artnewsS C O T L A N D . C O . U KART NEWS SCOTLAND JOURNAL 2012     FREE   COPY

Showcasing the rich diversity of great Scottish Art & Crafts

Scotland’s most comprehensive Art Journal and Website

24 Featured Artists

Scottish Art Societies' Events & Calls for Entry

Art Clubs Events and Membership Details

Open Studio Events

Arts & Crafts Festivals

Opportunities for Artists

National Art Galleries

Over 100 Art Galleries

Printmaking StudiosSculpture & Craft Centres

Scottish Art Articles

Residential Art Courses

Art Materials & Framers

Map Guide to Scotland

And so much more...

artnewsSCOTLAND.CO.UK

I first started publishing the Art News Scotland quarterly magazine, now annual journal, in February 2007 because I felt there was a need to better inform the public and artists of all that is happening, throughout the year, in the art world of Scotland. For such a small country of just over five million inhabitants, there is an astonishing number of great artists and very talented makers, covering a wide spectrum of media.All of which most definitely has an incredibly diverse and energetic future.

Over the years Art News Scotland has grown in popularity and is now a force for good for all Scottish artists. The public can find a copy of this journal at over 900 outlets and it is well supported by all the major art societies, open studio and art/craft events in Scotland.

Our latest addition is the new website, which includes an up-to-the-minute Newsletter, informing you of all that is happening, a full listing of art galleries, art societies, open studio events, art courses, applications for entries, other art-related businesses and so much more. Have a look and see for yourself!

Let us hope, with all the talk of recession, that in this ‘Year of Creative Scotland’, we see all Scottish art growing in popularity, as more and more people see the incredible quality of the artwork available.

Andrew Macdonald, Editor

THIS ISSUE CONTAINS.. .

Art Society Exhibitions:  GSWA, PAI, RGI, RSA, RSW, SSA, VAS and RSA Call to Artists (with substantial prizes).

Open Studio Festivals and Events: 3 Harbours A/F, Aberdeen A/F, Angus O/S, Art Map Argyll, Art Aboyne, COAST, Cowal O/S, Gold Links Nairn, NEOS, O/S North Fife, Pittenweem A/F, Perthshire O/S and Potfest.

Featured Artists and Makers: 24 Artists and Makers from across Scotland and the Isles, listed in alphabetical order.

Article and Features: A Different Approach to Watercolour, Art for Architecture, Art Tokens, Blairs Museum, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Craft Scotland, Craft Town Scotland, Fine Art Photography, Glasgow Schools Painting Competition, J D Fergusson Arts Award, Kirkcudbright Experience, Living on the Scottish Isles, Lost Landscapes, Moray Art Centre, Project Piper, Scottish Pottery, Streets Ahead, The Gallery on the Corner and The Guilded Frame.

Art Businesses:  Over 100 galleries and art-related businesses promoting their services and great Scottish art & crafts.

Map Guide and Listing: All public and private galleries in this journal are pin-pointed on our useful map and listed in alphabetical order (public galleries) or geographical order from south to north (private galleries), to see at a glance.

SUPPORT THE ART GALLERIES AND ORGANISATIONS

The Art News Scotland journal and Website is paid for from advertisers within these pages. Please give them your full support by visiting the many exciting exhibitions they have arranged. Most are free and all are well worth a visit!

For more information on what’s on in the arts and crafts in Scotland visit our website at: www.artnewsscotland.co.uk

ART NEWS SCOTLANDRIVERSIDE MILLS, BEACONSFIELD PLACE, KIRKCUDBRIGHT, DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY, DG6 4DPTel: 01557 339400 • Email: info@artnewsscotland.co.uk • Website: www.artnewsscotland.co.uk

CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH 1868 - 1928Charles Rennie Mackintosh, architect, designer and artist, is an even more enigmatic figure today than when he was alive. While the astonishing modernity of his work has long ensured him a place of prominence among the pioneers of the Modern Movement, in recent years his promotion of symbolic decoration has been hailed as prophetically post-modern.

Mackintosh believed architecture was the supreme discipline, as it uniquely brought all the arts together. To understand his work, it must be seen as a complete unit rather than as individual components. His aim was to connect individuals with his work both functionally and spiritually. He believed this could be achieved through a series of carefully balancing opposites: modernity with tradition, the masculine with the feminine, light with dark and the sensual with the chaste. His work has a distinctive character, as a figure head of his time, caught in the difficult transition between the Victorian era and the Modern age.

Glasgow is the best place in the world to view the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, as here there are a couple of the most popular local Mackintosh attractions.

Glasgow School of Art - Charles Rennie Mackintosh's greatest architectural achievement. For more information visit: www.gsa.ac.uk

The Willow Tea Rooms - The original Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed Willow Tea Rooms. For more information visit: www.willowtearooms.co.uk

‘A House for an Art Lover’In 1901 Charles Rennie Mackintosh, now Glasgow's most famous architect, entered a German-based competition to design a 'Grand Residence for an Art Lover'. The rules stated that 'only genuinely original modern designs will be considered'. It went on to make the somewhat unusual proposition that 'it is permissible and even desirable that an Architect and a Decorative Artist of modern tastes develop and submit the design jointly'. Mackintosh worked on the submission with his new wife, Margaret Macdonald.

The rules of the competition were comprehensive and included a specification of client requirements such as room sizes, position of staircases, external finishes and a maximum cost. The rules also indicated a serious intention of the original promoter to build the winning design. Within these practical constraints, Mackintosh and Macdonald were able to exercise considerable freedom of design expression.

In the event, the Mackintosh entry was disqualified from the competition on the grounds of incomplete submission, but after three required interior perspectives were completed and submitted, the designs were awarded a purchase prize for 'their pronounced personal quality, their novel and austere form and the uniform configuration of interior and exterior'. Significantly, no first prize had been awarded. The result was that the Mackintosh portfolio of outstanding designs, together with those of the second and third prize winners, was circulated all over Europe.

Hermann Muthesius, a leading architectural critic of the day, writing in the preface to the Mackintosh porfolio, praised the design of the House: '..... it exhibits an absolutely original character, unlike anything else known.'

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that, had Mackintosh submitted all the designs to deadline, they would have won this competition. So, by this error, they may have forfeited their sole opportunity for their purest design collaboration to be built - and on a European stage!

The Mackintosh competition entry has been admired by academics and architects alike over the last century. But, it was in 1987 that Glasgow civil engineer Graham Roxburgh conceived and developed the idea of building the House for an Art Lover, from the competition drawings, on a site he had identified in Bellahouston Park Glasgow.

To find out more about ‘the House for an Art Lover’, other Mackintosh buildings and his art, together with a listing of art exhibitions at the house, visit websites: www.houseforanartlover.co.uk

Scottish artists are welcoming a new innovative web service that will help people give art angst free. Art Tokens are described by their inventor, Glasgow-based Annie Flint, as being ‘Like Book Tokens but for Art.’ Art Tokens can be exchanged with any artistin Scotland willing to take them for any of their works.

Annie Flint says ‘Three quarters of people in our marketing survey said that not knowing a person's taste had stopped them from buying art. This represents a massive loss of income to Scotland’s hard pressed artists, despite the Scottish Government identifying creative industries as one of 6 key sectors that can help increase sustainable economic growth.’

‘When we asked people what they rated about the idea of Art Tokens, almost 9 out of 10 liked the idea that it can be used with a wide range of artists and more than 8 out of 10 liked the idea that Art Tokens can be bought on line, support local business and are flexible. So Art Tokens have been set up to be used with any Scottish Artist willing to register on the website, quite different from gift vouchers available from galleries and shops that can only be used where they are sold.’

‘Art Tokens make a great gift idea for many people’ says Flint. ‘Firstly, there are those trying to find a suitable gift for an art lover but don’t know enough about the person’s tastes to buy with confidence. Then there are those who love art themselves and want to give the gift of discovering art to their friends or family. Finally, there is large group of people who feel it is important to support local businesses at a time when the economy is in recession. Even with just £25, people can give the gift of art, and know that the work their family and friends choose will grace their walls with pride and be a great introduction to buying art. We really do feel that this is the solution to the problem of how to give art.’

Contact us: Craft Scotland, 15 Coburg Street, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6ET 0131 466 3870 www.craftscotland.org/artnews hello@craftscotland.org follow us @craftscotland

Craft Scotland is a Scottish charity, working to unite, inspire and champion Scottish craft.

We run exhibitions and events which connect the public with the Scottish craft community, often working with partner organisations such as National Museums Scotland, Timespan and the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. We also present collections of Scottish craft to the public in UK and International craft, design and art shows.

Our website brings you the biggest What's On guide to craft in Scotland, lets you find craft people and places near you, and explore the world of Scottish craft through special news, features and updates from the Craft Scotland team. If you work in the Scottish Craft community, you can use the Craft Scotland website to create a public profile page, find craft opportunities and funding, and connect with other craft people and places.

Thousands of people visit the Craft Scotland website every month to find out more about craft, see what’s on in their area, and commission craft directly from the makers.

ArtMap ArgyllArgyll's Open Studios Event 2012 will take place in over 40 venues from 24-27th August

Where do artists find their inspiration? From a wind-swept walk across the hills? From delving into the inner soul, or from responding directly to paint, ink, stone or textile?

And what happens in the private world of an artist's studio? Coffee and loud opera music? Green tea and silent concentration, or lots of energetic paint splattering?

Try our Artmap trail, and you may find 34 different answers to these questions. Furthermore, you may find inspiration yourself, both from the beautiful scenery of Argyll, and from seeing this landscape through the eyes of these 34 different artists who live and create here.

Our four-day Open Studio event is an opportunity to visit artists' studios without any pressure to buy work although if you do fall in love with a piece, then you have the benefit of meeting the artist and seeing how the work is made.

To plan your own art trail, simply follow the red dots. Each artist has their own numbered red dot, both on the map on the site or in our brochure, and on roadside signs. Please keep this brochure for future use, as many artists are happy to have visitors throughout the year.

Further information can be found on our website at: www.artmapargyll.comincluding details of our many Artmap exhibitions and workshops. We look forward to meeting you.

Paisley Art InstituteThe Institute was founded in 1876 for the purpose defined in its Constitution as ‘encouragement and promotion of art.’Founding patrons, leading local industrialists of the day, contributed many sculptures and paintings so starting the permanent collection of art.

The collection containing works to rival Kelvingrove and the Burrell continues to grow. Included are paintings by the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists, there are also significant works by artists such as Boudin, Rousseau and Corot. The Museum itself was built in 1870 and the gallery was gifted to the Institute by Sir Peter Coates in 1882.

The need for increased wall space to house the growing collection and annual exhibition resulted in the building of additional galleries. These were given to the Institute on the 3rd of February 1915 by Mr Peter Coates, son of Sir Peter Coates. With the exception of the years of the Second World War and a short period in the late 70s when the building was closed for repair, the Institute has held its exhibitions in these galleries. Paisley Art Institute is now recognised as a leading exhibiting body in Scotland.

The Paisley Art Institute holds its Annual Exhibition in Paisley Museum and Art Galleries. The exhibition attracts work from artist members and open entrants across the length and breadth of the UK. In recent years the role of the Institute has expanded. The Institute awards PAI Diplomas to Artist Members meeting the rigorous criteria of the Credentials Committee for excellence. The letters PAI are granted in perpetuity and at any one time only 35 living artists hold this honour.

In 1983 the Institute held the first Scottish Drawing Competition, this biennial event usually held in November, highlights the Institutes commitment to promoting and exhibiting this essential discipline. During the Annual Exhibition, the Committee organises a Schools' Art Competition. This is open to all schools in Renfrewshire and is well supported. Prizes are awarded and selected works exhibited.

featured artistBrian PetrieBorn in Fife in 1952, Brian trained in Graphic design at Napier College in Edinburgh before joining DC Thomson in Dundee as a magazine designer.

In 1995, he left to pursue a freelance career as a cartoonist, producing the cartoon strip ‘Chicken Sammy’ for the Sunday Mail and ‘The Sporran Legion’for The Scottish Sun, where he now supplies a daily topical cartoon. The very nature of the topical cartoon means it’s a tea time to supper time shift! The rest of the working day is spent painting the coasts and landscapes of Scotland.

‘My painting career started around the late seventies, when I exhibited with fellow artist and cousin Bob Thomson in various venues throughout Angus including Carnoustie Library, Dundee Rep and the Cottage Gallery in Newtyle. At this time I only worked in watercolour and could probably paint Panbride Church and Carnoustie beach from memory, having done it so often.

When I left DC Thomson in 1995 I gave up to concentrate on cartoons, but having visited numerous galleries around Scotland during the next few years I had the urge to start again with bolder and brighter colours, but I just couldn't seem to achieve this in watercolour so I bought a few tubes of acrylic and fumbled my way around for a year or so, trying to produce the type of artwork I was looking for.

He started touring various galleries with piles of artwork in 2001, some took him on, some didn't. He’s eternally grateful to those who did!

To see more of Brian’s humourous work, visit: www.tooncentre.com

featured artistCarol Dewart

Carol lives in Cardross, Argyll and Bute and it is here she takes inspiration from the ever changing landscape.

