as L.S. Lowry, who was also a member of the Academy.

Michael lives in the North of England but he is passionate about painting in Galloway. He especially loves the coastline at Sandyhills, Rockcliffe and Kippford. You can view all the paintings on our web site.

Michael J Ashcroft Still Morning Kippford oil on board

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T20:23:00.000+01:00

Detail from our Gallery window - willow decorated with Easter decorations

We are open as normal tomorrow, Easter Monday, 10am to 5pm.

Ayshire Artists Exhibition Catalogue

2011-04-21T12:06:00.002+01:00

We have produced an eight-page catalogue to send out to all our customers for our next exhibition - Ayrshire Artists. The Opening is on Saturday 14 May from 11am to 1pm.

I'm really proud of the catalogue - it's the first time I've designed a multi-page booklet. It gives a wonderful taste of the work we'll be exhibiting from some of the best artists in Scotland.

The exhibitors are:

paintings by:
James Cosgrove
Michael Durning
Claire Harrigan RSW
Euan McGregor
Sandy Murphy RSW RGI
James Orr
Glen Scouller RSW RGI

etchings by:
David Palmer

Beano - enjoying the sunshine and getting the first look at our new Ayrshire Artists Catalogue

'Out and About' feature

2011-04-16T16:58:00.002+01:00

(If you click on the photo above you will be able to read the article)

Our Opening of 'Flights of Fancy' is featured in the 'Out and About' pages of Dumfries and Galloway Life Magazine this month, on page 135.

The 'Out and About' pages of the magazine are like a Who's Who of the social scene in Dumfries and Galloway - Galloway's version of Hello! magazine :-)

Pick up Your Spring Fling Brochure Here!

2011-04-15T13:05:00.001+01:00

We've had three deliveries of Spring Fling brochures already. They are proving very popular indeed with our customers.

The weekend takes place over the May Bank Holiday weekend 28 - 30 May. It's a great way to see the region and be able to visit lots of studios that are hidden away and normally closed to the public.

Bird Sounds and Jungle Plants

2011-04-06T11:10:00.001+01:00

I have just posted some new photos of our Flights of Fancy exhibition on our Facebook page.

I thought I'd share some with you here too. Specifically the ones of gallery 4, the room which leads out to our amazing garden. We decided to make this space quite different for this exhibition. I had been chatting to artist Fiona Watson about installing the exhibition and she told me about a bird themed exhibition which she took part in where they used plants and birdsong. I thought this sounded like a great idea and knew gallery 4 at the back of our gallery would lend itself to an installation with plants and bird sounds.

So, if you come and visit the gallery you will hear noises coming from Gallery 4 - the tracks start with British birds and move on to more exotic jungle birds. We also have a 4 foot high Weeping Fig plant, fairy lights, a flying ceramic kingfisher by Sue Dunne and a collage bird box by Fiona Watson.

Installing an exhibition is one of my favourite aspects of my job, and I'm always looking for the best way to present different artwork in the gallery. In fact, we enjoy it so much we have been known to have many change-arounds during the run of an exhibition.

Galloway News 'Fancy Artwork' Review

2011-04-02T12:03:00.001+01:00

Here's the review of our current 'Flights of Fancy' exhibition from The Galloway News. It was published on the 31st March 2011.

Dumfries & Galloway Life Magazine

2011-03-25T09:30:00.000Z

Our current exhibition continues to get excellent press coverage - this time in the April issue of Dumfries and Galloway Life Magazine.

I've been scuttling up the road to the post office a lot this week so it's good to see our online shop working so well. I have added a lot of new pieces of art work so take a look here. We add and change things most days.

The weather has been glorious in Castle Douglas and it's lovely to be able to go out into the gallery garden and pick daffodils. Spring is here!

Saltire Medal

2011-03-24T14:31:00.003Z

Back in December I wrote a Blog about a competition my brother Joss was involved with organising in his capacity as policy manager for Scottish Renewables.

The competition was open to all Art Students in Scotland. They were asked come up with a design for the Saltire Prize Medal, which will be presented to an individual who is at the forefront of wave and tidal technologies.

