Inspired By Burns

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

 

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.