A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, she studied under the tutelage of renowned painters David Donaldson, James Robertson and Geoff Squires. During this time she also spent a year in the Embroidery and Weaving Department before returning to Drawing and Painting, culminating in a post graduate year.

This has had a major influence on her work and, by integrating the use of various mediums, textiles and stitch work; she strives to give a more textural observation of the landscape.

‘I have always been drawn to trees, particularly within a woodland setting, and it is the light effects created by the different textures therein that constantly feature in my work.’

An Artist member of the Paisley Art Institute and a member of the Glasgow Group (the longest running artist's cooperative in Scotland). Carol exhibits in many galleries across Scotland.

To view more of Carol's fine work, visit: www.caroldewart.co.uk

featured makerChrissie HeughanChrissie is one of the foremost creators of hand cast paper in the UK, merging traditional with contemporary techniques and has been working with paper for over 16 years. She has a studio at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, creating works with a variety of paper pulps.

Chrissie moved to Edinburgh from Kirkcudbrightshire in 1991 to study drawing and printmaking at Edinburgh College of Art.

‘It was whilst searching for interesting surfaces to print upon that I experimented with paper pulps and became totally absorbed with the making of and process of hand cast paper. I work with a variety of plant fibres such as cotton, Kozo, Abaca and locally sourced plants from the back greens of Edinburgh to the outlying Scottish countryside.

I use both Western and Eastern styles of paper formation, combining traditional and contemporary styles and techniques. The paper can be printed upon, folded and stitched, or the paper pulp may be cast into plaster moulds for 3D forms. I enjoy casting large scale pieces outdoors, working with the accidental elements that may arise.’

Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1995 she has pursued her own work and career as a professional artist and freelance tutor. Chrissie taught at Edinburgh College of Art until 2011.

To view more of Chrissie’s exciting works, visit:www.chrissieheughanpaper.co.uk

featured artistDave HuntDave has been working professionally as a photographer since moving from the South of England to the Highlands of Perthshire in 1999, where he now lives. He strongly believes in following his inspiration for creating his personal fine art works. Starting as many photographers do with capturing landscapes and still life he quickly found a passion for portraiture and this shows in much of his work where he sympathetically brings the two subjects together.

In 2009 he gained an Associateship qualification in Visual Art with the Royal Photographic Society with a panel of figure study images inspired by his life drawing experience. Later in the same year he earned an Associateship Distinction in Fine Art with the British Institute of Professional Photography with a body of work placing figures into the Highland landscape and various architectural locations. ‘That was a good year!’

More recently he has worked with professional dancers and in 2010 presented his first large scale solo exhibition in Stirling with a collection entitled ‘Dancers in the Dark’, a photographic study of movement and light as oversized giclee’s.

In 2011 he was commissioned by a local painter to photograph a subject in his personal style for the artist work for a charity commissioned painting.

Once described as ‘an artist that uses a camera as his brush’, he adds, ‘my printer paper is my canvas and light is my paint.’’ What inspires Dave the most is to produce emotive fine art prints, sometimes confused with other art mediums.‘An image has to speak to its viewer, otherwise it is just a record of a scene.’

To see more of Dave’s work and details of his workshops visit www.davehunt.eu

The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour encourages and promotes watercolour painting in Scotland organising exhibitions of paintings by leading and emerging artists from across Scotland.

The 132nd Annual Exhibition took place at the Royal Scottish Academy Building in February 2012 and this year they are visiting Ayr for the first time, holding an RSW Summer Exhibition at the Maclaurin Art Galleries in Rozelle Park in Ayr. The show is open from 13 May to 10 June 2012, and it will also be possible to view it online.

The Society was started in 1877 by a group of artists, including William McTaggart and Sam Bough, who wanted to encourage and promote watercolour painting. It was granted Royal status by Queen Victoria in 1888 and since then the Society has welcomed as Members many artists renowned for their originality including Sir William Gillies and Sir Robin Philipson. Today many of Scotland’s leading artists are Members of the Society. A registered charity, the Society receives no public funding, so commission from sales at exhibitions and from their online gallery at www.rswgallery.org.uk goes towards further shows. It is also possible to be a Friend of the RSW for £20 a year and benefit from invitations to the Annual Exhibition Private View and catalogue, Watermark newsletter and priority bookings for RSW events, or to be an RSW Benefactor for £500 and receive the same benefits along with a signed, mounted postcard sized original painting by an RSW Member. Full details from the RSW Secretary 0141 248 7411 or email rsw@robbferguson.co.uk

Find out about the RSW, future exhibitions and the artists who are Members at www.rsw.org.uk

2012 RSW Prizewinners

Celebrating Scottish Watercolour Painting

THE ROYAL GLASGOW INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS

Hard on the heels of last year's successful 150th annual exhibition, the RGI is well ahead with its plans for this year's show at The Mitchell in mid-September, which will showcase over 300 paintings and sculptures by established contemporary artists and rising stars.

The work is selected from over 1,000 submissions by a panel of established artists, with prizes such as The Inverarity One to One Travel Prize awarded to outstanding works.

While the annual show is one of the highlights of the RGI calendar, its permanent exhibition space, the RGI Kelly in Douglas Street, hosts an attention-getting series of shows, talks and events, all year round.

This year’s ‘must-sees’ at the Kelly include the New Graduates Show in July and August, featuring painting, printmaking and photography, all works by graduates and students from the three institutions in Glasgow that they have offered for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and/or photography.

In October, the Kelly will be hosting a solo show by Glaswegian artist, Marie Malcolm, a first-time prize-winner at last year’s annual exhibition. Says Marie: ‘A lot of my work centres on journeys, and I’m delight-ed to be exhibiting at the Kelly, as so many of the journeys centre on the city of Glasgow itself.’Exhibition dates: 16 September to 6 October (subject to confirmation)

For information on how to submit work to the 151st exhibition, and for news on the shows, talks and events the RGI Kelly Gallery, visit: www.royalglasgowinstute.orgRGI Kelly Gallery, 118 Douglas Street, Glasgow, G2 4ET. Tel: 0141 248 6386.

Scottish Showcase Gallery The very best of Scottish Art & Crafts, from all over Scotland and the Isles, all under one roof

Relax and enjoy the very best of Scottish art and crafts, in the light and spacious surrounds of the south east of Scotland’s premier gallery.

With over 500 original works of art and hand made craft items to view, you can take your time and choose just the right piece to brighten your home and bring you years of pleasure.

• ORIGINAL ART & CRAFTS • LIMITED EDITION PRINTS • BESPOKE PICTURE FRAMING • ART MATERIALS & BOOKS • FINE ART PRINTING SERVICE • Large Car Park & Delivery Service

The gallery is housed over two floors in a large renovated mill property, offering great natural light for you to view all the work at its very best. Come and see for yourself all we have to offer!

Riverside Mills, Beaconsfield Place, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway, DG6 4DP T: 01557 339400 • E: info@showcasegallery.co.uk • W: www.showcasegallery.co.uk

Come and celebrate our 10 year anniversary next June as we are extending Spring Fling to 4 days

For more information please visit

May Bank Holiday Weekend

Become a Friend of Spring Fling, support the event and benefit from special offers.To find out more,or to sign up to our mailing list and receive a free brochure, please call 01387 262084or visit

Sat 2nd June - Tue 5th June

2012

Come to Dumfries and Galloway to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in June 2012 when Spring Fling will be extended to four days. To enjoy discounts in studios and on tickets for Spring Fling additional events why not consider becoming a Friend of Spring Fling?

For more information please visit www.springfling.com

Birthday

CRAFT TOWN SCOTLANDLocated in the small picturesque town of West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, the creation of Scotland's first craft town has transformed the town centre and helped make West Kilbride a better place to live, work and visit.

Easily accessible by car or train from Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Scottish borders, Craft Town Scotland offers a chance to see and buy quality craft and design work focused in one easily accessible location.

All profits generated by Craft Town Scotland are reinvested into sustaining and developing West Kilbride's retail and cultural hub as part of our vibrant community.

Craft Town Scotland leases 8 studios, each with a display area, to makers who range from those starting out on a career to those with established reputations. Work is designed and made on site and available to purchase direct. The Studios are open to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, although some open over and above these times.

Craft Town Scotland is particularly excited about the launch of its dynamic new £1.5m development, the Barony Centre: Craft Exhibition, Education and Events venue. Designed by award-winning architectural practice, Ingenium Archial Limited, this redevelopment of a nineteenth Century 'C' listed church respects the traditional envelope of the building whilst adding contemporary interventions internally and externally.

A dynamic and flexible space, the venue will be a fitting focus for craft and design. Open 7 days per week throughout the year, the facility will host the very best heritage and contemporary craft and design touring shows from the U.K. and beyond. Visitors will also be able to buy quality craft and design, take part in craft and design classes, enjoy a variety of cross-art form events and finish with delicious snacks from our cafe.

Craft Town Scotland is a project of the West Kilbride Community Initiative Ltd, Scottish Charity SC028481. It is located at The Barony Centre, 50 Main Street, West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, KA23 9AR. For further details visit the web site at: www.crafttownscotland.org or e-mail info@crafttownscotland.org

The Kirkcudbright all year round experienceKirkcudbright - A town where artists, as an artistic community, can thrive and develop a singular identity - the ‘New Kirkcudbright School.’ As you would expect, there is a lot going on in Kirkcudbright and district this year.

The Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail, which is now in its ninth year, has further expanded to include over 150 artists and makers opening theirhouses, studios, sheds and gardens to the public for a fun long-weekend.4 fun-packed days from Friday 3rd - Monday (Bank Holiday) 6th August.

To find out more about the trail, go to: www.artandcraftstrail.co.uk

‘Gifted’ is the title of Kirkcudbright 2000’s forthcoming annual summer art exhibition. It highlights a selection of artworks which have been generously donated or bequeathed to Dumfries and Galloway Council’s fine art collections in recent years. The exhibition was prompted by the recent bequest of a large collection of paintings by the late William Brown Kirkpatrick O.B.E. Over 50 paintings and drawings, mainly by later 19th and 20th century Scottish artists, will be on display, many for the first time.

2012 is an exciting year for Spring Fling - it's our 10th Birthday!From 2-5 June 2012, 76 professional artists, makers and designers will throw open the doors of their studios, inviting visitors to discover where and how they create their work; many artists will host demonstrations and every artist will be selling their work. You can discover the region on the Spring Fling bus, as part of the official Spring Fling cycle ride, or with the Spring Fling Sunday morning walking tour.

For evening entertainment Spring Fling presents the ever popular ceilidh and hog roast and, for the first time in 2012, we will host an exclusive wine tasting event - free for Friends. In 2012 Spring Fling will launch a web shop and a map based smartphone application to help tech savvy visitors navigate the studios, which after the event will become a year round art guide.

To receive a programme and find out more about Spring Fling, visit: www.spring-fling.co.uk

The Left Bank Gallery

Paintings • Prints • CeramicsThrows • Scarves • Willow

The Harbour SquareKirkcudbright DG6 4SA

Tel: 01557 331521www.leftbankgallery.co.uk

Clience StudioClock Tower, King St, Castle Douglas

Tel: 01556 504318

Atmospheric Scottish Sea &Landscape Paintings & Prints

Art Gifts & Tokens by Angela Lawrence

Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm (core hours)www.cliencestudio.co.uk

The Castle GalleryRothsay, Isle of Bute

2012 Exhibitions‘Circling Bute’ by Jim Wylie - Sat. 7th - 28th AprilDavy Brown Exhibition - Sat. 25th Aug. - 15th Sept.

Paintings and Sculpture by David GardnerSat. 24th Nov. - 15th Dec.

www.thecastlegallery.comPhone: 01700 500159

Email: info@thecastlegallery.com

The Archway Gallery7 Union Street Lochgilphead Argyll

email: info@thearchway.co.ukjweb: thearchway.co.uk

tel: 01546 606894

Blossoms Crinan, John Lowrie Morrison Original Art, Prints,

Bespoke Framing ServiceArt Supplies, Kids Crafts,

Design Led Gifts

Fyne Studios‘The Hidden Gallery’

The open studio of Don McNeil & Jean Bell

Newton, Argyll PA27 8DBW: www.fyne-studios.comE: info@fyne-studios.com

T: 01369 860379

83 PORTLAND STREETTROON KA10 6QU

TEL: 01292 316144www.frameworktroon.co.uk

picture framing

paintings & prints

crafts

gallery

An inspirational haven withoriginal art from over 100 artists,

bespoke picture framing...and a spectrum of surprises!

48 Kempock StreetGourock PA19 1ND

01475 632 174info@seagullgallery.netwww.seagullgallery.net

SEAGULL GALLERY

a r t g a l l e r y

www.resipolestudios.co.uk

featured artistDon McNeilDon went to Glasgow School of Art in the early 60s, where he graduated in Drawing and Painting. On looking back he realise he was very fortunate to be taught not just to draw and paint but also how to see - skills that seem to be lacking in a large number of today’s graduates.

‘Throughout my painting life I have always kept in mind Pissarro’s saying:-‘There is nothing new in the subject matter, it is in the manner of expressing it.’ I have two styles, one when working outside and the other when working in my studio. Outside I don’t take more than 45 minutes as I am interested in my emotional response when I look at the scene, and not a photographic copy.