Here it is - the winning design - by North Glasgow College student Han Yao Fu. On Tuesday night Alex Salmond presented her with prize money of £1,000.

You can read more about the competition on the Scottish Renewables web site.

Congratulations Han Yao Fu!

Sue Dunne and the Great Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt

2011-03-22T16:24:00.000Z

Sue Dunne in her studio

One of our current exhibitors, Sue Dunne has, for the third year running, been chosen to make ceramic eggs for the Great Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt. She has had the mammoth task of making 105 eggs for the event. You can read more about it here and find information on the competition here.

For the Great Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt Sue created eggs decorated with geranium leaves and evergreens. For our 'Flights of Fancy' exhibition she made Feathered Eggs which you can buy in our online shop, or in the gallery. Her method uses impressions of real plants and feathers in white earthenware clay, which is then painted and glazed.

If you're on twitter you can follow the progress of the hunt @peterrabbiteggs.

Win a Signed John Johnstone Book

2011-03-16T14:07:00.002Z

This week we're running a competition on our Facebook Page to win a signed and illustrated copy of John Johnstone's book. Just go to the page to enter. Entries close on Friday the 18th of March at 1pm.

Opening Tonight

2011-03-11T12:55:00.000Z


LARA SCOULER Helmeted and Vulturine Guinea Fowl

Our new exhibition 'Flights of Fancy' opens tonight from 7pm to 9pm. Please join us for a drink in the gallery and meet the artists.

We are rushing around the gallery making all the finishing touches but it's looking fantastic.

Most of the exhibition is online now and I will be adding the remaining pieces next week.

Gallery Garden Tidy Up

2011-03-04T08:52:00.000Z

Our preparations for our new exhibition Opening on the 11th of March continue.

We have had the most glorious sunshine in Castle Douglas this week and the garden got a tidy-up. Our friends Bob and Val from Cairnsmore Nursery came to prune the trees and get the garden ready for the year ahead.

Bob and Val are Heuchera specialists and have planted our garden with lovely lime green and yellow Heucheras, which provide zesty colour all year round.

Flights of Fancy in Homes and Interiors

2011-03-03T18:19:00.000Z

Our forthcoming exhibition - Flights of Fancy - is featured in the Art News pages of Homes and Interiors Scotland magazine, on page 106.

This issue (issue 76) also has a very interesting article about Castle Douglas based architect Simon Winstanley and his award winning house.

New Leaflets

2011-03-01T16:33:00.001Z

For 2011 we have printed new leaflets about the gallery. They're just back from the printer.

If you would like some for your business or place of work please send me a message and I'll post you some.

McGill Duncan Jute Bags Travel Far and Wide

2011-02-26T13:59:00.001Z

Richard W. Boardman in front of Lucca Catherdral

Here's artist Richard W. Boardman out doing his Saturday morning shopping in Lucca, Italy.

As you can see he's using the only bag to be seen with - our McGill Duncan Gallery Jute shopping bag!

Flights of Fancy Invitations

2011-02-14T20:52:00.000Z

The Invitations for our 'Flights of Fancy' exhibition on the 11th March came back from the printers today. They won't be winging their way to you yet but look out for them at the beginning of March.

Valentine Window

2011-02-12T16:41:00.000Z

Hearts Glass Panel with copper hanging by Nerjit Dhol 30.5 x 45 cm

In our Valentine window display from left to right: Hilke MacIntyre's ceramic relief 'Arranging flowers', Aliisa Hyslop's painting 'Tree of Hearts', Anita Klein's drypoint etching 'Breakfast at The Barbican', Paul Young's slipware 'Birds In Tree' candle stick and Aliisa Hyslop's painting 'Dancing On Ice', plus cards by Aliisa Hyslop and Richard W. Boardman.

Castle Douglas has been busy this week with lots of people on Half Term. It's been lovely to see new people finding the gallery and enjoying the fantastic art that we have on show.

