Saturday, August 24, 2019

SANDY MURPHY RGI PAI


Our fourth solo exhibition with the esteemed Sandy Murphy RGI PAI opens on 1 September 2019. We are delighted to be once again showcasing his most recent collection of paintings.




Sandy Murphy was born in Ayrshire in 1956 and studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1976 until 1980. From his home and studio in West Kilbride, he pursues an intensely single-minded passion for paint and its involvement in his visual response to his native Ayrshire landscape.  




A pupil of James Robertson and Duncan Shanks at Glasgow School of Art, Sandy’s richly textured oils have clear antecedents in Ghillies and Eardley. His intimate, carefully considered works stand comparison with the best works of both these masters of Scottish painting.




He was elected to the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) in 2000 and the Paisley Art Institute (PAI) in 2010.





Sandy Murphy's paintings are some of the most sought after in Scotland and the UK.


The exhibition can be viewed HERE


It continues until 29 September.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Susan Hutchison


We are very pleased to be hosting Scottish painter Susan Hutchison's first ever Featured Artist exhibition. 







Susan Hutchison studied Illustration and Printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee from 1986-1990.








She excels in several different subject matter, but many of Susan's paintings reflect the surroundings in which she lives. Based in rural Perthshire, in the Carse of Gowrie, she paints the many creatures in this part of the world, particularly the many different varieties of sheep. 

She enjoys capturing their unique characters, using detail, manipulating the paint to achieve each 'portrait'.






She currently combines fine art painting with teaching art & design in secondary education.  Her heart belongs in her painting and she is now fast becoming an artist of reputation.








To view the exhibition, please click on the link:

https://smithygallery.co.uk/exhibitions/view/susan-hutchison-featured-artist


The exhibition runs until 24 February 2019.








Thursday, July 19, 2018

Alison McWhirter - Wild Love

We are delighted to be having our first solo exhibition, 'Wild Love', with Alison McWhirter BA MA.


Daisies and Cosmos




Alison has become a highly sought after artist. She works with spontaneity, energy and passion. This is evident in all of her paintings.




Purple Iris




Alison was born in Scotland in 1975. She attended Bath Academy where she trained as a painter gaining a BA in Fine Art in 1998. She continued her studies to gain a Postgraduate MA in Visual Culture 2000. Bath Academy of Art has produced such luminaries as the colourist Howard Hodgkin.




Alison McWhirter 2018




Her studies of flowers are intimate compositions which evoke a mood through their vibrancy of colour and loose bold brushwork. Her paintings are instinctive responses to her subject, often mixing paint directly on the canvas, so creating a sense of spontaneity which is prevalent in all her work. Alison's abstract works are sensorial responses to places which hover in the minds' eye, they seem to create a visual order all of their own.



Sierra Madre



Alison has had exposure in The Scotland on Sunday in 2011 where she was described as 'The new Scottish Colourist'. In 2012 Homes and Interiors Magazine deemed her to be one of the top Contemporary Scottish Colourists making waves in the art world. Her instantly recognisable work is held in private collections throughout the UK.

She has shown internationally in 2014 and 2015 at New York Art Fair and Hong Kong Art Fair selling out in NYC. Her first solo London show in 2016 at The Russell Gallery was a major success. 




Wild Flowers Looking For Summer



'Wild Love' previews on Sunday 29 July and continues until 26 August 2018.


The paintings are available to view and reserve now on:
https://smithygallery.co.uk/exhibitions/view/alison-mcwhirter

A catalogue is also available on request.






Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Glasgow Art Fair 2018


We will be taking a stand at the Glasgow Art Fair this May, which will take place at its new home, the world renowned Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum located in the city’s West End.  The event, which is now in its fourth year, will take place from the 11-13th of May.




The art fair will be held in a purpose built marquee located next to the venue's main entrance and will house up to 45 exhibitors offering thousands of pieces of exciting new work.

We will be on stand 42-43 and will be representing artists including Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI, Margaretann Bennett RSW, Susan Hutchison, Angus McEwan RWS RGI RSW, Laura Harrison, David M Martin RSW RGI PAI, Barbara Franc (image below), Cate Inglis and Ludmilla Kosmina.






For more information, please visit the official website:

http://www.gcaf.co.uk

We have a very limited number of tickets for the Preview Evening, please do get in touch if you would like to go.

Friday 11th May 6.00pm – 9.00pm Preview Evening
Saturday 12th May 10.00am – 5.30pm
Sunday 13th May 10.00am – 5.00pm

We hope to see you there!

Monday, February 19, 2018

Recent Exhibition

Our first two person exhibition of the year features the magnificent Cate Inglis and Jane Gardiner. 
Both Cate and Jane have fast become the rising stars of the Scottish art scene and we are delighted to be showing their work together for the first time.