My work expresses the emotional aspects of the wild and rugged Scottish landscape, along with the ever-changing weather and dramatic lighting which is only ever seen in the west side of Scotland.

My studio work is now concentrating more on what I call my ‘synchronicity series’. The definition of ‘synchronicity’ coined by Heisenberg and Jung, states that the coincidence of events in time and space are not only chance. However, my definition states:- ‘the coincidence of line, colour, texture and tone are not only chance.’

Recently, my ‘Synchronicity No 2’ has been shortlisted from over 3,000 artists world wide in a Creative Works competition run by Aesthetica Magazine.’

Don works with Jean Bell in their studio in Newton, Argyll, deep in the CowalPeninsular. To view more of Don’s unique work, visit: www.fyne-studios.com

featured makerFran MarquisFran is a potter who makes sculptural and functional ceramics. She enjoys the direct engagement in the process of firing using raku and smoke-firing to finish hand-built and wheel thrown work. The involvement in smoke-firing is particularly appropriate as she lives in Arbroath on the East coast, north of Dundee, the home of the smokie fish, a local delicacy now exported widely.

In 2000 Fran finished a B.Des. in Ceramics and photography at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee and then in 2005 completed an MFA at Grays in Aberdeen, where she then taught the ceramics evening classes for 3 years. She also worked for Aberdeen City Council through White Space and doing ceramic projects in schools and hospitals. She is now working to develop her own artwork and initiating Angus Open Studios.

‘I enjoy working from my own ideas for exhibitions, the last one was ‘Fire & Fibre’, in the Collins Gallery before Christmas and the next one is in Aberdeen at Bridge View Gallery entitled ‘Light & Longing’. I also enjoy doing commissions which I find push me in new directions.

I am currently working with the Eco-group in an Arbroath school on a new ceramic sign for the local park and unique coffee cups and saucers for a cafe in Dundee with a local street scene drawn for them. It is interesting to be involved in local projects as well as thinking more broadly around specific themes and collaborations with other artists. I like the philosophy of keeping your feet on the ground with your head still dreaming!’

To see more of Fran’s unique work, visit: www.franmarquis.co.uk

featured artistHelen L Robertson Helen was born in Cumbria and grew up in West Lothian. After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1987, she spent the following year at the Royal College of Art in London. Helen then settled in Glenshiel after visiting her sister and falling in love with her partner Tich and this very special area. Helen works with soft Pastel on an artists archival sandpaper and comments:‘There is something very satisfying and primal about applying the pure pigment with my fingers, which gives me a direct connection with each painting. I lovethe instant impact and textural qualities of pastel, building up my paintings in layers of colour, giving them a sense of depth and luminosity.’

Helen and her family have explored the Highlands and many of the Outer Isles. ‘Camping gives that intrinsic feeling of closeness to your environment and you experience the elements first hand. Absorbing the atmosphere by sketching and taking many photographs, I then recreate these feelings in my finished pastel paintings back in my studio.’ Admirers of her work have often commented on how the paintings make them feel transported to that place.

Helen is constantly looking to reinterpret the landscape, finding her own unique direction. ‘Recently I have been attempting to capture the wetness and shiny, reflective surface of the sea and the wet sand it leaves behind.’ Ultimately, it is the contrast between shadows and light which drives, excites and inspires her. Whether the shadow beneath a shiny pebble or the drama of a figure against a sun drenched sea, this fuels her impulse to capture her feelings in pastel.

To see more of Helen’s fine work, visit: www.helenlrobertson.com

featured artistIan RawnsleyIan's earliest childhood memories are of paints, crayons, and the mountains of pencils, but abandoned Art for what seemed the sensible option of commercial business as a career. Eight years ago he returned to his twin passions of Art and the Sea and has been painting professionally for the last six.

Evocative, romantic, wild and magnificent, the Sea is the never ending inspiration and motivation for his work. Originally working in acrylic and mixed medium, he now works predominately in oils to try and capture not only the the salt spray, the crashing wave, but the feeling, memory, and essence of the sea in its many guises.

The main focus of his work is the wondrously varied coasts of Scotland and Ireland, from Fife to the Atlantic shores of Donegal.

As a passionate advocate that art can ‘make a difference’ have led to two solo events in 2011: ‘100 Pebbles’ for the Glasgow Beatson Cancer Appeal and ‘The Sea in 25 Parts’ for Artlink Central.

He has travelled and lived extensively across the British Isles and Ireland and is now based in Glasgow. His work was originally shown in St Ives, Cornwall, but now can be found in a number of leading galleries across Scotland, where it is in great demand.

Ian’s work is held in private collection throughout the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada.

See more of Ian's work at: www.ianrawnsley.com

COWAL OPEN STUDIOS ‘a road less travelled’ 21-24 Sept 2012 Do you know the Cowal Peninsula? It is off the beaten track, yet only 90 minutes from Glasgow.

Everyone has heard of Dunoon and perhaps Ardentinny and Tighnabruaich, but what about Cairndow (pronounced Cairndoo), Strachur, Glendaruel, Kilmun and Toward (rhymes with Howard)? Each is worth a trip and you can see them all while doing the rounds of our Open Studios events. Forty artists wait to welcome you and introduce you to the huge variety of work on display. What better way to spend the September Weekend?

As you cross the Clyde, you may wish to reset your watch to an earlier, quieter time, with less traffic and a slower pace of life. Stunning panoramas and half empty roads make exploring a joy. No wonder so many artists have come to live and work here.

There is no need to hurry - you can see the Peninsula in a day. However, you may choose to stay longer, perhaps all four days, to appreciate fully the range of art on offer. You can expect painting and sculpture, ceramics, textiles, wood carving, furniture making, jewellery, pewter work, printing, stained glass and scrap metal sculptures.

Download brochure at: www.cowalopenstudios.co.uk

THE GLASGOW SOCIETY OF WOMEN ARTISTS

Following the dissolution of The Glasgow Society of Lady Artists in 1971, a new group emerged that became known as The Glasgow Society of Women Artists, or GSWA. Unlike its predecessors, GSWA has no permanent abode, although today it has a flourishing membership of more than 150 practising artists keenly supported by almost sixty lay members who are avidly interested in the arts.

2012 has a full programme of events including an ever popular series of afternoon talks and demonstrations, a Dinner at the Glasgow Art Club with Guest of Honour, Alasdair Gray, an outing in May to Glamis Castle and two Exhibitions. The first will be at the Stirling Smith Gallery from 6th July to 19th August, followed by 6th October to 9th November at the Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie.

Anyone wishing to join the Society should download an application form from www.gswa.org.uk and return it to the Secretary as detailed on the form.

Those wishing to apply for Artist membership are required to submit 4 examples of their work to a Selection Committee. The 2012 Artist Intake date is Thurday, 6th September.

The Annual Subscription is £17 until 11th October 2012. Further details can be obtained from GSWA Secretary at susie.w@madasafish.com.

‘The Gallery on the Corner’ of Dundas StreetThe Gallery on the Corner opened in March 2010 to represent and support inclusive artwork and crafts produced by artists who have a physical or mental health condition or those from a disadvantaged background. It provides a platform to exhibit and sell art in a high profile location in the heart of Edinburghs gallery district. It is the first social firm developed by Autism Ventures Scotland and has been established to create employment opportunities and experiences for people with Autism Spectrum Condition. For more information, or should you wish to help, visit: www.thegalleryonthecorner.org.uk

THE HARBOUR GALLERY

Knapp Building, Harbour Street, Tarbert, Argyll, PA29 6UATel: 07919 385031  www.theharbourgallery.com

Original PaintingsContemporary,

Vintage & Retro Prints

Sculpture & Jewellery

Picture Framing•

Painting by Stuart Herd‘Harbour Gallery View’

21-­‐24  SEPTEMBER    Jacqueline  Orr                          Le  Coucher  du  Soleil,  Fouesnant  

www.cowalopenstudios.co.uk  

• peebles• jenners edinburgh

• frasers glasgow• jenners loch lomond

original art & limited edition printshand crafted sculptures, ceramics

...and much moreavailable in all four galleries

an art collectionto inspire

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davi

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SANDBANK STUDIOA wide selection of paintings and prints by Duncan Currie

and works by other well known Artists on display

Old Pier Road, Broadford, Isle of Skye.Tel’s: 01471 822011 & 01471 822064

www.duncancurrie.co.uk

2012GlasgowSocietyofWomenArtists

S U M M E RStirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum

Dumbarton Road, StirlingSunday 8th July to Sunday 19th August

Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday 10.30am-5pmSunday 2pm-5pm, closed Mondays

Telephone: 01786 471971

A U T U M NThe Lillie Art Gallery

Station Road, MilngavieSaturday 1st October to Friday 11th November

Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm

Closed Sundays & MondaysTelephone: 0141 579 8847

for further information contact GSWA Secretary at:susie .w@madasafish.com

Scottish Charity No. SC 009411

featured artistJan FisherJan studied Fine Art at Coventry College of Art and a post graduate in Education at Kings College, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She lived in Bristol for a while, teaching in schools, and at Bristol College of Art, whilst undertaking commissioned works in public places including pictorial pub signs for Courage Brewery, and a large mural on the ceiling of a famous pub in Bristol's dockland.

Jan has participated in major exhibitions in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh & Glasgow. She then moved to the Scottish Highlands where she and her husband worked for the Scottish Youth Hostels for a while. This presented her with the opportunity to live in remote and spectacular areas of the Highlands and Islands. ‘Hill-walking with a sketchbook, exploring ways of depicting the light and drama of the landscape, and being lucky enough to have it on the doorstep was a life-changing experience. The beauty of what I was seeing often made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and trying to do justice to that experience was a challenge. I've never relied on ‘tricks’ or arbitrary colour to enhance the painting and I don't believe that one can improve on nature. I just record it as I see it and hope that I can convey to others that special moment in a special place’.

In 2000 Jan and John Fisher moved to Fife and opened the Fisher Studio & Gallery in Pittenweem, showing work by Jan and other established and newly graduated artists and makers. A portfolio of limited edition prints by Jan is also available on the website at: www.fishergallery.co.uk

featured makerJon PiccoloBorn in Essex, Jon moved to Scotland around 10 years ago. His new working studio, Showcase Glass, is based in Stirling with the Ochils providing a scenic backdrop and a wealth of inspiration for his work. He is a creative, vibrant and dynamic warm glass artist specialising in fused glass and cast glass. His work is very tactile and textual and he has a diverse range of both functionaland artistic glassworks. Unlike most artists he encourages visitors to ‘touch and feel’ his work to appreciate its uniqueness and form.

‘Being a kinaesthetic learner I am not the type of person that can just sit back; I need to be in amongst the action and learn by getting my hands dirty by experiencing, doing and touching, using a wide range of materials, techniques and styles which I hope brings creativity, vibrancy, fluidity, excitement, texture and movement to my glass art.’

Commissions are welcomed from your own design, from small one-off private individual pieces, through to larger collections for corporate organisations including gifts for special occasions (awards, anniversaries and weddings), kitchen & bathroom splashbacks and fire surrounds.

Showcase Glass also functions as a training space where Jon teaches a range of fused glass courses including fused glass jewellery and beginners fused glass workshops. It is also a Gallery & Gift Shop with a large selection of Jon’s work available. It also sells a range of fantastic affordable original and unique works by two dozen inspiring artists and crafters, all handmade in Central Scotland.

See more of Jon’s work at: www.showcaseglass.co.uk and www.jonpiccolo.com

featured makerLara ScobieLara lives in Edinburgh and has her studio based at The Adam Pottery in Stockbridge. She studied ceramics at Camberwell College of Arts in London and has a Post Graduate Diploma from Edinburgh College of Art.

Lara has been making ceramics for over 20 years and throughout her career has exhibited extensively with work in both private and public collections. She has had work selected for many international competitions including Mino, Japan and The Fletcher Challenge in New Zealand, of which she was the premier winner. Lara lectures part-time at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, University of Dundee.

Lara’s current work is predominantly concerned with the dynamic interplay between form and pattern. This is explored through the cohesive integration of drawing, surface mark making and volume. She is equally interested in the space that surrounds pattern as much as the hue and texture of the decorated surface. This theme has been developed further within her ‘Tilted Bowls’ that articulate the symbiotic relationship between pattern and form.

Surface patterns and colour observed in botanical life enable Lara to explore her love of colour and abstract pattern making. Of the many artists that have influenced her she particularly sights Matisse, Miro and Lucien Day.

Lara’s work is available at The Adam Pottery, 76 Henderson Row, Edinburgh and other galleries throughout Scotland.

featured makerLesley D McKenzieBorn in Aberdeen in 1967 Lesley initially trained as a graphic artist until, in 1996, she decided to start her own business, fusing her love of animals and nature with her artistic talents. She worked in a variety of mediums and, while continuing to develop her skills, worked as a freelance sculptor for Border Fine Arts, creating well over 80 animal figurines. These figures were created from wax but she found clay to be her preferred sculpting medium.

‘My raku animal sculptures are all one off, handbuilt originals and are made using an earthenware clay. All the sculptures are hollow and I work into the surface forming the muscles and texture as the clay slowly dries. I have a very good knowledge of anatomy and a keen interest in all animal species. I make my animals instinctively, giving my sculptures an essence of life.