The invitations for our Flights of Fancy exhibition in March will be back from the printer next week so we are getting ready for what is going to be a fascinating exhibition of Bird Art and other creatures of flight! I can't wait to get all the work together in the gallery. The contrasting styles, subjects and mediums are going to make hanging the exhibition really enjoyable.

Signs of Spring

2011-02-07T11:30:00.000Z

For February we're exhibiting new paintings by Winifred Hodge. I hung this painting 'Signs of Spring' on the wall directly as you come through the door.

I thought it should have a prominent position as I'm definitely looking for signs of Spring at this time of year. And they are there - spring bulbs are starting to peek their shoots through the earth and the snowdrops are out in the garden. I bought some wonderful scented narcissi from the Scilly Isles and they make a cheerful addition to the gallery along with a bright pink primula.

Jonathan Chiswell Jones 'Fish and Weed' Lustreware Bowl

Rollo

2011-02-04T21:23:00.000Z

We had a lovely visitor in the gallery today - our old friend Rollo the lurcher. He was rescued from terrible conditions but found a wonderful home where he is absolutely adored. Hasn't he just got the nicest nose!

Happy Chinese New Year

2011-02-03T13:02:00.000Z

It's the year of the Rabbit/Hare so I've made a gallery window display full of rabbits and hares.

Some of the items in the window are available to buy on our online shop:

Paul Young's Round Baking Dish with Hare

Lisa Hooper's Mountain Hare etching, which is available framed and unframed

New Photos by Garry Maclennan

2011-02-01T14:45:00.000Z

Mirror by Allan Craig, painting by Anitra Rushbrook, glass by Amanda Simmons, ceramic by Hannah McAndrew

The comfy sofa in the large front room of our gallery

I've just put an album of great new gallery photos on our Facebook page.

Remember to 'like' us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the news from the gallery.

www.facebook.com/mcgillduncangallery

Snappy Snap Snap

2011-01-25T20:37:00.001Z

Here's photographer Garry Maclennan snapping away in the gallery earlier today.

We had a really fun day and got lots and lots of new photographs for the web site and our new gallery leaflet - which I'm about to start designing.

Getting good exterior shots of the gallery is always a challenge, with the large reflective window, but we got some great ones today. Garry also took some portrait shots of us - not the easiest job in the world as we both feel rather self conscious in front of the camera but he did a great job making us smile (in fact I didn't realise how serious I look when I'm not smiling - eeek a bit scary!).

Man with a Blue Scarf

2011-01-20T09:29:00.000Z

I've just finished reading Man with a Blue Scarf - On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud, written by Martin Gayford.

Joss bought the book for me as we went to Paris together last summer to see Lucian Freud's exhibition at the Pompidou Centre.

Freud is one of my favourite artists and I found this book fascinating. I loved reading about his working routines, his complete love affair with paint, his opinions on art and where he likes to go for dinner!

Martin Gayford also wrote the superb The Yellow House so I was already familiar with his excellent writing. The Man with a Blue Scarf takes you through the months that Martin spent sitting for Freud. He weaves in conversations they had and recounts the painstaking progression of the painting. It made me more enthusiastic about Lucian Freud's work than ever. I think he captures in his paintings the essence of what it means to be human. This book helps you understand the fleshy reality of his life and work. Brilliant!

Spirit Of Air - Lizzie Farey @ The City Arts Centre, Edinburgh

2011-01-19T15:14:00.001Z

Just over a week ago I went to see Spirit Of Air, Inscriptions by Lizzie Farey at The City Arts Centre in Edinburgh. It is a completely uplifting exhibition.

I had such a lovely day - I met up with my cousin, her partner, and their nine week old baby. Little baby Rosa was fascinated by all the exhibitions that we took her to see.

We started at the Gallery of Modern Art and saw Alasdair Gray's paintings. We then walked through the very snowy streets of Edinburgh and went to see the three Vermeer paintings at the National Gallery of Scotland.

And finally, on to the City Arts Centre and Lizzie Farey's exhibition. My cousins had been to Lizzie's studio during Spring Fling, so they know how she worked, but they hadn't seen her latest large scale pieces. 'Aerie', as you ascend the stairs to the the exhibition, is quite beautiful and looks perfect in the space.

