Sue Binns Pottery

Calling all fans of stripes!

Sue Binns pottery with Claire Harrigan RSW's painting 'Mangoes and Starfruit'

We have a new delivery of stripy loveliness in the form of Sue Binns pottery in the gallery. Endless combinations of blue and white stripes. They are so decorative but also so enjoyable to use. At coffee time we always reach for a Sue Binns mug.

Visit to Philip Mould's Gallery

A week to go until The Wigtown Book Festival and if you haven't got tickets yet I highly recommend it: it is absolutely brilliant.

Last year Jill and I bid in the Wigtown Book Festival Fight For Sight charity auction for a visit to Philip Mould's gallery in London.

We went down to London at the beginning of the summer and had a wonderful time in Philip's gallery. The collection of portraits was quite awe inspiring. Jill and I both loved the two van Dyke self portraits, they were the highlight of our visit. Philip was a fantastic host and even showed us some of the paintings that will be featured in the new series of Fake or Fortune in early 2014. Although he didn't tell us what the outcome of all their investigations was!

Here are a couple of photos from our visit:

An amazing self portrait by Anthony van Dyke with the most beautiful frame.

EAFS - Walking The Tide

 Waiting to set off at Kippford Village Hall

About to cross to Rough Island

Walking The Tide

The flags following on from the windcatchers - this is the group of people who followed with flags, they had young children and or dogs and didn't carry the big windcatchers.

On Rough Island we all lined up along the tide marks on the beach.

Happiness! Jill's face says it all.

For me, Walking The Tide was definitely one of the highlights of the Environmental Arts Festival.

Artists Florencia García Chafuén and Jo Hodges produced a piece of art full of happiness and joy. We enjoyed the Galloway landscape at its best, and left nothing more than a few extra stones on the cairn at Rough Island at the end. Visually, it was absolutely stunning but, to many of the participants, the experience were also incredibly moving.

From the jolly walk through Kippford with a band playing, to the silence of the crossing and then the coming together on Rough Island where we all sang together into the wind (expertly lead by Ali Burns). It was an amazing experience.

Sometimes environmental art takes on a very masculine nature with large objects on the landscape 'making their mark'. This piece had a very feminine feel to it - not surprising considering it was a collaboration between three women. For me the piece was about reaching out, forming bonds, treasuring the landscape and collaborating to make a thing of immense beauty. We all came together in windswept Kippford, linked the mainland and Rough Island with our billowing red wind-catchers, and left with memories which will last forever.

Photographer Mike Bolam took some great photos of the event here.

EAFS - The Rise and Fall of The Grey Mare's Tail & The Dark Outside FM

James Winnett - The Rise and Fall of The Grey Mare's Tail

The inaugural Environmental Art Festival Scotland (EAFS) took place across the region from 30th August - 2nd September. It was a busy weekend for us, opening our new exhibition, but by the end of the day on Saturday we managed to rush away and go to Clatteringshaws to see what was happening up there. Sadly we didn't get there in time to see Alex Rigg's Sporopollen but the location was spectacular and we met up with lots of friends who told us the Grey Mare's Tail installation was just along the road (not in Moffat as we had thought!).

Having been at work all day we made our way along the road feeling quite hungry and tired and wishing we'd brought something to eat. We tuned into The Dark Outside FM and enjoyed the journey along the road. Low and behold The Green Tea House was parked by the road side serving lovely hot dinners to all the people who were gathering for a night of intrigue and mystery. Green Tea lady Catherine Braid saved the day.

It was interesting to see that James Winnett had produced Victorian looking prints of his work The Rise and Fall of the Grey Mare's tail. In our gallery we sell work by Victorian aritst James Faed Jnr - an artist well known for his love of waterfalls. I pondered on what James Faed Jnr and his family would have made of it all?

As we started to walk up to the Murray's Monument some excited children ran down the hill towards us and stopped to explain that they'd just met The Archivist and seen EVERYTHING in his suitcase. We were intrigued. And there he was with his suitcase, half way up the hill and surrounded by midges. What followed was a brilliant piece of performance art. We delved into the suitcase, our questions were answered with great insight, knowledge and theatre and we learned of all the proposals that didn't make it into the final festival line up - some of which sounded amazing.

At the top of the hill, in the shadow of Murray's Monument The Dark Outside FM was broadcasting recordings that had been sent in from all over the world - none of it had been heard in public before. We lounged in the blow up sofas and had a rest away from the midges. What a way to spend an evening in the Galloway Forest...

Opening Night

Jill and Vivien with paintings by Alexander R. Robb and Glen Scouller RSW RGI

Painting by Jock MacInnes and ceramics by Rebecca Callis and Sue Dunne

Ceramics by Rebecca Callis, paintings by Ewan McClure, Claire Harrigan RSW and Leo Blamire

We had a wonderful opening night on Friday for our new exhibition, The Art of Still Life. We were very lucky to have artist Ewan McClure painting a Still Life during the opening. Here are a couple photos - you can view the full set on our Facebook page here.

 

We were very lucky to have people travel from far and wide to see the exhibition. It truly is a celebration of Still Life and it is amazing to see the different styles and subjects all coming together to make a captivating show.

The Art of Still Life

JOCK MacINNES RGI Mallorcan Table

Tonight sees the opening of our new exhibition The Art of Still Life. We have been very busy installing the exhibition in the gallery after our hugely successful Galloway Paintings exhibition closed on Saturday.

Please join us from 7 - 9 pm for drinks in the gallery.

The exhibition has been enormous fun to organise. We have worked closely with painters and ceramists to explore the theme of Still Life and the result is an amazing collection of work.

We've very lucky to have Ewan McClure joining us to paint a Still Life during the opening. Ewan is an exceptionally talented oil painter and had a self portrait in the 2013 BP Portrait Award at the National Gallery in London.

Galloway Paintings

Our annual Galloway Paintings exhibition opens on the 3rd of August at 11am and you can view the exhibition online here.

All work is now for sale and if you would like to view any of the paintings please telephone the gallery on 01556 502468 to make an appointment.