When sculpting is complete the sculpture is then fully dried before being bisque fired then glazed. The piece is then fired in a raku kiln to 980˚C. I often use glazes containing copper oxide which react to the oxygen levels resulting in a bronze effect glaze with subtle colour variations and also dry glazes which give a semi-matt natural appearance.’

Lesley has won many awards and competitions for her work over the years and have exhibited at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.

As well as creating pieces for general sale via galleries, Lesley is also happy to accept personal commission work. If you are interested in viewing more of her work, please visit her website at: www.lesleydmckenzie.com for more details, drop into her gallery ‘Frameworks’ or visit: www.frameworksaberdeen.com

SOCIETY OF SCOTTISH ARTISTS celebration of 115 years of talentThe Society of Scottish Artists (SSA) recently had its 115th showcase of some of the best Scottish contem-porary art and design talent. The exhibition opened its doors to near record numbers of around 1,500 art lovers visiting across the first weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The exhibition was at its historical home in The Royal Scottish Academy Building, at the heart of Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens.

It

showcased established contemporary artists, Robert Callender PPSSA and John Busby PPSSA, alongside new and emerging talent such as Gillian Mairi, Alexander and Alan Bond. Artists on display at this year’s exhibition were in esteemed company with some of Europe's most influential painters who have featured at past exhibitions. These include the Glasgow Boys, Guthrie, McGregor, Walton, Hornel and Roche, as well as Post-Impressionists, Gauguin, Cezanne, Matisse and Van Gogh. The SSA exhibition also displays the work of Edvard Munch in 1931. More recent names to have shown their work at the exhibition include Douglas Gordon and Calum Colvin.

The best artists at the exhibition won some substantial prizes and received anything from £1,000 to a free solo exhibition in a prominent Glasgow art gallery. Overall, this year’s prize pot amounted to over £4,000 and includes the SSA Prize, the Deloitte Prize and the Scottish Arts Club Prize.

The SSA is one of the oldest artist-run societies in Scotland and represents over 500 practising artists working in Scotland and beyond. It was founded in 1891, and held its first Annual Exhibition in Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy, then known as the Royal Institution.

For more information about the SSA, visit their website at: www.s-s-a.org.uk

The History of Visual Arts ScotlandIn the early years of the 20th century, women artists found it difficult to gain any kind of recognition within Scotland, for the art establishment was strictly a male preserve. In response to this, in 1924 William McDougall, whose daughter Lily was a talented painter, founded the Scottish Society of Women Artists. Its aim was to give encouragement and opportunity to women artists and to provide a much needed platform for applied arts. The SSWA existed until the late 1980s when it was re-formed under a new name, Scottish Artists and Artist Craftsmen, and given fresh impetus. This in turn became Visual Arts Scotland in 1999.

VAS continues to embrace all aspects of the visual arts; with a membership of around 500 ranging from established figures to recent graduates and emerging artists we represent both fine and applied artists from all across the country.

The Annual Exhibition, held in the Royal Scottish Academy, continues to show a diverse cross section of the best in Scottish art in a nationally esteemed venue. VAS is one of the few organisations that actively promotes and exhibits the work of contemporary visual and applied artists side by side and is a multi-disciplinary platform where painters and textile artists, sculptors and ceramicists, and photographers and textile artists exhibit together.

To find out more about the work of VAS, visit: www.visualartsscotland.org.uk

Merchantgate Gallery111 Saltmarket, Merchant City, Glasgow G1 5LF E: enquiries@merchantgategallery..co.ukW: www.merchantgategallery..co.uk T: 0141 552 5847• Original Fine Art • Regular Exhibitions• Limited Edition Prints • Bespoke Framing Service FATG Member

10% off all framingBishopbriggs

Gallery

Huntershill Village100 Crowhill Road

BishopbriggsGlasgow G64 2ETT: 0141 762 5466

E: briggs.gallery@btinternet.com

Open 6 days a week

The Adam PotteryContemporary, innovative

& traditional ceramics

76 Henderson RowEdinburgh EH3 5BJTel: 0131 557 3978

Open 11am-6pm Mon-Satwww.adampottery.co.uk

41 WESTGATE, NORTH BERWICK, EAST LOTHIAN EH39 4AGTEL: 01620 894976 • www.westgategalleries.co.uk

Paintings

Prints

Art Glass

Bronzes

Interiors

Jewellery

Leathers

Gifts

19 Roseburn TerraceEdinburgh EH12 5NGT: 0131 346 7730E: artetfacts@xin.co.ukwww.artetfacts.co.ukyoutube.com/artetfacts

Featuring new works from our latest find - James Gilroy

JOHN NELSON

ORIGINAL PAINTINGS, PRINTS, CARDS

www.nelsonjohnart.comT: 07748 092607

Artisan Framing

210 Portobello High St.,Edinburgh, EH15 2AU

Tel: 0131 657 3727Huge range of ready made frames in many styles, very reasonable bespoke picture

framing service, express service available, many mouldings

held in stock in large quantities.Budget prints and ltd. edition prints framed and unframed. Large range of greeting cards.

The

laurel gallery . . .A friendly and inviting gallery & workshop in

the heart of Stockbridge

St. Stephen Street,Edinburgh EH3 5AHTel: 0131 226 5022

www.laurelgallery.co.uk

3 Harbours Arts Festival 2 June - 10 June 2012 Visit: www.3harbours.co.uk Prestonpans, Cockenzie, Port Seton, East Lothian

The largest, most diverse arts festival in East Lothian. The 3 Harbours Arts Festival offers a full programme of visual art, music, workshops, tours, trails, literature, film, photography and drama.

So take this opportunity to meet the artists, learn a new skill, test your literary knowledge and relax with some music to suit your taste.

Don't miss the Cockenzie Power Station exhibition. This is the largest annual mixed media exhibition in East Lothian with 50 artists exhibiting over 150 artworks. The work of internationally recognised Calum Colvin, Professor of Fine Art Photography at Dundee University is featured this year.

Cockenzie House, dating from the late 16th century, will host a variety of creative activity. This will include a Photospace and a sculptural response to the unique coastal location and history surrounding Cockenzie by East Lothian sculptors, Jenny Pope, Ettie Spencer and Richard Webb.

Art in Unusual Places: A smashed caravan, life-sized figures and animal skeletons; street artist Mike Inglis will transform the entrance of Samuel Burns & Co., the local scrapyard. Open Houses Trail, Sculpture Gardens, Window Art, Boatie Bombers knit up Port Seton Harbour and Origami everywhere!

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES 2012showcase for the best emerging artists and architects in Scotland

17 March - 11 April 2012. All RSA Galleries.The Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL

Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 12 noon - 5p.m. Admission £4/£2 concession

The fourth annual RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES exhibition will take place at the Royal Scottish Academy Galleries in Edinburgh. Presenting sixty-two graduates working across a wide range of media, this carefully curated exhibition offers a unique opportunity to see the best of Scotland's emerging talent under one roof.

Art graduates have been chosen by exhibition convenor, Glen Onwin RSA, and architecture graduates have been chosen by Kathryn Findlay, RSA (Elect), with assistance from members of the Royal Scottish Academy and representatives from the five main colleges of art and six schools of architecture in Scotland.

The chosen graduates are given the opportunity to launch their careers at the prestigious RSA galleries by showcasing a selection of new work, which includes painting, sculpture, film-making, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation.

Works will be for sale and the exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity to invest in Scotland’s up and coming talent at the early stages of their careers. The RSA is part of the Own Art scheme, allowing buyers to spread the cost of an artwork over ten interest free monthly payments!

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES represents the RSA’s commitment to supporting and presenting the best contemporary work in Scotland. The RSA team works closely with the artists and architects towards developing a lasting relationship in the lead-up to the Exhibition and beyond. With over £11,000 worth of monetary prizes in addition to residency, studio and purchase prizes, the development of this Exhibition is an important initiative for emerging artists in Scotland, enabling a ‘first exhibition’ opportunity for more than 50 emergent artists annually.

ABOUT THE ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMYThe Royal Scottish Academy has a proud tradition of promoting excellence in contemporary art in Scotland. Led by eminent artists and architects, it supports the creation, understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts through exhibitions, artist opportunities and related educational talks and events. Re-establishing itself as a leading organisation for the visual arts in Scotland, it has successfully garnered a reputation for the strength of its engaging and diverse exhibitions and the fantastic opportunities it offers both established and emerging artists.

For further information, visit www.royalscottishacademy.org, or email: press@royalscottishacademy.org

• peebles• jenners edinburgh

• frasers glasgow• jenners loch lomond

Open Studios North Fife5th, 6th & 7th May 2012, 10am until 6pm each day

Now in its 7th year, this is your chance to visit over 80 artists, makers and designers in their own work spaces and speak to them about their methods and sources of inspiration. You can buy or commission directly from them, sign up to the classes some of them run, watch them at work or just enjoy an inspiring day out exploring this lovely part of the country. You also get to see into the quirky and interesting spaces in which they work. From bespoke studios and adapted garden sheds, to well equipped kitchen tables! Many artists encourage visitors to picnic or play in their gardens while others in their party make purchase decisions. A great way to spend the day!

On show this year we have an amazing variety of styles of painting and prints, jewellery, ceramics, textiles and work in wood, metal, glass, stone and mixed media, indeed everything from beautifully small affordable gifts to large statement pieces. You never know - you might just find the perfect piece to finish a room or discover someone who can make you what you want!

The fabulous brochure which lists all the participants, with details of their work and maps so that you can find them, will be widely available in shops, galleries and libraries etc from mid March onwards. You can down load it from the website at www.openstudiosfife.co.uk or if you need a copy posted to you email info@alisonstrachan.co.uk, or call 01337 827087.

Pittenweem Arts Festival 28th July-5th August 2012

This year is our 30th Festival and as always we are celebrating with a village full of artists and contemporary visual art. John Byrnes’ paintings in the Old Town Hall and sculptor Jake Harvey's stone works on the pier highlight the best in Scottish art with an international reputation. Also invited this year is a special exhibition from Denmark, The Association of Danish Printmaking Artists, which marks their 100th year. Outsider artist, Alistair Mackay Cook, returns by invitation to Pittenweem with his intriguing artwork in Kellie Lodging.

With over 100 venues to visit during the day and evening events too, a day is just not long enough!Pittenweem's houses, garages, lofts and halls offer a wide range of creative ideas; meet the artists and makers, many of whom will be giving free talks. This year’s selected Scottish craft artists are exhibiting in craft@thegarage.

The fantastic Cabaret Boom Boom presents international performance artistes in circus skills, musical buffoonery and comedy. Catch their daytime street theatre for a free flavour of this three evenings event.

Poetry and prose, music and drama, art related workshops for adults and children and all the artists are on our web site as they are confirmed.

The Festival Cafe Marquee is on the harbour and parking is easy in our designated car park, just follow the AA signs. For more details go to: www.pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk

EAST NEUK OPEN STUDIOS

FIFE16-17 & 23-24 June

3-4 & 10-11 NovemberArtists invite you to visit them

in their studios. Paintings, prints, drawings, illustrations,

etchings, jewellery, textile art...Details on our website with

brochure to download: www.eastneukopenstudios.org

Free brochures available atFife Tourist Info. Centres.

STONEHAVENART CLUB

ANNUAL EXHIBITION

2012

Sat 28 July - Sun 5th August

Stonehaven Town HallOpen Daily 10am - 5pm

Admission Free

Art & Contemporary CraftMaisie & Mac

PittenweemArts Festival30th year 2012July 28th-August 5th

John Byrne Jake Harvey

and 100 artistswith workshops talks events

www.pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk

Danish printmakers

Glasgow Schools Painting CompetitionArtist jeweller Sheana Stephen created this hand forged salver for the over-all winner of the first ever Glasgow Schools Painting Competition which was sponsored by the RGI and The Norma Frame Foundation and supported by the Art Store. Made from a single sheet of silver, the hand engraved salver offers the contrast of hammered texture and reflected light in the polished surfaces. On the reverse; the commemorative hall mark celebrates the Queen's diamond jubilee.

The competition attracted entries from secondary schools across Glasgow who submitted work on a theme connected with their native city, and was judged by artists Liz Knox, Tom McEndrick and Elspeth Lamb.Participating schools include Eastbank Academy Shettleston, John Paul Academy, Notre Dame High, Springburn Academy, Hillhead Academy and Glasgow High School, and over 200 entries were showcased at a month-long exhibition in The Glasgow Art Club.

Overall winner: Nina Stirling, Glasgow Gaelic School Articles by: Heather MacLeod2nd: Paul Martin, Smithycroft Secondary3rd: Maria Dyakonova, Notre Dame High4th: Craig Kelly, Abercorn Secondary For more information go to the RGI website at:5th: Hannah McGregor, Kelvinside Academy www.royalglasgowinstitute.org.uk

Streets AheadGlasgow children paint the way - the fortress-like church hall is surrounded by low-rise housing, while Europe's Celtic Park is a goal kick away. In the near distance, epic construction work for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is radically altering the urban hardscape. Inside the hall, building bricks of another kind are being cemented by children representing P6 and 7 classes from three local primary schools, in the aesthetic form of an audio/visual mural. Brushes in hand, wearing paint spattered shirts, the children work alongside an educational team which includes drama, poetry and art specialists, to create a mural that reflects their wishes for a culture of non-violence and respect in their community.