LIZZIE FAREY Take Flight

Lizzie making last minute adjustments before the show opened

Spirit of Air is on until the 27th of February 2011.

Dark Skies, Bright City - Amanda Simmons

2011-01-11T10:11:00.001Z

New to the gallery this January, fabulous kiln formed vessels by Amanda Simmons.

The pieces are inspired by Amanda's experiences of living in London and then moving to Corsock - a remote village in Galloway. The dark night sky in Corsock couldn't be more of a contrast to the bright lights of London.

I just love the orange and black vessels, the colour seems to glow.

At this time of year it's energising to have vibrant new work coming into the gallery.

Free Postage and Packing on our Web Site

2011-01-04T16:55:00.001Z

To celebrate everything getting back to normal after the holidays we're offering free Postage and Packing on all 'add to cart' items on our web site for the next 48 hours - offer ends 5pm January 6th.

www.mcgillduncangallery.com

Cheer yourself up with some great artwork for your home or stock up on greetings cards for all your Christmas thank-you letters.

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T15:47:00.002Z

SILVANA McLEAN Relics of The First Snows

gesso with oil glazes on canvas 33 x 33 cm £495

We would like to wish all our customers a very Happy New Year.

2010 has been a very enjoyable year in the gallery, with some fantastic pieces passing through our hands. During August we had a record breaking show with paintings from Oppenheimer to Hornel and Paterson, and many other Glasgow Boys. It made us very proud of the history that this gallery has for selling Galloway Paintings from the 19th century onwards and it was such a delight to sit surrounded by paintings which reflect the strength of our local and national artistic heritage.

The contemporary exhibitions during the rest of the year gave us the opportunity to work with new artists and makers, and also invite returning artists. Many of the artists with whom we work have become good friends and we enjoy keeping in touch and hearing all about their latest projects and inspirations.

2011 will bring lots of vibrant new exhibitions to Castle Douglas and we look forward to them with much excitement and anticipation.

We were pleased to launch a brand new gallery web site just before Christmas - this project had been a long time in the planning and it hasn't been an easy process. However, our customers from all over the country can now shop from the gallery online. The web site is an ongoing project and we have plans to develop it further in the New Year.

On a personal note, the New Year will see me embark on my second house renovation project. Not a tenement flat in Glasgow this time, but a tiny Arts and Crafts cottage in Galloway. I am looking forward to reintroducing some period features and furniture and mixing the old with the new. I have to put central heating in before I can get on with the job that interests me the most - interior decorating! I may not have a new kitchen but I already have some fantastic pieces of art for the house, and I can't wait to move in.

New Year Opening Times

Friday 31st December 10 am - 4 pm
Saturday 1st January closed
Sunday 2nd January closed
Monday 3rd January 10 am - 5 pm, open as usual

Galloway News Review

2010-12-30T14:00:00.002Z

A review of our current exhibition appeared in today's Galloway News. If you can't read it above here's the text:

The annual ‘Galloway’ exhibition at McGill Duncan Gallery is a tradition that dates back many years. Artists who live in Galloway, as well as artists who come to seek inspiration from the landscapes and landmarks of Galloway are taking part in the seasonal show.

Fittingly for this cold snap, there are many fantastic winter landscapes, including an atmospheric scene of Scaur Glen, in the coldest of Januarys, by Alison Proudlock.

Gallery owners Jill and Zoë Blamire have curated a special section of the exhibition along the theme of Galloway Forest’s ‘Dark Sky Park’. Galloway is the first region in the UK to be awarded ‘Dark Skies’ status by the International Dark Sky Association with the Authority of Unesco. For this part of the exhibition potters and printmakers have produced wonderfully imaginative pieces, which have been popular over the festive season.

Sue Dunne, who makes ceramics with impressions of collected plant specimens, searched for plants whose seed heads have a natural starry shape. She also used star fish and create a collage of different starry themed tiles.

Local potter Hannah McAndrew made small jugs depicting ‘Star Gazing’ as well as striking candle holders pierced with patterns of star constellations. When lit, these constellations reflect stars on a wall – a perfect tribute to the fantastic clear starry skies that we get in Galloway.