Jane Gardiner

The contrast between these two artists is clear, but they share a great commitment to their art and to their subject matter. They also share a great sensitivity of palette.

Cate Inglis



Cate is fascinated by urban decay, of the deserted cityscape, but on closer inspection, there is such beauty and hope in her detailed and sensitive observations. She has been wowing art collectors since her emergence onto the art scene.




Jane Gardiner


Jane is an observer and is fascinated by people, interiors, animals and unexpected juxtapositions. She lives by her sketchbook - a true artist.


Cate Inglis


This exciting exhibition opens 11 March 2018.


Saturday, February 17, 2018

Marion Drummond, Tracy Butler and Helen Tabor - Preview

Our first exhibition of 2018 opened with a bang on 4th February with an exciting mix of new paintings by three dynamic and diverse artists. 
 
 
Tracy Butler is a Smithy Gallery favourite and we are delighted to pair her work with the unique works of Helen Tabor and the highly collectable paintings of Marion Drummond.
 

 
The preview day was busy with artists, art-lovers and visitors to the gallery, all enjoying the paintings, and the complementary wine and chocolates. A perfect day.
 
 
 
All three artists have a collection of red dots to compliment their beautiful paintings. Very well-deserved all round.
 

 
 
Many thanks to Marion Drummond, Helen Tabor and Tracy Butler and to everyone who attended.

Monday, July 31, 2017

'Complementary Contrasts' - Jenny Matthews and Angus McEwan RWS RGI RSW


WATERCOLOUR isn’t always taken as seriously as it should be. Perhaps it suffers from the days when it was considered an “accomplishment” for well brought up young ladies, like embroidery or holding a tea cup in the proper manner. Or perhaps it has seemed to be stuck for too long in the realm of the Sunday afternoon hobbyist.
 
Jenny Matthews says: “When I tell people I work in watercolour, I can see them thinking, ‘I know what watercolour is, it’s probably small and a bit twee’. People don’t imagine the strong colours, the big scale. I quite enjoy surprising people.
 

Jenny Matthews - Looking Upwards

 
Anyone with a preconceived notion of what watercolour is will be surprised by the work of Jenny Matthews and Angus McEwan. Two of the top artists in Scotland working in the medium, and both recognised internationally for their achievements, they aren’t afraid to push it in new directions. Being exhibited together here for the first time, their work demonstrates the contrasting ways in which watercolour can fulfil its potential.
 
 

Angus McEwan - Natural Selection

 
Jenny Matthews - Transition
 

Jenny Matthews studied botanical painting under Dame Elizabeth Blackadder at Edinburgh College of Art, and fell in love both with flowers and with watercolour. Ever since then, she has worked with both, balancing water and pigment to capture the bright colours she loves: the ochre of a tulip, the deep blue of an iris. “I feel watercolour is really descriptive. If you’re trying to portray plants, it works really well; there are lot of markings on flowers which look as though they have been painted in watercolour.”

 
Jenny Matthews - Fading Tulips
 

Angus McEwan had to go all the way to China to discover the potential of the medium. In 1996 he was awarded the prestigious Alastair Salveson travel scholarship, he packed watercolours because he didn’t have room in his luggage for his oils and acrylics. “I thought: ‘How hard can it be?’” he grimaces. “The first paintings I did were awful.
Since those early days Angus has come a long way and has won numerous international watercolour awards as well as being invited to judge several international watercolour competitions.



Angus McEwan - Busy Corner


Angus has developed his own style, building up layers of paint to create the realist depictions of weathered surfaces and buildings for which he is highly acclaimed: atmospheric evocations of old, once-inhabited places. “I find watercolour really versatile. I can get the crisp quality I want with detail, I can get a richness and depth by building up layers. A lot of people have quite strict rules about it; I quite like breaking these rules.”



Angus McEwan - Rose Amongst Thorns


Listening to Angus and Jenny talk, one quickly becomes aware of the contrasting ways they work with the medium - and make it work for them. I hear about the varying properties of pigments and paper; broad brushes, fine brushes, even a toothbrush; layering, splattering and stippling; keeping a painting balanced on the edge of control. One is left in no doubt that this is a robust contemporary medium requiring considerable technical skill and ripe for experimentation.


 
 
Jenny Mathews - A Good Year


Through the complementary contrasts of their work, one sees a range of what can be achieved. As Angus says: “I keep returning to this incredible medium, even though it is considered by some as a lesser way of working. This exhibition will demonstrate that there is a lot more to watercolour than many people think.”


Susan Mansfield, July 2017
 
 

The exhibition runs at Smithy Gallery from 6 August until 3 September.