The Streets Ahead project is being delivered by the Children's Parliament in tandem with Strathclyde Police's Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV), and sponsored by Scottish Government and Cash back for Communities through YouthLink Scotland.

Artist Joanna Boyce of who Creative Artworks (www.creativeartworks.co.uk) is one of the dynamic team helping to convert the children's magical thinking into art: ‘We started by exploring with charcoal and big sheets of paper on the floor, and from this, the children came up with the idea of light rising up from the front of the mural. You could describe my role as being akin to a musical conductor, waving the baton to help the children sort out their ideas and images to create a visual score which tells everyone's story.’

The end result which will tour Scotland is so much more than a colourful and dramatic piece of art, as the children's lives and the lives they would like to live, are now seared on canvas for all to see.

The Children's Parliament is an independent charity engaging with children from birth to 14 across Scotland, in the context of family, school and community, through creative projects, consultations and community programmes. To find out more, visit: www.childrensparliament.org.uk

East End children create a community on canvas

Blairs MuseumBlairs College, a boarding school for boys thinking about the Catholic priesthood and which closed in 1986, was home to a magnificent collection of paintings, church textiles, sacred silver and Jacobite memorabilia belonging to the Scottish Roman Catholic Church, which we continue to care for and display.

Paintings span more than four centuries and feature some of Scotland's most renowned historical figures. The highlight of the collection is a full length memorial portrait of Mary Queen of Scots dressed as she was on the day of her execution.

There are portraits of three generations of the Stuart family, complimented by Jacobite relics and memorabilia from Bonnie Prince Charlie's time in Scotland.

A collection of sacred vessels used in Catholic worship, made in Britain and Europe, dates over many centuries. Precious vessels of

gold and silver play an important role in the rites and ceremonies of the Catholic Church and many of the items on display in the

museum were used as part of college life at Blairs.

Visit Blairs Museum and explore a stunning collection of fine and decorative art spanning more than 500 years.

FREE PARKING, TEA ROOM, SHOP & WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

Open April to October

Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Mondays 2-5pm. Visitors welcome outside these times and by arrangementSouth Deeside Road, Blairs, Aberdeen, Scotland AB12 5YQ. Tel: 01224 863767 www.blairsmuseum.com

SCOTTISH POTTERY, 1750 - 1950Douglas Bowie, President of the Scottish Pottery Society, on Scottish pottery and ceramics.

Ceramic production in Scotland in the two hundred years form about 1750 to 1950 was on an industrial scale. Large factories such as the Delftfield and Verreville works in Glasgow in the 18th century were followed by many more in the 19th century such as Bell's Glasgow Pottery, which was the largest, the Clyde Pottery in Greenock and Jamieson’s, Marshall’s and McNay’s various works in Bo'ness. The last mentioned, which finally closed in 1959, employed many hundreds of people.

To this can be added the potteries of Kirkcaldy and district - Methven’s and Heron’s to name but two and Heron’s Fife Pottery, which was responsible for Wemyss Ware, loved by Royalty and eagerly collected to this day. Prestonpans and Portobello also gave us many 18th century and 19th century potteries with Buchan’s factory in Portobello lasting from 1867 until it transferred to Crieff in 1972 where production continued for several years, still under the same name as Buchan’s.

Alloa and Aberdeen also had major potteries and, in common with many of the others, had to seek their fortunes down in the south and overseas. Bell’s produced a wonderful range of export patterns for the South-East Asian market whereas Marshall’s of Bo'ness produced a series called Canadian Sports, based on Christmas cards sent home by ex-patriate Scots. A great deal of sponge ware, so-called because of the use of marine sponges, was produced, proving very popular in North America where it is still collected.

Ceramic production was often a spin-off from other industries, a local, cheap supply of coal for kilns being paramount, together with a source of local clay. The early chemical works in Scotland provided the impetus to attempt new forms of ware and decoration. They were encouraged by the early giants of the Industrial Revolution, such as James Watt, who had interests in Delftfield and at Bo’ness with Dr. John Roebuck of Carron Ironworks fame.

Scottish ceramics remains a fascinating area of study with much still to be done in all corners of the world.

Angus Open StudiosAngus Open Studios opened in 2011 and had a successful year with 53 artists taking part on the website and in the directory. We had 2 other events during the year, including a selected Christmas event at Hospitalfield in Arbroath.

The great benefit of AOS to artists and craftsmen is that we get to meet each other and share ideas, venues, business contacts, exhibitions etc. The clear advantage to the public is that people can find us and we can show them what we do and how we make our work in our own studios.

This is the case for all open studios but particularly crucial here in Angus which is a small and mainly rural area without many galleries or much support for the arts, but filled with talented artists and craftsmen and women, traditional and contemporary, mainly selling in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh or Glasgow.

It is important that people can find us in our studios and in the process discover the hidden gems of the glens and beautiful scenic coastline, the lovely seafood and cosy cafes.

Now we are preparing for our second year of Angus Open Studios, which will take place between 24th-28th May, and look forward to meeting visitors from all over Scotland.

For information, visit: www.www.angusopenstudios.org.uk

Perthshire Open Studios 2012September 2012 will see the fifth year of Perthshire Open Studios with over 100 venues across Perthshire opening their doors once again for this 9 day event.

Whatever your interest in art, there will be a wide variety of work on display in studios, galleries, shops and even a number of garden shed workshops, many open all year round.

Not only will you be able to experience the diverse range of arts and crafts but the Open Studio event is a rare opportunity to meet the artists behind their creations, to share their creative spaces and see how they work with many offering workshops, some complimentary during the event. And if that’s not enough you may find a cup of tea and some home baking also on offer.

Venues are grouped into 6 routes from Couper Angus across to Killin, and from Pitlochry down to Rumbling Bridge. The event is supported by Perth and Kinross council.

The event runs from 1st to 9th September with venues open from 10am to 5pm most days, some stay open into the evening. Please check the website or brochure for individual opening times.

For further details and to source a brochure visit www.perthshireopenstudios.com.

To find out more, go to: www.artnewsscotland.co.uk

32 WEST HIGH STREET, CRIEFF, PH7 4DL. TEL: 01764 656100 info@strathearn-gallery.com

www.strathearn-gallery.com

EXHIBITIONS OF CONTEMPORARY PAINTINGS & APPLIED ART

BY ARTISTS BASED IN SCOTLAND

TRATHEARN THE

ALLERY

artistsdesignersmakersgalleriesstudios

exhibitions

Aberfeldy Gallery We show the best in contemporary art, exhibiting over 300 original paintings by a large number of selected Scottish Artists in Perthshire. The Gallery is open April to December full time and the rest of the year with restricted hours (see website for details).

3 & 9 Kenmore St, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2BL Tel: 01887 829129

www.arberfeldygallery.co.uk

Original Scottish Art,Sculpture & Jewellery

16 Ancaster Square, Callander FK17 8BL

Tel: 01877 339577www.gallerialuti.co.uk

featured makerMarion KaneAfter completing a residency at Edinburgh College of Art I set up my studio in West Kilbride in 2003. What appealed to me when applying for one of the studios was the chance to have a work space and a front shop together, giving me the opportunity to sell directly to the public instead of just through galleries and other retail outlets.

Since my final year at Glasgow School of Art I have specialised in producing clean lined vessels and tableware using the technique of ‘hand raising’. This involves using metal formers and a variety of hammers to beat the sheet silver into form. One vessel can be struck thousands of times to produce the final piece. My work is housed in a number of private and public collec-tions including the Kelvingrove Museum Glasgow, Victoria & Albert Museum London and Bute House Edinburgh.

After setting up the studio I started to diversify into making jewellery, repairs and remodelling. I use the same inspiration for both the tableware and the jewellery. The textures I apply to the surface of the metal stem from the everyday patterns I encounter, from the harsh architectural lines to the ever changing seashore and landscape. Some hand embellished textures have a rough, almost scarred finish, whilst other are very soft and delicate. Both styles give my work a unique tactile quality and no two pieces will be exactly the same. Once each item is produced I regularly add flashes of gold to add warmth and accentuate the form and surface.

To see more of Marion’s work call into her workshop at: Studio 24, Ritchie Street, West Kilbride or visit: www.marionkane.com

featured artistMartin R NelsonMartin was born in London 1948; fortunately for him his parents moved to Yorkshire where he lived for 30 years before moving to Aberdeen. As a child, Martin was extremely poor at mathematics, due to both geometry and algebra never being taught properly at school. However, life has some strange twists and turns, and now he finds most of what interests him in art comes from the very subjects theoretically he should have no interest in at all.

After graduating with a BA (Hons) Sculpture Degree in 2007 and thereafter with a MFA Degree 2008 at Gray’s School of Art, Martin began both constructing and working from his ‘Cowden Studio’ premises. His work has been show in both solo and group exhibitions throughout the UK and purchased by collectors both nationally and internationally.

The doctrine attributed to Pythagoras ‘all things are numbers’ has directed Martin's artistic output for the past 5 years. It has focussed upon him a whole new approach to his art practice and shown him that art might be found within number systems, especially those where an ordered and progressive mathematical repetition are dominant.

Within his work there is a deep sense of process, not the printmaking process or the assembly process but an unknown process that he believes he has no over. This process like nature is organic; indeed, nature exerts a continual influence over his work. And, in turn, he has been able to draw upon this process through his knowledge of geometry and mathematics as his main constructive aid by which his ideas acquire visible form. To see more of Martin's work, visit: www.martinrnelson.com

featured artistMathew O'Connor Mathew was born in 1950 in Rothsay on the Isle of Bute on the west coast of Scotland. His Father was an officer in the Royal Navy and the family moved frequently as his father was posted to various naval bases around the UK and Malta. The family moved to Kenya when he was fifteen and it was there that he developed a life-long interest in drawing and natural history.

‘Kenya was an ideal place - vast spaces and a great wealth of wildlife. Then to South Africa and a few years later to Israel, where I spent the next two years fish-farming on a kibbutz in the Jordan Valley. It proved a life changing experience - a small country crammed with history and a surprisingly rich natural history; all this and having to deal with the constant threat of violent attack. I returned to the UK and joined an off-shore survey company, spending the next twenty years working at sea world-wide. These were years rich with the experience of new countries and the ever changing moods of the sea.

This came to an abrupt halt when I was made redundant. I then decided to follow a life-long dream of becoming a professional artist. I enrolled at the Moray School of Art in Elgin and graduated in May 2008 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. I am now a self-employed artist living in the coastal village of Findochty in the north east of Scotland.

Currently I have been working on a collection of Whisky Distillery interiors which were exhibited at the Glenfiddich Gallery recently and will be shown at Still Life Gallery during the 2012 Whisky Festival (26the April - end of May).

To see more of Mathew’s amazingly lifelike work, visit: www.oconnorart.co.uk

featured artistMargaret EvansMargaret was born in Glasgow and graduated from Glasgow School of Art (DA) studying under David Donaldson, which influenced her love of oil painting, portraiture & figurative work. After graduating from University of London with a teaching degree, (ATC) she discovered soft pastels, exhibiting at the Mall Galleries with the Portrait Society, Pastel Society & United Artists, before returning to Scotland to set up Shinafoot Studios with her family, developing Art Workshops & International Painting Holidays based in Perthshire.

Through her teaching, and particularly her pastel painting, she has become one of the UK’s leading contemporary pastel artists, travelling worldwide, not only teaching Painting holiday groups, but by invitation to Pastel Societies, covering Australia, USA, Canada, & Europe. She is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA) and pastel Artists of Canada (PAC) and is the only UK artist to be invited to IAPS (International Society of Pastel Artists) over a span of the last 10 years.

‘Through travel, and experiencing the challenges of outdoor painting in beautiful settings worldwide, I have grown to appreciate more our own magnificent landscape in Scotland, and particularly love to paint the wild and unspoilt terrain of Glencoe, the picturesque Highlands around Kintail and the Islands. And there is so much more of Scotland I haven’t even seen yet!’

Margaret’s work is now exhibited in many of Scotlands’ galleries, and visitors are welcome to visit her studio by appointment at Shinafoot, near Auchterarder.

To see more of Margaret’s work, visit: www.shinafoot.co.uk

Fine Art Photography- where is it all hiding?If you are in search of Fine Art photography in Scotland the chances are, with the exception of the very few specialist galleries, you will be confinedto visiting the smaller artist owned galleries, public spaces, gift shops andopen studio venues, which is not really a true representation of the creative talent in Scotland producing artworks in this medium.

This is something of a contrast to the south of the UK and Europe and all the way across the pond to America and New York where Fine Art Photography appears to be much more celebrated as an art form.

A definition of Fine Art Photography is that it is work created primarily as an expression of the artist's vision where they will be following personal inspiration for all aspects of their work. The distinction between photographic images created for sale as art and those commissioned for commercial and social clients can be a little blurred and many professional photographers will practice both for the sake of maintaining their income.