To coincide with this exhibition the gallery launched a new e-commerce web site, which means customers from across the country can now shop from the gallery online www.mcgillduncangallery.com Zoe Blamire said ‘This is an exciting development for our business, we have people who regularly travel long distances to visit the gallery – it will now be much easier for them to buy art from us and it also gives local people the chance to browse online before they come to the gallery’.

The exhibition runs until the 31st of January and all work is available to purchase with ‘Own Art’ a Creative Scotland initiative to make it easy to buy art in ten interest free monthly payments.

Goldfinches Drift

2010-12-28T15:36:00.003Z

LISA HOOPER A Charm of Goldfinches hand coloured linocut £250 framed, £200 unframed

Our good friend John Burns sent us this brilliant poem. It's perfect for the season, so I thought I would share it with you. It also goes very nicely with one of the artworks that we have in the gallery - 'A Charm of Goldfinches' by Lisa Hooper. John actually wasn't aware of Lisa's linocut and got a pleasant surprise when he saw it in the gallery.

John is a teacher, poet and author. Some of you may remember the very successful and lively book launch that we had for him in the gallery for his book 'Series of Dreams - The Vision Songs of Bob Dylan'.

goldfinches drift

goldfinches drift
through falling snow
a charm
against the coldness
of the heart

goldfinches drift

through falling snow
a charm
against the coldness
of the heart

goldfinches drift
through falling snow
a charm
against the coldness
of the heart

Happy Christmas

2010-12-24T17:39:00.007Z

JOSEPHINE BROEKHUIZEN 'View From Whiterock' linocut 30 x 30 cm £180 unframed

We would like to wish all our customers a very Happy Christmas.

We are open between Christmas and New Year:

Monday 27th December 10am - 5pm

Tuesday 28th December 10am - 5pm

Wednesday 29th December 10am - 5pm

Thursday 30th December 10am - 5pm

Friday 31st December 10am - 4pm

We will have the coal fire lit in the gallery and we'll be serving ginger wine to our customers throughout the week.

And of course, our new online shop is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
www.mcgillduncangallery.com

Snowed In?

2010-12-22T11:48:00.002Z

If the snow and ice is keeping you inside you can now shop at McGill Duncan Gallery from the comfort of your home.

Take a look at our great new e-commerce web site www.mcgillduncangallery.com

New artwork will be added all the time.

I hope you find it easy to use but if you have any comments or feedback please please email me: zoe@mcgillduncangallery.com

2011 Lunar Calendar by Saskia Pomeroy

2010-12-17T20:28:00.001Z

Wouldn't this make a lovely Christmas present? Perfect for adults and children alike.

London based artist Saskia Pomeroy has hand printed this two colour screen print on 170 gsm white plike paper. The ink on the moons even glows in the dark. The edition is limited to 100. And it's only £20.

I definitely want one. They're in the gallery now.

Save Our Squirrels

2010-12-11T21:26:00.002Z

My cousin Amy, who is Red Squirrel Field Officer for The Wildlife Trust in Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside asked me to let people know about this.

Save Our Squirrels is involved in a campaign called 'scribble a squirrel' to raise funds (their funding runs out completely in 6 months). The idea is that famous people scribble a squirrel and they auction them on Ebay. The first auction is for original drawings by Axel Scheffler (the creator of the The Gruffalo). They are currently on Ebay until 13th Dec. The drawings are absolutely delightful.

More information about the scribble a squirrel campaign can be found here:

http://www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk/

Lots of Stripy Sue Binns Pots

2010-12-08T13:53:00.001Z

We have lots of new stripy Sue Binns pottery in the gallery. I love them! The cobalt blue and white matte glazes are so tactile. The little coffee cups are a delight to drink out of - the porcelain is really fine which makes them nice and light but they still feel very sturdy and they have such an appealing shape.

Leo took this photo of me buried in packaging as I unpacked the pots last week.

On a different note. I know I've been talking about it for a long time, but our new web site really is nearly ready to launch. We are just sorting out some technical hitches and it should be ready to go - exciting!

McGill Duncan Gallery on Facebook

2010-12-08T09:55:00.000Z

McGill Duncan Gallery now has a Facebook page. Please 'like' us and become a fan.

I will be posting regular photos and updates from the gallery.

Photos from the Opening

2010-12-07T10:30:00.006Z

Our new Galloway Exhibition got off to a great start with a very festive opening on Saturday. The wine mulled scented the gallery with cloves and cinnamon, and a jolly good crowd turned out in spite of the weather.

Here are a few of my photos from the day:

Lettie Blackett's Seascape looked perfect with Amanda Simmons glass, Stuart Beaty's wood sculpture and Sue Binns' stripy jugs.

Our 'Dark Skies' inspired pieces were highly praised and quite a few pieces were snapped up straight away.

Lettie Blackett's Rockcliffe painting with Hilke MacIntyre's ceramic panels, Christine Smith's Sailor with Telescope and Paul Young's Mermaid Group and Archie Sutter Watt's drawing.

Lettie Blackett's seascape with Freda Blackwood's screenprint of Oystercatchers and Paul Young's brilliant pottery.

James Orr's Balmaghie Church with Lisa Hooper's Oystercatchers. On the mantle piece you can see Christine Smith's pottery penguins (which are all sold) and Allan Craig's copper clock.

A view of gallery two.

Paul Young's striking slip trailed charger and candle holder.

Bella Green's painting 'At Dryfe, remembering Tuscany' with Paul Young's Dovecot.

Margaret Brampton's very popular insect bowls.

The roaring fire in gallery one with Sandy Murphy RSW RGI's Jug with Mixed Flowers painting, Alexander R Robb's Winter Landscape, Auldgirth, and Ralston Gudgeon RSW's Pouter Pigeons.

The view through to gallery two with Paul Young bird egg cups and Sheep and Goat hand built slipware.

And this is only a taster of what we have on display, it really is a great show.

Saltire Prize Green Energy Award

2010-12-06T20:33:00.001Z

Today Scotland's First Minister announced a £1,000 competition – sponsored by industry body Scottish Renewables and open to Art Students across Scotland – to design an Award medal.

Scotland’s marine energy Saltire Prize Green Energy Award will recognise outstanding contributions to the development of wave and tidal power. It will be presented at Scottish Renewables’ annual conference in March 2011.

My brother Joss works for Scottish Renewables as a Policy Manager and has been involved with launching the competition.

The Medal design competition is open to undergraduate students in further education colleges and universities across Scotland studying in the areas of silversmithing and jewellery, three dimensional design and other craft-based design and fine art programmes.

Entry is free. Entry packs and full details of terms and conditions can be obtained by emailing saltireprizemedal@scottishrenewables.com

I look forward to seeing the winning design, which will be chosen by a judging panel of: (chair) Seona Reid, Director of Glasgow School of Art; Alasdair Gray, writer & artist; Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland; Barclay Price, Director, Arts and Business Scotland; Caroline Parkinson, Director, Creative Scotland; Moira Jeffrey, art critic; Niall Stuart, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables; Rachel Henderson artist and writer; Leah Black, Independent Jewellery Expert and Neil Kermode, Managing Director, European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

Santa comes to Castle Douglas

2010-12-03T17:05:00.001Z

This is the view from our gallery last night - Santa had his grotto and a street disco at 'Ranchers' the metal workers across the road from us during the late night Christmas shopping.

We've had a bit more snow today but we're hoping lots of people will still be able to come to our opening tomorrow. We'll have mulled wine and a cosy open fire - the gallery really comes into its own in this chilly weather and feels very festive.

Hope to see you from 11am tomorrow.

The Galloway Exhibition takes shape

2010-12-01T17:47:00.003Z

Leo took these photos during a tea break - we're hanging the Galloway Exhibition and it's all starting to look just great. In the photo you can see Christine Smith's 'Dark Skies Vase' spying on Jill eating a delicious sour cherry Christmas filo pie from 'Thistle B Scrumptious'. The vase sold as soon as it came into the gallery but we have some more of her amazing pieces in the show. She has really embraced our 'Dark Skies' theme and made some fantastic work for us - thanks Christine!