Digital capture and printing is the most popular medium for photography today. It is an art in itself with a variety of papers to be selected to bring out the subtle tones of the image and thus producing the Fine Art Giclee print with its near true and lasting colours (no complaints so far!) It’s comforting to know that there is still a strong presence of film users, both newcomers and the more experienced producing,exceptional digital and traditional darkroom fine art prints.

The diversity of artistic photographic talent across Scotland is as wide as any medium, from the more obvious landscapes to floral, macro, still life, abstract and figures, but to acquire a Fine Art Print you may find you need to work a little harder to discover evidence of this work. Dave and Gill: www.wildgrass.co.uk

Michelle de Bruin graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1990 and is based in Duns, Berwickshire. She is resident stonecarver at Hutton Stone Company Ltd, where she undertakes all the lettering and architectural carving work by commission. She also produces her own artwork, which for the last few years has focused on researching natural history collecting. She is now looking to take her research further afield and proposes to use the travel award for two trips; one to Chicago and New York, and one to Italy.

Emma Noble graduated from Grays School of Art in 2008 and is based in Kyle of Lochalsh. Currently Emma works as a graphic designer for a small local print company on Skye as well as producing her own work, which are collages and prints using a variety of processes. Her artwork is a reaction to the man-made; architectural shapes, colours and textures of the places that she visits. Last year she spent several days in Paris which she found hugely inspirational and now she plans to use the award money to go to France for a longer period. She wants to explore the visual contrast of bigger city and smaller towns and use as a springboard for a new body of prints.

The Trust, established in 1995, aims to support Scottish artists deemed worthy of encouragement and alternates the award each year between financial assistance for travel and to enable the artist to develop and exhibit new work in an exhibition at The Fergusson Gallery.

For further information please contact: Mary Willis, Communications Officer, Email: mwillis@pkc.gov.uk

J D Fergusson Arts Award 2012Chair of the J D Fergusson Arts Award Trust, Roger Billcliffe, presentated awards to artists Michelle de Bruin and Emma Noble at Perth Museum & Art Gallery.

The two winners this year were selected from a shortlist of seven by the Trustees and invited external assessors, who this year were art critic, Tim Cornwell and artists Ian McKenzie-Smith and Peter Graham ROI.

Both artists will also be giving a public talk on their travels at Perth Museum and Art Gallery later in 2012.

Emma Noble

Michelle de Bruin

MILTON ART GALLERYart for everyone

Original Art, Prints, Ceramics, JewelleryRegularExhibitions&ArtWorkshopsMilton of Crathes, Banchory (A93) AB31 5QH Tel: 013308 44664

e-mail: info@miltonart.com www.miltonart.comOpen: Mon.- Sat. 10am - 5pm, Sun. 11am - 5pm

Lost Scottish Contemporary Art

The

Gallery

Buchaille Etive Mor, Oil, Artist Peter Goodfellow

Telephone for a free brochure

The Lost GalleryStrathdon, Aberdeenshire, AB36 8UJTel/Fax: 019756 51287

The McEwan Gallery of Royal Deeside

Fine Scottish & Continental Art from the last three centuriesBallater AB35 5UB T: 01339 755429

www.mcewangallery.com

RSW SUMMER EXHIBITION

MACLAURIN ART GALLERIESRozelle Park, Monument Road, Ayr KA7 4NO

SUNDAY 13 MAY - SUNDAY 12 JUNE 2012Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sundays 12-5pm, Closed Tuesdays

EXHIBITION TOUR with JOHN INGLIS PRSW RGI HAWISATURDAY 19 MAY 2pm Maclaurin Galleries £5 per person

GOLF LINKS WITH ARTS FESTIVALNairn is keen to promote creative art and this year the Nairn Book and Arts Festival will be hosting exhibitions in both June and September.

From 6th to 11th June a special art exhibition will be held to coincide with the Curtis Cup, played at Nairn's championship links. The Curtis Cup is the bi-annual golf competition between teams of amateur lady golfers representing the United States of America and Great Britain & Ireland.

This prestigious event will bring golfing enthusiasts from all over the world to the Scottish Highlands and to add to their enjoyment an exhibition including some of the best professional artists from the area will be showing, and selling, their work in the historic Nairn Court House. The Festival is also delighted to be featuring original work from Lucy Tormey, Curtis Cup Event Artist at this exhibition.

The Nairn Book & Arts Festival will then be held from 4th to 9th September with the same eclectic mix of all arts genres as have developed since its inception as a book Festival in 2003. Literary speakers will intermingle with concerts of classical, jazz and traditional music. Drama will be followed by stand-up comedy acts and all the time there will be exhibitions of contemporary art to be enjoyed.

For more information about the Nairn Book & Arts Festival, visit: www.nairnfestival.co.uk

artaboyne 2012The Memorial Hall is a beautiful building and the fresh flowers and all the art work make it an extremely attractive venue. A small cafe area with help-yourself coffee, tea and biscuits, enables you to relax and chat to friends in a creative atmosphere.

The exhibition is open from Saturday July 24th, 2012 until Saturday August 8th 2012 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Potfest, from simple beginningsIn 1989 Geoff and Christine Cox exhibited at their first Continental potters' market, the International Ceramics Festival in Eindhoven, Holland. Potters from all over Europe were exhibiting their work on market stalls in the city centre. It came as a revelation - potters of international repute were away from a gallery setting and selling their work in the heart of the community.

Inspired by the idea they wanted to see something similar in the UK but soon realised that if it were to happen here, they would have to do it, and to put the event in the heart of their own farming community they decided on a large under cover cattle market as a venue. They decided the event should be open entry, with no selection. The location would be Penrith, on the edge of the Lake District national park, their nearest town, near the geographical centre of the UK. So in early June 1994 Potfest in the Pens was born. The first potters' market of any size in the UK.

In 1997 the formula was repeated in central Scotland at Perth, the ancient capitol, where the Highlands meet the Lowlands. In 2000, the Penrith event, now in August, was oversubscribed with 300 applying for the 150 available spaces. An obvious answer was another show to extend the festival. So, in late July 2001 (the weekend before Potfest in the Pens) Potfest in the Park was held at Hutton-in-the-Forest, an old Country House 4 miles north of Penrith.

In 2002 in order to find more time for their own ceramics Geoff and Christine decided to concentrate their energies on developing the content of the extending festival in Penrith. Matthew, their son, took over the running of Potfest Scotland. Since then he has added Potfest South West in 2003, Potfest in the Peak District in 2005, and Potfest Shropshire in 2007.

Potfest returns to the Perth area for its 15th year in Scotland. This years show is Potfest at the Palace, in the wonderful grounds of Scone Palace, the home of the Stone of Destiny, the crowning site of former Scottish kings, and where the event is being held in marquees on the grounds at the rear of the Palace.

Registered Charity SC037105.

Curtis Cup Art ExhibitionWednesday 6th–Monday 11th JuneIncluding work by Lucy Tormey, LGU Event Artist

Festival Art ExhibitionTuesday 4th–Sunday 9th September

For people who love books,drama, art, music & more!

www.nairnfestival.co.uk

Courses for art lovers

Visit www.houseforanartlover.co.uk or telephone 0141 353 4776 for details

The House hosts regular exhibitions, courses and masterclasses by leading, contemporary artists, designers and architects.

House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park, 10 Dumbreck Road, Glasgow G41 5BW

DONSIDE FRAMES99 High Street, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 3QJPhone: 01467 625444 • Email: sales@donsideframes.com

We are pleased to launch 2 new Limited edition prints by Duncan Palmar: Evening Glow and Sunset Stroll

(see above). These prints are exclusive to Donside Frames

featured artistNicole Stevenson Nicole was brought up in East Lothian and now lives in Lenzie, on the outskirts of Glasgow. After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1987, she began to experiment with watercolour as a much more portable and practical way of interpreting the landscape in contrast to the oil paintings undertaken at college.

‘I love the fluidity, unpredictability and mesmerizing effects of watching the colours dry.’

Nicole moved to Wester Ross where watercolour was the perfect medium to capture the soft colours and dramatic skies, ‘it really leant itself to painting the atmosphere of the Highlands’. In 1992 she left Glenelg, to pursue a teacher training course and has since combined part-time teaching with painting.

In 1998 she travelled for a year to Pakistan, China and the Far East, where the vibrant colours, strong light and intricate textiles led to a compelling desire to intensify the colours and textures used in her paintings. So after spending many years as a pure water colourist, Nicole now uses everything in her water based, mixed media paintings, including: collage, bright acrylics and pearlescent inks, tempered with black ink, compressed charcoal and matt gouache. She has found it liberating to build up layers of texture and light on dark pigments, which often results in a more abstract quality to her paintings.

She is constantly drawn to the West Coast of Scotland, spending every holiday exploring the islands and beaches, often including little white cottages and the personalities of colourful fishing boats in her landscape paintings.

To see more of Nicole’s dramatic work, visit: www.inchmoregallery.co.uk

featured artistPam GlenniePam is best known for her colourful contemporary works in pure pastel, inspired by Scotland’s coastline.

Her distinctive colour palette has been influenced by her design background and by the strong colourist tradition in Scottish Painting.

Pam loves to deconstruct the formal elements of painting to create seascapes and floral ‘colour arrangements’ which take on a life of their own.

‘I make specific colour notes and detailed sketches when out on location. Recently I’ve been using my laptop for this, useful and liberating, there’s no limit in terms of the colours available. Work is then developed back in the studio and colours selected from over 2000 pastel shades! I am sure I will soon be developing the work in a purely freehand digital format, although the pastels have a unique sensual quality that I love.’

Pam is a Graduate of Glasgow School of Art. Awards include the Paisley Art Institute Small Painting Prize, the JD Henderson Memorial Trophy and the Christian Aid Artist Prize.

Published works and Originals are exhibited in galleries throughout Scotland. Pam is pleased to announce that her work will also be shown in London, in 2012.

To view more of Pam’s work, visit: www.pamglennie.com

featured artistPeter Foyle Peter was born in Dorset in 1964 and studied Illustration at St Martin's, London, graduating in 1986. After practising as a freelance artist and illustrator, he then moved to Scotland in 1990 where he and his wife, Fiona, opened The Framework Gallery in Troon, Ayrshire.

‘I have always been fascinated by the way paintings can reflect and convey impressions of the world around us. I always felt artists had a kind of magic in their ability to conjure space, atmosphere and even clouds and water from paint on a flat surface. At school I spent many hours in the art room trying to discover what the secrets were and thirty years later I'm still searching! Cycling around the Dorset countryside with my paints and easel, I gained valuable experience of painting en plein air.

I like to paint a variety of subjects, from harbours and old cottages to the more monumentally architectural scenes of Glasgow and Edinburgh. However, it is more the abstract qualities of a subject that attract me as much as the place or object itself. The composition, colour, tonal interplay and quality of the paint is more interesting to me in, say, a harbour painting than the actual boats.’

Peter has been working almost exclusively in oils for the last few years, building up the paintings in layers, starting with the dark tones through to the light, drawing with the paint to try and achieve an impression of the light and atmosphere of the subject.

View Peter’s work at www.frameworktroon.co.uk and www.peterfoyle.co.uk

featured artistPeter LutiAfter realising his love of art at school, Peter Luti went on to make it his life by studying ceramics at Duncan of Jordanston College of Art, Dundee and Goldsmiths College, London. He later progressed to lecturing in Art and Design before eventually finishing his teaching career as Head of the Expressive Arts at Glasgow University.

Influenced by the landscape around him, and in particular the diversity of the Scottish terrains, Peter constantly focuses, explores and develops his style. Not only motivated by his surroundings, Peter draws inspiration from many of his fellow contemporary Scottish Artists.

‘I admire greatly the range of work produced by Jim Wylie, Ian Elliot and Peter King. Many of their pieces are inspirational. I describe my own work as ‘simplified semi-abstract’, which does not fall into the constraints of a particular artistic style. I have developed it over a number of years and have yet to see a similar technique in other artists work. The depth of texture is vitally important to the final piece.’

Peter's heavily textured application prior to the addition of colour is a technique that he has made his own, and his work is instantly recognisable. The process of developing the application and technique and the drive to improve with each new piece is one of Peter's favourite aspects of being a professional artist. As a result, his driven approach to his work has resulted in Peter having no particular favourite piece of his own, but viewing each work as an individual challenge.

To see more of Peter’s colourful works, visit: www.gallerialuti.co.uk

N E O SNorth East Open StudiosSaturday 15th to Sunday 23rd September 2012

The North East Open Studios (NEOS) is Scotland's Largest Open Studios event. An award winning, not for profit collective of artists, makers and galleries in the North East of Scotland who open their doors to the public yearly.

NEOS was primarily set up to provide a focus in the year for arts & craft practitioners to interface directly with the public. Formed in 2003, we provide an informal contact network for artists, gallery-owners and makers, and help the public access the wealth of creative talent throughout the North East of Scotland, winning the Northern Lights Tourism Award 2007 for best Aberdeenshire Tourism Initiative.

The event serves to engage wider audiences in all aspects of art; to grow small-scale art and craft business in the north east of Scotland, and to provide a cohesive network of professional artists and makers. In 2011 there were an estimated 15,000 visitors to the 286 participants, confirming that there is a thirst from the public to see and experience creative practice in the North East of Scotland.