We're open for late night shopping!

2010-12-01T17:34:00.005Z

Berries in the Gallery Garden

We're open on Thursday the 2nd of December for late night shopping until 8pm.

We will be serving ginger wine or non alcoholic ginger cordial while you view.

Castle Douglas is looking very festive and there's lots going on in the town on Thursday night. Our neighbour Clint Burgess at Thistle B Scrumptious will be opening late too, so you can stock up on some delicious Scottish fayre on your way down to see us in the gallery.

Leo has been helping us with our in-house product shots today and it's been brilliant to have an extra pair of hands in the gallery while we set up the exhibition. He's been photographing paintings that are already behind glass, which is quite a challenge, but he's done a great job. He also took some really lovely photos of our snowy gallery garden. Thanks Leo!

Winter Trees - Christmas Window

2010-11-29T21:30:00.001Z

We decorated the gallery window today with the theme of 'Winter Trees' and included some little berry-like lights and sculptural tree decorations. Lisa Hooper's lino etching 'Winter Trees, Garlieston' and Josephine Broakhuizens's oil painting 'Black Barn and Geese' look fantastic together and we were very pleased with how seasonal the gallery looked as it got dark outside and the lighting took full effect.

Snowy Beano

2010-11-28T17:20:00.000Z

Beano has been enjoying the snow... but only if he's got his coat on so he can stay warm! We went for such a nice walk today.

I'm back at home now writing content for our new web site. All the images for our Christmas exhibition are on the site, which is yet to be launched. Fingers crossed it will go live this week.

Lisa Hooper @ The V & A Museum!

2010-11-24T20:50:00.003Z

I'm just back from a fabulous short stay in London. I went down to see my friend Kathryn, and to go to Rufus Wainwright's concert at the Royal Albert Hall and see lots and lots of exhibitions. More about them later.

Imagine my delight when I saw these greetings cards on sale at the Victoria and Albert Museum - Lisa Hooper's 'Mountain Hare' and 'Deceit of Lapwings'. We have been championing Lisa's work since we opened the gallery over three years ago and we are very proud of her growing success.

Look out for your invitations

2010-11-22T09:30:00.001Z

The invitations for our Opening on the 4th of December are being posted this week.

So, if you are on our mailing list look out for a nice invitation coming through your letter box any day soon.

The new work arrives!

2010-11-19T17:41:00.001Z

It's been a busy day. Lots of artists came to see us with new work or just dropped in to pick up some invitations for the next show.

The morning got off to a great start with a visit from Paul Young and a delivery of his fabulous pots:

Then in the afternoon it was lovely to see Michael Ashcroft and his wife Debbie. Here's Michael delivering his oil paintings of Kippford and Rockcliffe:

We also had visits from Sandy Robb and Hannah McAndrew - it was great to see everyone and it makes us look forward to the Opening on the 4th December with even more excitement... there's so much work to do before then though!

Dark Skies Exhibition in Dumfries and Galloway Life Magazine

2010-11-18T10:55:00.000Z

Our forthcoming exhibition is featured in the December issue of Dumfries and Galloway Life magazine. The article focuses on the 'Dark Skies' part of the show.

Makers have created work specially for the exhibition, to celebrate Galloway's Dark Sky Park - the first in the UK. The magazine chose to show a vase by Christine Smith. It depicts one of the star gazers who come here to look at the stars and planets because the Galloway Forest has so little light pollution.

I've had a preview of some of the pieces and they are just brilliant.

Our exhibition in December coincides with two significant events in the skies above us - a Geminids Meteor Shower and a very rare Total Lunar Eclipse.

Christmas Cards for Sale

2010-11-15T10:40:00.000Z

Our McGill Duncan Gallery Christmas cards are now on sale. They are a large A5 size with lovely orange envelopes and cost £4 for a pack of 5.

My design this year is some Galloway Forest Angels enjoying the starry sky in Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park.