To find out more about this event, go to: www.neos.org.uk

ART FAIR SET TO RETURN TO ABERDEEN

The Aberdeen Art Fair ‘is set to wow' once again, as it returns to the Music Hall this summer. The event has now become a major date on the cultural calendar following the success of its debut last year.

Taking place on 18th and 19th August, it looks to attract galleries from across the UK and beyond to celebrate the diversity of European art, bringing together some of the best names in art.

Around 45 galleries from across Europe are set to feature during the two-day event, showcasing a number of well-known artists, as well as young and emerging talent, giving them the chance to display their work and offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of art. With over 2,000 visitors attending last year's fair and with the sale of thousands of pounds of art, the Aberdeen Art Fair has cemented its position in Scotland's vibrant arts scene.

For the second year running, the Aberdeen Art Fair will be sponsored by global energy company, TAQA. Leo Koot, the

Managing Director said: ‘The inaugural fair last year was a huge success, with thousands of visitors getting the chance

to experience a wide range of work from galleries basedlocally, as well as pieces from as far afield as Germany and

Monaco.’ We believe the arts contribute significantly to a thriving local community and we are extremely pleased to

be involved with Aberdeen Art Fair again this year.’

For art lovers, collectors and first-time buyers, the Aberdeen Art Fair offers an extensive collection of affordable art

works, ranging from as little as £50 to £10,000.

In addition to the Fair, there will be a free art club for 5 to 10 year olds running over the two days, which will undoubtedly inspire the younger members of the audience to get involved. A Music Hall cafe bar will be open to visitors to provide a quiet place to enjoy a coffee or a relaxing bite to eat between browsing.

Entry to the Art Fair is £3 for a full day, with free entry for accompanied children (Under 15). The Fair is open from 9 am-5 p.m. on Saturday, 18th August and from 10am-5pm on Sunday, 19th August.

Full details can be found on: www.aberdeenartfair.co.uk and you can keep up-to-date with all that is happening on facebook: www.facebook.com/abdnartfair

Still LifePicture Framer & Gallery

Creative Picture Framing for all budgets

OIL PAINTINGS and FRAMED LIMITED EDITION PRINTS

COLLECTABLES, SOAPS,CANDLES, DIARIES,

CALENDARS, JEWELLERY and POTTERY

126 HIGH STREET, ABERLOUR

MON -SAT 10am-5pm

(01340)871457www.still-life-studio.co.uk

featured makerPeter Wareing Peter trained at Manchester for a DipAD in 3D design during the early 1970s. It was there that he developed his passion for working in ceramics. After an extensive period teaching in Birmingham schools where he continued to maintain his enthusiasm for making things. Peter left in 2006 to concentrate purely on his own ceramic work. Since then he has evolved an individual and distinctive approach to the craft and shown his work extensively in the UK.

Peter makes use of the ancient technique of tube lining, a way of drawing directly on to the pot which leaves a design with raised lines forming a barrier for the coloured glazes that are flooded on to the pot afterwards. He uses this in a contemporary way to create some expressive and evocative imagery.

The pots themselves are mostly thrown on the wheel but he also produces some sculptural hand built forms and tiles. The imagery he creates has a number of influences which are often juxtaposed in complex designs which are then balanced by blank areas of the white porcelain. The shapes are based on natural forms found in woodland or on the sea shore and are also some-times mixed with illustrations of the human figure. These are adapted from Peter's own life drawings.

Early in 2011 Peter and his wife moved from Staffordshire to the ancient town of Whithorn in South West Scotland. It is here that he has set up his new stu-dio close to spectacular coastal scenery and the Galloway Forest Park.

Further details about Peter's work can be found on his web site: www.peterwareingceramics.co.uk

featured artistRobert RyanRobert Ryan originally started out his career as a metal worker. He confesses he had no interest from day one and says in his own words, that he was the worst metal worker on the Clyde!

Moving on from metal work, he started a business buying and selling cars, improving them and spray painting. He did this for around twenty years, before opening a business with his brother Martin.

Robert’s new business was a step closer to his creative nature, designing, making and selling mirrors with his brother, leading to a successful 15 year career, supplying large jewellers and gift shops with mirrors and frames. Later, Robert started to work on small decorative metal panels, stepping even closer to the work he produces now.

Robert travelled to Australia on many occasions, living there for years at a time. Travelling the country led him through many colourful places such as Thailand and Bali, and is reflected in his work. When living in Australia, Robert worked for a special effects company, which gave him opportunities and inspiration to try new and different types of decorative work, eventually leading to his ‘glass canvases’. His jewel-like works have been an amalgamation of travels, experiences and memories.

Each piece is totally unique, with Robert painstakingly applying copper wires, crushed gemstones and metal pieces into each piece of glass. He calls them ‘jew-ellery for walls’.

To see more of Robert’s work, visit: www.gallerialuti.co.uk

featured artistSian MacQueenRecently elected and one of the youngest members of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW) Sian MacQueen was delighted to win the Winsor and Newton award at the Annual Exhibition held at the Royal Scottish Academy building Edinburgh, in February.

A graduate of Glasgow School of Art she exhibits in Scotland and across the UK. Having trained as a sculptor she returned to painting while running her own framing business and uses her knowledge of materials to create her uniquely textured works.

‘My research in to my genealogy, which has included finding a tailor and shoemaker from the Small Isles, has given me a fantastic source of narrative for my most recent work. I am also inspired by texture and enjoy simple abstract compositions that I use to try and create a visual excitement in my paintings.

I paint with acrylic on gesso which I scrape, sand, rub and score until I find what I'm looking for.’

Sian’s work can be found later this year at The Smithy Gallery in Blanefield, Glasgow, The Lime Tree Gallery in Bristol, Tighnabruich Gallery, Argyll and she can be visited at her studio during the Artmap Argyll Open Studio’s event 24-27th August.

To see more of Sian’s work, visit: www.sianmacqueen.com

featured makerVirgil BauzyVirgil likes making baskets , Monday to Friday as a job and on Saturdays as a hobby, if there's a lot of orders. The last 4 or 5 years he has been really busy, so it's 6 days a week and 8 to 12 hours a day. The work is intense and relaxing at the same time.

‘At the start I take about 200 to 300 willow rods and work them into the shape and size the customer wants, especially if the basket is to fit into that odd space in the kitchen or on narrow shelves.

The shopper's, dog, log and laundry baskets are all useful and practical items, for every day life. It's nice and easy, I don't have to think about the deep meaning hidden in the out-of-shape and asymmetrical objects.’

‘You remind me of my father,’ an old lady once said, when she saw me working at a farmers' market. ‘He used to sit in the kitchen and make baskets.’ She was very old, at least a hundred, just as basket making is old. I guess that a distant ancestor was nibbling at the berries from a basket while painting hunting scenes on the wall of his cave.

There are no paintings on the wall of my workshop on the west coast, in Scotland's Craft Town - West Kilbride. Only the list of baskets waiting to be made.

To see more of Virgil’s fine work, visit his Hasting Wood shop or go online to:www.hastingwoodbasketworks.com

COAST FESTIVALArtists are now being invited to submit to the juried open submission for the BBAF exhibition ‘Show Your Hand’ to be held by the BBAF during the Banff and Macduff COAST festival of 25th-27th May 2012.

The theme of the show is the risk we face of the collective loss of artisanal skills.

Since industrialisation we have experienced an inevitable decline in the proportion of traditional skill-bearers in the community. This is not dissimilar to the loss of biodiversity in both the natural environment and among our domesticated plants and animals in that it carries the same potential threat of reduced capacity for adaptation in changing circumstances. In addition it is a cultural loss that diminishes us all. All pieces submitted must exhibit one or more craft skills.

As with last year's show, ‘Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan and Derelict’, there will be a combination of invited and open contributors. The invited entries including the work of professional master craftsmen as well as those known as ‘artists’. All the works will be offered for sale by silent auction.

The exhibition is intended to not only be of visual and artistic interest but also raise awareness of the potential loss of artisanal skill from our culture, and to make the viewer consider the implications of this.

Artists can view details and download entry forms at: www.bbaf-arts.org.uk or www.coastfestival.org.uk

To fid out what’s happening in the art world in Scotland, go to: www.artnewsscotland.co.uk

Living on the Scottish Islands We live in challenging times, with its diminishing incomes and economic woes so as an artist it is worth sitting down and considering what a privilege it is to live and work on the Isle of Skye.

With its stunning mountain and maritime landscapes the Island alone provides a lifetimes inspiration but it is also an excellent centre from which to explore the Outer Hebrides or to venture up the Scottish North West Coast where Applecross, Torridon, Assynt and Sutherland await. All have tantalising views round every corner. In fact it can all be overwhelming as, life is too short to paint all the splendour on view!

My life as a Landscape painter also allows me to indulge my other passion, Fly Fishing. Not only does visiting these wonderful places provide the source material for my work but it also takes me to some of the Country’s best Fishing locations. In fact tramping over the hills to a particular trout loch has often given me unusual vistas of some of our most famous mountains and Sea Lochs so both pursuits have become mutually beneficial to me.

Time spent Fishing gives the opportunity to take in the atmosphere and mood of a place. This strengthens my ability express my response to the Natural Environment. When Painting or Fishing I feel a kind of interaction is going on between myself and the Natural world. Perhaps tuning into the old cycles of nature left behind by the modern world.

For me, Skye and the West in general are best painted in water based media, due to our often rain soaked climate so I like to work in traditional watercolour or if I want to add a bit of texture mixed media based on wax resist. These media are also suited to capture the unique light of the area.

All in all, I feel Skye, The Islands and the North West give creative and spiritual nourishment to all the art-ists in the region and despite our Economic and Political woes the power and beauty of the place we live will help us thrive and prosper (Artistically at least!) until times improve.... Duncan Currie

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Just Artfine and applied arts

www.justart.co.uk

64 High Street,Fochabers, Moray,

IV32 7DH. 01343 820500

The Studio Fine Art Company is an exclusive concept gallery representing a section of

Scotland’s finest contemporary Artists

Event & Pop-up Exhibitions hosted throughout the year will introduce a continuous stream of new work

from our exhibiting artists as well as pieces from emerging, talented individuals. Exhibitions will be updated on the website and you can request to be added to our mailing list for the opportunity to be

invited to the private viewings and meet the artists (see the website for details)

Jack Nicolson by Craig Campbell

TBP Art & Design t/aThe Studio Fine Art Company

Private Gallery (by appointment only)Mor House, Woodhead Avenue, Bothwell G71 8AR

TBP Art & Design Ltd: 01698 852661The Studio Fine Art Company: 0141 340 9713

www.thestudiofineart.comPRIVATE CLIENT SERVICE CORPORATE ART CONSULTANCY

The Sea on Canvas

MARITIME ART FROM THE TAIT GALLERYJim Tait, Marine & Landscape Artist

Commissions Welcome11c Union Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0ET

Tel:  01595 690143Email: jim@tait-gallery.co.uk • Web: www.tait-gallery.co.uk

HARBOUR VIEW GALLERY

Original Paintings &Limited Edition Prints

of Highland and Island scenesby Anthony J Barber

Studio & Mail Order

Port of Ness • Isle of Lewis • Tel: 01851 810735E-mail: info@abarber.co.uk • www.abarber.co.uk

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pmSundays 11am-5pm

The Kirk, Wester Balblair, Beauly, Inverness-shire IV4 7BQ

Tel: 01463 783508greatgifts@beaulygallery.co.uk

gallery www.kinblethmontgallery.co.uk

Programme 2012March 10-24:

William Littlejohn RSAMay 12-26: David Cook

September 1-16: Lys HansenNovember 3-18 TBA

KinblethmontGalleryArbroath DD11 4RW

Tel: 01241 830756

K

Lost Landscapes challenging perceptions of contemporary art

In summer 2010 the Peter Potter Gallery developed a new programme called Lost Landscapes, a project which exploits boundaries between contempo-rary art, ecology, archaeology and history to create a layered exploration of the landscape and its inhabitants. The results include seven exhibitions, two archaeological digs and a comprehensive education programme of school residencies, walks, talks, workshops and performances. A small gallery can achieve far-reaching results; the gallery has worked with thousands of people.

We commission artists and makers to engage explicitly with current issues, ideologies and histories of the East Lothian Landscape, creating new interpretations, recordings, research and creative responses for the public. Lost Landscapes takes people outside and visitors of all ages have visited heritage sites and routes, taken part in archeological surveys and experienced the ecology of the local landscape firsthand. PPG is a hub for activities across the region, and we encourage environmental awareness.

Lost Landscapes is evolving and taking key themes and issues encompassed within this rich contemporary arts project into the future, particularly archaeology, local history and ecology.

Find us on facebook to receive regular updates, including calls for artists.

PROJECT  P IPERIn recognition of the fine work of the Kirkcudbright & District Pipe Band, plans are under way to erect a life-size bronze sculpture in Kirkcudbright’s Harbour Square, cast from an original sculpture by Glasgow artist Ludmilla Kosmina.

The life-size sculpture will be paid for from the profits of the sales of bronze statuettes of the statue, limited to an edition of just twenty-one, numbers 1-20 to be sold and number 0 being presented to HM Queen Elizabeth in the year of her Diamond Jubilee. Once sufficient funds have been raised we will give the go-ahead to the foundry in Peebles to produce the life-size statue.

The sculptor, Ludmilla, who has kindly donated her Piper design, normally works in ceramic to form figurines that sell extremely well in galleries throughout Scotland and her style is often humourous with a particular eye for detail. This is the first time her work has been cast in bronze and she is ‘looking forward to seeing the piece grow to a life-size statue for all to enjoy’.

The casting of the bronze statuettes will be carried out as they are ordered and the final life-size statue will be cast by the Beltane Studios Foundry in Peebles using the ‘lost wax process’. The computer capture work for the statuettes and the enlargement leading to the life-size statue has been undertaken by Relicarte, also of Peebles. This will be the very latest bronze sculpture erected in Scotland and, coincidentally, the very first piece produced in Scotland using the lost wax process is Kirkcudbright’s War Memorial at Maclelland's Castle.

Anyone wishing to view or purchase a statuette can do so at the Scottish Showcase Gallery, Riverside Mills, Beaconsfield Place, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4DP or contact Andrew Macdonald on Telephone No: 01557 339400

Actual Height of bronzeincl. granite base: 35.5cm

There are so many great art events happening every year in Scotland, and this journal can only feature so many, to find out more go to our website: www.artnewsscotland.co.uk,

for up-to-the-minute information. Need to promote an event? Contact Art News Scotland

Jonathan Wheeler Watercolour Artistwww.jonathanwheelerart.com 44(0)1309 692202 Originals . Commissions . Giclée Prints

TheGolf Art Gallery

MargaretE

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TC

•Originals•Prints•AntiquePrints•CorporateGifts•GolfCommissions•GolfPortraits•PictureFraming

OpenTues-Sat10am-5pmContactMalcolmatShinafootStudiosTel:01764663639Mob:07927197604

Artist, Author, TutorWorkshops

and Paintawaysthroughout the year

Tel: 01764 663639margaret”shinafoot.co.ukwww.shinafoot.co.uk

North Lands Creative Glass is Scotland’s internationally recognised centre of excellence in glass making. We run an annual programme of Master Classes, International Conference, artistís residencies, glass skills classes, beginner workshops and outreach programmes. We hold regular exhibitions in the North Lands Creative Glass Gallery, and have state of the art studio spaces to hire for individuals and groups.

North Lands Creative Glass, Quatre Bras, Lybster, Caithness, KW3 6BN, Tel: 01593721229, Charity: SCO23805www.northlandsglass.com, info@northlandsglass.com

North West HighlandsResidential Art Courses in magnificent and inspiring

scenery - mountains, sea, rivers, lochs.Warm hospitality & good food. Non-painters welcome.

Tutors: Alvaro Castagnet, Frances Hatch, John Hoar, Bettina Schroeder and David Tress.

See our website for a second David Tress course and new tutor, Christine O’Keeffe.

www.nwhighlandsart.co.uk Email Gillian Paterson: gillian@nwhighlandsart.co.uk or Nicola Macaulay-Smith: nicliniona@yahoo.co.uk

Brochures: Gillian Paterson, Brynaport, Strathcarron, IV54 8XB. Tel: 01520 733227

Art for Architecture High McGowanston Studio, Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland KA26 9JTTel/Fax: 01655 332215 Mobile 07762 100326 Website: www.a4a.com

John McKenna relocated his studio and foundry to Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland ten years ago. From his studio and art bronze foundry sited on his farm overlooking the Irish sea and Ailsa Craig Island he creates works of art which are to be found in public and private locations all over the UK.

In recent years John has created several life size portrait statues in Scotland, including the Jock Stein statue at the Celtic Parkhead stadium and the Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone statue for Viewpark, both in Glasgow.

‘I work in a variety of scales, colossal, heroic, domestic, on public and private commissions, producing my own designs or rising readily to the challenge of a clientís design brief. My smaller works using the human form seek to achieve balance, sensitivity and quietude for the observer to contemplate, aiming to pacify the senses in an increasingly demanding social environment. Originally I was trained in a strict traditional academic figurative discipline under the auspices of Dame Elizabeth Frink and always prefer to create sculpture modelled with observed naturalism and empathy with the subject, whilst imbuing dynamic creativity.

I have extensive working experience and practical design sense to undertake large-scale public art projects drawing on nearly twenty years of sculpture experience. I work with a variety of media, including large cast bronzes and stainless steel structures, aluminium, glazed brick architectural reliefs, metalwork fabrication, stone and cast stone. This cumulative mass of experience and genuine creativity has enabled me over the years to resolve many artworks leaving as many delighted collectors, clients and the public to enjoy my work for generations to come.’

John McKenna ARBS, John McKenna Sculpture Ltd., for more information visit: www.johnmckenna.co.uk

The Gilded Frame An Opportunity to Create Your Own

Since its rise in the 17th Century the gilded frame has remained a permanent fixture in the art of picture framing, and throughout all the changes of fashion from plain gilded oak frames to intricately carved frames to the heavy ornamentation of composition frames the popularity of the gilded frame has not wavered.

Gold seems to enrich everything it touches , a gilded frame enhances artwork and being neutral brings out the colours in the artwork. A gilded frame is a prestigious frame, and there is now a demand amongst the upmarket galleries for their artists to frame their work in these quality frames.

Gilding is a time consuming and expensive process for an artist or framer to outsource but it is an easy craft to learn, and there is no reason why an artist/framer should not create their own gilded frames. Jan Pike, a gilder with 25 years experience, runs a four day intensive beginner's course where students will be guided through all the stages of preparation of gesso and bole to the laying and burnishing of gold, using traditional materials.

At the end of the course students will have completed three projects: a water gilded frame, an oil gilded frame and a metal leafed frame. If time, students are given the opportunity to experiment with various paint effects and finishes on gesso which in itself present endless opportunities for a framer. Jan also teaches antique frame restoration.

For more details and dates of Jan Pike's courses check her website www.gildingcourses.com - she runs courses in London, Oxford, Salisbury, Birmingham and Scotland (Livingston April 23rd - 26th).

PROJECTS

WORKSHOPSRESIDENCIES

www.ssw.org.uk

Arts EventsCommunity EventsTechnical CoursesEvening ClassesFacilities

To get the latest information on all events and workshops please visit our website and sign up to the mailing list.SSW is open to the public 10am-5pm Mon to Fri (weekends by appointment). Call 01464 861372 or email office@ssw.org.uk.

Want to stage an exhibition? Do you have an event where you need to hang some art? We have the ideal solution for your temporary display with our light, but sturdy exhibition panels available for hire.Our panels come with a quality lighting system and picture hanging fittings.

The ideal solutionfor your pop-upgallery

For more information, call

0845 375 2030 www.gallerywalls.co.uk

HIGH McGOWANSTON FARM TURNBERRY AYRSHIREww.a4a.com email: john-mckenna@a4a.com tel 01655 332215

Designing and casting bronze statues public monuments plaques portraits memorials and fine art commissions

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Scotland’s leading publisher of quality limited edition giclee printsOver 100 exciting images to choose

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Available from selective galleriesthroughout Scotland and the UK

For your nearest stockists contactT: 01557 339400, Office: 339401E: info@macdonaldfineart.comW: www.macdonaldfineart.com m

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CHRISTINE O’KEEFFEA different approach to watercolourSaturday 14th July - Friday 20th JulyChristine is an experienced watercolourist and teacher who specialises in large bold and free watercolour landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.

This course is aimed at those who have used watercolours before but who either want to expand their knowledge of the medium and try something a bit different or want to work in a freer more expressive style.

Tuition over the five day teaching period of the course will be arranged in two two day blocks with a day out between to allow you to explore and paint the spectacular scenery of the west coast.

Christine teaches on a clear step by step basis with regular demonstrations whilst giving plenty of opportunity for you to develop your personal style and make the most of your own ability. She uses masking fluid as a drawing medium and for developing textures and advocates the use of strong pigment to encourage students to see watercolour, not as pale and insipid, but as a strong vibrant and exciting medium for producing expressive and colourful work. This watercolour course should be fun as well as being instructive with few rules other than those that are necessary to produce an exciting finished piece of work.

Having always worked in the field of art and design Christine has found the 'gentle' art of watercolour painting to be a constant and exciting challenge. Having lived and worked in the Highlands for the past twenty years Christine exhibits and teaches in and around Inverness as well as exhibiting in central Scotland and Edinburgh. Her work is in collections as far afield as America and South Africa.

You can contact Christine on: 01862 821447 or visit her website at: www.christineokeeffe.com

MORAY ART CENTREThe Park, Findhorn, Moray, IV36 3TA • Tel: 01309 692 426Email: info@morayartcentre.org www.morayartcentre.org

Situated along Scotland's historic northeast coastline, within an area of outstanding natural beauty, Moray Art Centre is the perfect place to relax, escape and be inspired this year.

2012 is our fifth anniversary and as the region's only purpose built public gallery, we've grown a reputation for being a small organisation with big ideas. Showcasing international and national collections, alongside the very best art from across the region, Moray Art Centre has borrowed works from the British Museum, the National Galleries of Scotland and RIBA,,to name but a few.

Since 2007, over 60,000 visitors have enjoyed Moray Art Centre's down-to-earth and friendly approach, with many taking part in our arts and craft courses. Whether you're looking for a family day out, to learn a new skill, or simply escape the humdrum of everyday life, our annual programme of weekly and day classes offers something for everyone to enjoy. From screen-printing to photography, life drawing and sculpture, our encouraging atmosphere and high quality tutors are guaranteed to keep you coming back for more!

And it doesn’t end there, visiting the area for a day trip or vacation? Why not add a little creativity with one of our creative holidays? Moray Art Centre's tranquil setting is perfect for those wishing to escape and unwind. The local natural environment never ceases to inspire, and there’s plenty to see and do in the surrounding towns and villages. We'll help you with all the hard bits - all you need to do is book! -so get in touch and join us for a Scottish holiday with a creative twist.

RSA CALL TO ARTISTS£11,000 of RSA Artist Opportunities

The Royal Scottish Academy is currently accepting applications for the RSA John Kinross Scholarship, RSA Morton Award, RSA Barns-Graham Travel Award and the RSA Littlejohn Award.

The deadline for the John Kinross Scholarship is 5 p.m., Monday, 2nd April, 2012. The deadline for all other Awards is 5 p.m., Wednesday, 13th June, 2012.

RSA JOHN KINROSS SCHOLARSHIPThese awards, (£2,000), are to enable final year and postgraduate artists and architects to spend a period of 6 to 12 weeks in Florence to research and develop their practice. Florence has been an inspiration to generations of artists and architects and this opportunity allows successful applicants to experience its magnificent history, study its art and architecture, learn the language and create a visual record of their experience. Ten artists will receive an initial payment of £1,800 for travel, accommodation and subsistence, as well as entrance to galleries and museums and any study visits to the surrounding areas with the remaining £200 awarded on the satisfactory completion of the scholarship. Artists are required to use this autonomy to the best of their advantage.http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/scholarships_detail.asp?id=37Deadline 2 April 2012 5pm

RSA MORTON AWARD for Lens based workThe Morton Award (£5,000) is for artists working in a lens-based media in Scotland. The Award is funded by The Morton Charitable Trust and administered by the Royal Scottish Academy and consists of:

• Monetary award to research, develop and produce a new body of work in a lens-based medium• Exhibition of completed work at the RSA Annual Exhibition in 2013 • Acquisition of work into the prestigious RSA Permanent Collections.

http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/scholarships_detail.asp?id=26Deadline 13 June 2012, at 5.00 p.m.

RSA BARNS-GRAHAM TRAVEL AWARDThe Barns-Graham Travel Award (£2,000) provides a travel and research opportunity for graduating and postgraduate students. The Award is funded by the Barns-Graham Charitable Trust and administered by the Royal Scottish Academy and consists of:• Funding for a period of research and development for a new body of work• Exhibition of completed work at the RSA Annual Exhibition in 2013• Acquisition of work into the prestigious RSA Permanent Collections.

http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/scholarships_detail.asp?id=27Deadline 13 June 2012 5pm

RSA WILLIAM LITTLEJOHN AWARD for excellence and innovation in water-based mediaThe RSA William Littlejohn Award for Excellence and Innovation in Water-based Media (£2,000) is funded by The William Littlejohn Bequest and administered by the Royal Scottish Academy and consists of: • Monetary award to research, develop and produce a new body of work in a water-based medium • Exhibition of completed work at the RSA Annual Exhibition in 2013• Acquisition of work into the prestigious RSA Permanent Collections.

http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/scholarships_detail.asp?id=31Deadline 13 June 2012 5pm

Developmental support of artists towards the creation of new work is a primary aim of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA). The RSA strives to achieve this through its series of Awards, Bursaries and Scholarships as well as its annual New Contemporaries Exhibition, Annual Exhibition and rolling exhibition programme that showcases new and innovative experimental art.

Note: please check the Scholarship & Awards section of the RSA website: www.royalscottishacademy.org

For any queries please contact RSA office on: T: 0131 225 6671 E: opportunities@royalscottishacademy.org The Royal Scottish Academy is a charity registered in Scotland (No. SC004198)Registered address: The RSA, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL.