Gradients and Thresholds: Contemporary Perspectives on the Figure

Louise Chang, Susan Kennedy, Brian McCluskey & Claire Paterson

1 - 12 May 2012

Preview: Thursday 3 May, 5-7pm

In this exhibition of selected new works by four recent GSA graduates, Louise Chang, Brian McCluskey, Claire Paterson & Susan Kennedy, the artists explore a their common interest in figurative representation and its place within contemporary painting.

In these works, figurative representations often abandoned in contemporary practice, is a mirror tool, becoming a reflective gesture used to examine attitudes and relationships within contemporary artistic discourse.

Kim & Lara Scouller
Relative Perspective

17 - 28 April 2012

This is the first joint show of paintings and drawings by the Scouller sisters. Despite working at opposite ends of the country, Kim in London and Lara in Dundee, the sisters are in constant communication with each other which perhaps explains why there is a strong connection in their work.

While Lara prefers to work directly in pastels using nature as her inspiration, Kim’s work involves working in oils and water-based paints, with the human environments and interaction important elements.

Says Kim: “While choosing different subject matter, we share a sympathy with the way we process that subject and the language we use.”

Lara

The first time that Lara Scouller (b Glasgow 1983),submitted work to the RGI’s annual show in 2010, she won the James Torrance Memorial Award for most promising young artist for her pastel drawing ‘Cormorant’ which reflects her fascination with wildlife.

Lara, who graduated in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in 2006 and is based in Dundee, first became interested in painting wildlife after visiting a taxidermy museum in Florence. Lara has exhibited widely, alongside winning several scholarships and prizes, including the Dundee Visual Artists Award and the RSA John Kinross scholarship to Florence.

As the daughter of artist Glen Scouller, Lara grew up in a creative household, and can’t remember a time when she wasn’t drawing and painting. Although she works from a WASPS studio in Dundee, Lara also works in the great outdoors at Dundee’s City Road Allotments. “It’s a good place to work as it’s quiet and peaceful.” says Lara. “Working outside is really inspiring and I’ve been made very welcome to the extent that I have a key to the allotments, and the added bonus of free veg!”

This exhibition provides Lara with the opportunity to combine her fascination with natural life, flora and fauna, and drawing from life, as well as exploring new ideas.

Kim

Kim (b Glasgow 1980) was the winner of the prestigious Aspect Prize in 2004 and from 2008-2009 was artist in residence at Prince’s Drawing School in London. She has exhibited widely across the UK including the BP Portrait Award at The National Portrait Gallery in London and her work is held in numerous private collections, including HRH Prince of Wales.

Kim who lives and works in London’s East End, recently spent six months living and working in Sweden where she made a new body of work which consisted of quick oil sketches of people she met while living there, and paintings made en plein-air in and around Stockholm.

“I was surprised how quickly I was able to make connections with other like-minded artists in another country. In this exhibition, I would like to use these works as a starting point for exploration of subject matter and experiences from that time.”

Robert McGilvray
'TIME/TIDE – moments from places'

3 - 14 April 2012

This exhibition stems from Robert’s close affinity with the coastal landscape of the River Tay and the North Sea, along with the contrasting dark, brooding skies that envelope the lochs and hills of the Western Highlands.

Not just landscapes in the accepted sense, the paintings in TIME/TIDE reflect the artist’s memory of experiences and his personal responses to a sense of place; hence the title of the exhibition.

“It could be the biting east wind and the spear of brilliant white light that sears along the river’s horizon, or the looming squall that pervades the dark void of a distant highland loch,” explains Robert, whose work has been influenced by these landscapes for the past decade.

“Although firmly rooted in these surroundings, the references can be traced to American abstract expressionism. However they are also reflective of Turner’s seascapes and the nocturnes of Whistler, which evoke a dedicated reliance on the memory of a moment in a place, exploring the uncertainty in the mists.”

Based in Broughty Ferry on the fringes of Dundee, Robert is currently a lecturer in the School of Fine Art at Duncan Jordanstone College of Art & Design. Robert has exhibited widely throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe, and is also a consultant and author on Public Art & Design.

The Glasgow Group

20 - 31 March 2012

Always a must-see event since the inaugural exhibition at McLellan Galleries in 1958, The Group’s Annual Exhibition this year features works by Gregor Smith, Philip Reeves, Carol Moore, Shona Dougall, Jo Linley, Ian Cook, Peter Kleboe, Carol Dewart and Graham Govan.

Founded in 1957 by three Glasgow School of Art students, The Glasgow Group is a Scottish artists’ cooperative which encompasses a variety of media, including painting, photography, printmaking, and graphic art.

It is run by Glasgow based visual artists to promote the visual arts in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, and many of the group's artists are represented in public, corporate, and private collections.

Spring Frieze: Hannah Frank – 75 Years a Glasgow Artist

6 - 17 March 2012

It’s the exhibition that Miriam Margolyes didn’t want to miss, but when Spring Frieze: Hannah Frank – 75 Years a Glasgow Artist, opens at the RGI Kelly Gallery on Thursday 8 March, the actress will be working in Australia, and instead will send a video message of support.

Miriam is one of countless admirers of Hannah Frank’s work and attended the artist’s 100th birthday lunch in August 2008; Hannah Frank died four months later. This new exhibition is particularly significant as it marks the artist’s return to the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts in her native city.

Hannah Frank produced sculpture into her early 90s. In 2002 she and her husband moved to Westacres Care Home, Newton Mearns. Lionel died in 2003. Hannah’s work continues to be displayed in the public areas of Westacres in alcoves which seem to have been built for the purpose.

Hannah enjoyed a long relationship with the RGI, exhibiting at its annual exhibition throughout her lengthy career. This new exhibition which is Hannah’s third solo show with the RGI, features original drawings and sketches, bronze and plaster sculptures and reproduction prints. The exhibition title stems from Hannah’s 1945 drawing Spring Frieze, and symbolises the rebirth of interest in Hannah Frank’s work over the last decade.

Curator of the RGI Kelly Gallery, Lynne Mackenzie said: "We are delighted to be hosting this exhibition of Hannah's work and it seems fitting that our gallery is less than a mile away from where she studied at the Glasgow School of Art.

“Hannah was a keen supporter of the RGI and between the years 1930 and 1989 showed over 60 works at our annual exhibition which is the highlight of our year and held in great public affection." Hannah’s aim was, in the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, to 'leave footprints on the sands of time', and while she was delighted to have her work celebrated elsewhere, her dream was to be recognised in her ‘native heath’ – Glasgow.

Here is a video From Miriam Margolyes introducing the Exhibition ↓

James Gilmour

An exhibition of black and white images spanning the 40-year career of photojournalist James Gilmour Reportage 1973 - 2007

14 - 25 February 2012

From Glasgow city mortuary to Alex Salmond on the campaign trail, photojournalist James Gilmour has fearlessly yet quietly documented west of Scotland life over the decades. For the first time, over 50 of these images taken between 1973 and 2007 are being exhibited at the RGI Kelly Gallery in Glasgow - A Wider View from 15 until 25 February. Over the decades, James has contributed to The Independent, The Scotsman and Scottish Field to name but a few. The images in A Wider View are a combination of street photography and photojournalism, with the majority of work shot in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

“I have always been attracted to the order in society and how it operates and functions, be it the way we all go about our various occupations or keep ourselves entertained,” explains James. “As a photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to document the entire life cycle which I find fascinating.

“One of the images in the exhibition was taken at a graveside following a funeral attended by a solitary mourner. After she had left, the gravedigger had to be lowered into the grave when the rope became stuck. It was a scene reminiscent of Resurrection, the painting by Stanley Spencer.”

The exhibition also includes an image of forensic pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy taken at Glasgow City Mortuary. During her time in Glasgow, Professor Cassidy, now State Pathologist in the Republic of Ireland, was known for her vibrancy and glamour, and the image captures the contrast between this animated woman and the grim setting. But there is no shortage of life affirming images, including one of Alex Salmond on the campaign trail in 2007 taken by James in his home town of Kilmarnock. James says that if anything has influenced his photography, it is the wide screen images of the cinema, so it’s no surprise to learn that the majority of the images have been shot with a wide angle lens and there is indeed something of the film noire about the exhibition.

Lyndsey Redford - Skiology

Private view: Friday 3 February, 5 - 7.30pm
31 January - 11 February 2012

Lyndsey Redford presents a solo show of new paintings of landscapes where the human figure is often subordinate to the immensity of the geographical world in which it is depicted. The exhibition will include several large-scale oil on canvas paintings of Scottish ski slopes.

“My paintings are of landscapes with human habitation or signs of it, they are frequently sparse and the scale of human presence small in comparison to these vast open spaces. I am interested in why landscapes solicit the emotional responses that they do, and one of the fascinating aspects of the ski slopes is the ever changing levels of visibility and deceptive emptiness that contrast with portals of
crystal clarity and high-speed activity.”

In order to depict ethereal qualities such as the vibrations within light or the presence of moisture within air, Lyndsey restricts herself to a simple palette. The repetition of looking again and again at a particular location helps her to create the overall impression of the strange surreal atmosphere of the activities and locations.

Lyndsey was shortlisted for the Threadneedle Painting Prize 2011, was awarded The RSA Painting Prize and The Maclaine Watters medal 2011, and won The RSA New Contemporaries Award 2010.

Christmas Show - Cabinet Pictures and other small works

 

Exhibition: 1 - 22 December 2011

Preview: Thursday 1st December, 5 – 7.30pm

 

Smaller framed works and other unique items. Perfect for Christmas gifts.

 

Come in out of the cold to a warm welcome at the RGI Kelly Gallery and discover one of the finest Christmas exhibitions in town!

 

Gifts for all your friends and family can be found among an abundance of pictures and applied arts, all produced by local, independent artists.

 

Prices range from around £50.

 

- Support local and independent artists and makers this Christmas -

 

 

Kim Canale and Patricia Cain – Liminal Spaces

 

15 – 26 November 2011

Artists Talk: Tuesday 22 November, 11.00 am

Private View: Friday 18 November, 5 - 7 pm

 

Glasgow’s multi-award-winning artist, Patricia Cain, has teamed up with Kim Canale, one of the brightest artists on Scotland’s north-east coast, to produce Liminal Spaces, a joint exhibition of new work at the RGI Kelly Gallery. Having won both the Aspect Prize and the Threadneedle Prize in 2010, this is Cain’s first Glasgow exhibition of new work since her major show Drawing on Riverside at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum this summer.

 

Canale, winner of the Richard Demarco Prize in the 2009 Scottish Painting Competition brings to Glasgow her reputation for passion and energy: 'I paint to try and capture a feeling. It is instinctual and more often than not, spontaneous’.

 

The exhibition is about what connects them: both are polymaths with an aversion to being pigeon-holed (Canale owns and curates her own gallery for her art and design consultancy in Montrose, whist Cain is also an author, researcher and former lawyer). As a result their practices are eclectic and incorporate painting, drawing, sculpture, film and photography.

 

Arguably the most fascinating aspect of this exhibition is their common Italian heritage and that they have found this to be a sensibility in itself. Both artists have second generation Italian parents (having been adopted, Cain only recently discovered this), and have strong links with Florence in particular. Last year saw Canale exhibiting in both Florence and Edinburgh with renowned Florentine painter Mauro Betti, while Cain won a RSA John Kinross scholarship to study in Florence in 2008.

 

This mutual internal cultural dialogue infuses their work. Canale grapples with the balance of cultures by looking inside herself to ‘work herself out’ and produce what Richard Demarco calls ‘a risk-taking expressionistic energy release’. Cain on the other hand looks outside herself to do exactly the same, producing landscapes that blur the distinction between built and organic forms.

Malcolm Lochhead – Textile Technology

 

1 – 12 November 2011

Artists Talk: Tuesday 8 November, 10.30 for 11.00 am

Private View: Thursday 3 November, 5 - 7 pm

 

 

Malcolm Lochhead is a well known textile artist working in Scotland.

He was a student of Embroidered and Woven Textiles at Glasgow School of Art from 1966 -1970 with the legendary embroidery designer and textile artist Kathleen Whyte. He teaches design in Glasgow Caledonian University, where he holds the title of Millennium Fellow in Design.

 

In 1999 he was awarded the prestigious Lord Provost’s Gold Medal for the Visual Arts.

 

Malcolm works in three areas of textile art. As a textile artist he creates pieces which are ecclesiastical, symbolic and decorative, as the director of large scale embroidery projects he works with large numbers of people involving communities and the public as well as other projects involving members of various Embroiderers’ Guilds in Scotland and further a field. He also works as a designer of decorative installations in the retail sector.

 

The works in the exhibition are all new works created using a mix of photography, print and computer aided embroidery.

 

 

(He)Art of Stone

 

sculptures by Tom Allan

 

18 – 29 October 2011

Artists Talk: Tuesday 18 October, 10.30 for 11.00 am
Private View: Friday 21 October, 5 - 7.30 pm

 

Sculptures in stone and marble exploring openings, doorways and portals.

"For me stone sculpture is an expressive art form. I try to express emotion through the stone I am working with, like a painter using colour and form. There is an excitement in that, and the challenge is to bring modern techniques and idioms to this ancient art.

 

The majority of my sculptures are on a domestic scale, to be lived with in the home or outdoors in the garden. I have also done some large-scale commissions, project-managing the whole process from quarry to installation"

 

- Tom Allan

 

Calum Mackenzie – Silver bells and...

 

an exhibition of new works by Calum Mackenzie
Winner of the RGI Exhibition Award 2010

 

4 - 15 October 2011

Private View: Thursday 6 October, 5 - 7pm

 

Born in Glasgow and educated on the Isle of Tiree, artist/printmaker, Calum MacKenzie studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and was director of Glasgow Print Studio and Gallery from 1975-83.

 

A regular exhibitor in the Royal Scottish Academy, Calum has also exhibited in major group exhibitions throughout the UK and has work represented in both private and public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Arts Councils of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Public art projects have included large-scale mural works commissioned by The Scottish Arts Council and the Tron Theatre Trust.

“20 Assorted" is a digital print of an open Jelly Bean tin filled with art crayons, pencils and so on. Digital prints haven’t been given their due as it is a fairly new medium, so it’s particularly interesting that the RGI has taken this up, and it will be very energizing to have my own exhibition at the RGI.

- Calum Mackenzie

Rosalind Lawless - Abstracted Materials

 

20 September – 1 October 2011

Private view: Thursday 22 September, 5-7pm
Tuesday Talk Tuesday 27 September, 10.30am for 11am.

 

Given that the work of Rosalind Lawless is inspired by a sense of place, the artist was the ideal recipient of the Inverarity One to One Travel Award at the RGI’s 2009 Open Annual Exhibition.

 

As part of her prize, Rosalind spent three weeks in the Champagne region of France, as well as spending time in Paris. Visitors to her new solo show at the RGI Kelly Gallery, now have the opportunity to view the work that reflects her time in France.

 

Rosalind who studied printmaking at Grays School of Art, Aberdeen and London’s Royal College of Art says that while being in different cities always informs her work, arranging to spend time in other places can difficult.

 

“My subject matter always stems from where I am at, be it the buildings outside my studio or the Riverside in Glasgow, which is why the prize provides the perfect opportunity to spend time in a different environment. I had the luxury of being able to wander about drawing all day, filling sketchbook after sketchbook.”

Teresa M Brown - Internal Landscape of the Mind

 

6 – 17 September 2011

Private view: Thursday 8 September, 5 -7pm
Saturday get-together: Saturday 10 September, 1pm

 

Artist Teresa Brown hopes that visitors to her new solo exhibition, Internal Landscape of the Mind will make up their own minds about what each particular piece means to them.

 

Teresa, who is also a UKCP registered psychodrama psychotherapist, trainer and examiner, believes that the viewer should have the freedom to decide what each piece of work means to them personally in that particular moment.

 

“My hope is that there is always space for people to become aware of something in themselves as they take time to look, think and feel,” says Teresa who graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 2005.

 

“I believe that working in these concurrent fields adds a further dimension not only to the structure and outcome of my paintings but also to the rich life of working with people in the consulting room.”

Kate Henderson - Fleeting Shadows, Bright Sunshine

 

Recent works in drawing, painting and mixed media glass

 

18 August – 3 September 2011

Private view: Friday 26 August 5-7pm

Saturday talk: 27 August at 1pm

Kate received The Cuthbert New Artist Award from The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts at its annual show in 2004.

 

“It was such a confidence boost to receive that award,” recalls Kate, who studied stained glass at Edinburgh College of Art. “I couldn’t believe it when I opened the letter, and have continued to submit work to the annual show ever since.

 

This is Kate’s first solo exhibition in Glasgow and it reveals a diverse body of work in drawing, painting and mixed media glass which reflects her passion for texture, colour and light.

 

 

As well as exhibiting with the RGI and RSW, in the seven years since Kate won The Cuthbert Award, she has seen her stained glass installed in public buildings across Scotland, while her glass pieces have featured in major glass shows throughout the UK.

 

For this new exhibition, Kate has developed a series of drawings and paintings inspired by cathedrals including Glasgow, in which she focuses on the quality of light surrounding the building inside and out. She is also exhibiting a series of mixed media pieces which refer to her experiences as artist, mother and daughter.

 

Another personal piece in the exhibition is a glass cast of an original key from Kate’s 1930’s home in East Lothian. At Kate’s informal get talk on Saturday 27 August at 1pm, she will be talking about her inspirations with the help of sketch books and samples of materials.

 

“What excites me about working with glass is the translucence and vibrancy of the colours. I select the colour and paint my own glass. It’s like a sweetie shop when you see the racks of colours in the studio.”

Rebecca Barnett - Heart & Sole

 

26 July – 6 August 2011

Preview: Friday 29 July, 5 -7pm

 

While there’s a mystical quality to Lochgilphead based artist Rebecca Barnett’s work, a children’s paddling pool plays a pivotal role in the process of creating her woodcut prints.

 

Explains Rebecca, who studied animation at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee, "the paddling pool is used to soak the paper prior to being pressed on an inked hand carved plate and rolling through a giant mangle."

 

During the run up to her first solo show at the RGI Kelly Gallery which features over 20 quirky woodcut prints inspired by the romance of the sea, the paddling pool has been working overtime.

 

“As I have sea views from my home and walk on the beach every day, it’s not difficult to imagine why I chose fish for the theme of this new show,” says Rebecca.

 

“I’ve been working on the woodcut prints for the past year, and have had great fun with playing with words for the titles. As well as the piece from which the show takes its title, there’s Fish Cake which is a cake on a cake-stand overflowing with blue fish, Heart & Sole with two lemon sole in the shape of a love heart, and That’s Amore which features a Moray Eel.

 

“The process of woodcut printing is quite physical which suits me as I love using my hands. The best bit is when the finished print reveals itself - you're never quite sure how it will look until you roll it through the press and peel the damp embossed paper off the plate, it's an exciting moment'

 

 

Rebecca who exhibits throughout Scotland has a strong connection with the RGI and has exhibited at The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, summer show held at Crinan, and the RGI’s annual exhibition at The Mitchell in Glasgow.

New Graduates 2011

 

28 June - 9 July 2011

Preview: Thursday 30 June, 5 -7pm

 

With two former students on this years Turner Prize shortlist and other graduates enjoying substantial international reputations, Glasgow School of Art has alumni of fame and notoriety.

 

The New Graduates exhibition at the Kelly Gallery will feature a selection of works from recent GSA graduates. Come along and snap up some works by Glasgow’s next big things.

Supported by the Norma Frame Foundation

 

Artists include:
Gillian Anderson
Amelia Barratt
Ruby Chanock
Laura Dray
Robin Leishman
Lei Liu
Leeanne McKenna
Anna Rhodes
Silja Strom

 

 

 

Recent work by Elise V Allan, Susan Roan and Jessica Wolfson

 

14 June - 25 June 2011

Preview: Thursday 16 June, 5 -7pm
Saturday get-together: Saturday 25 June, 1pm

 

As artists, Elise V Allan, Susan Roan and Jessica Wolfson have known each other for some years, and staging an exhibition together at the RGI Kelly Gallery seemed like a natural progression.

 

Susan studied Visual Communication at Glasgow School of Art (93-97) and The Royal College of Art (98-2000) and currently teaches in the Department of Visual Communication at Glasgow School of Art. In her recent work Susan has explored some of the experiences and conventions of motherhood, using women’s magazines from the 1970s together with some of her children’s discarded drawings and finished sticker books. Creating drawings that, “play with the tension between two different ‘worlds’.”

 

 

 

Jessica, who studied Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art (91-95), attempts to cross the boundary of working from life to the abstract in her paintings. “I like to impose physical boundaries in order to interrupt my habitual facility and intentions. This is often done by using my left hand instead of right, doing blind drawings and painting with my materials taped onto the ends of long canes or sticks.”

 

 

 

 

Elise lectures at both Strathclyde University and GSA. Her recent work has been informed by movement, inspired by the Butoh Performances she’d seen as a young artist. “With these paintings and collages I’ve aligned myself to the physical, whether through movement before I begin work, or by sensing how the materials, colours and shapes resonate with my body and move in my hands. While some of my earlier paintings were primarily drawn, most of my current paintings are essentially danced.”

 

 

Alastair Strachan – Cityscapes

 

31 May – 11 June 2011

Private view: Thursday 2 June, 5 -7pm
Saturday get-together: Saturday 4 June, 1pm

 

 

Alastair Strachan is interested in location and will identify and at times return to particular locations that are significant to him. He has a restless, investigative creativity, always questioning, never looking for the obvious or seeking easy answers. The dialogue between abstraction and representation has always been a fascination. He firmly believes that the fusion of context and process is vital but even more importantly that the meaning in the work emerges out of, and is transmitted through the painting process in visual terms.

 

Stuart MacKenzie
Senior Lecturer
Glasgow School of Art

 

 

From Glasgow tenements to Hong Kong high rises, artist Alastair Strachan’s fascination with urban life around the world is the inspiration behind his solo show Cityscapes at the RGI Kelly Gallery which runs from 31 May until 11 June.

 

Exploring cities and forming an awareness of the urban landscape is part of Alastair’s creative practice, which finds him returning to particular locations that are significant to him, including Manhattan, Tokyo, and his native Glasgow.

New work by Emma Semple

 

17 - 28 May 2011

Private view: Thursday 19 May, 5 -7pm

 

First solo show at Kelly Gallery for RGI prizewinner Emma Semple

 

With the RGI celebrating its 150th anniversary, the timing is exactly right for one of the Institute's prizewinners to stage her first solo show at the RGI Kelly Gallery.

 

It’s over two years since Glasgow based artist Emma Semple (28) was awarded the RGI David Cargill Award for a portrait at the RGI’s Annual Open Show. Now the Kelly Gallery is showcasing Emma’s one-woman exhibition which runs from Tuesday 17 May until Saturday 28 May. The show features a combination of different work, including paintings, drawings, paper sculpture and embroidery.

 

“It was such a confidence boost to win the Cargill Award in 2008,” points out Emma, “as it was the first year I’d had work accepted by the RGI. Something like that is a real encouragement to a young artist. The RGI’s annual show is massively important as it plays such a significant role in promoting new young Scottish artists.”

 

Emma studied drawing and painting at Glasgow School of Art, and since graduating in 2005, has continued to paint extensively, exhibiting in various galleries throughout the UK. Her work is strongly influenced by travel experiences in Europe, Africa, India and her native Scotland.

 

Emma’s love of travel stems from a Travelling Scholarship to Andalucía, awarded by the Princes Trust. “With hindsight, this had a great influence on my work,” recalls the artist. “I am particularly fascinated by the landscape and nature, and in creating hypnotic and meditative spaces for contemplation."

Prof Stuart W Macdonald OBE – Park

 

3 – 14 May 2011

Private view: Thursday 5 May, 5 -7pm
Saturday get-together: Saturday 14 May 1pm (Part of Festival of Museums 2011)

 

 

One of Scotland’s most distinguished architects and artists, is sharing his unique perspective of Glasgow’s famous Park District in a new exhibition of paintings at the RGI Kelly Gallery in Douglas Street, Glasgow.

The ‘Park’ exhibition which runs from 3 – 14 May, features new works by the founding director of The Lighthouse, Prof Stuart Macdonald OBE, who is also Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Architecture School at Strathclyde University and Emeritus Professor of Creative Industries at The Robert Gordon University.

The exhibition features paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour, with much of the visual stimulus derived from the neo-classical environment of The Park District where Professor Macdonald lives and works.

“The basis of my work is architecture and the visual elements include walls, porticos, door-frames, boundaries – architraves, that help create an abstract pictorial narrative,” explains Prof Macdonald.

“The critical context for my work is the concept of the ‘Classic’ and its association with the clarification of formal values and the concept of timeless qualities – with aesthetics and pictorial narration.

“At the same time I am interested in how Modernism provided the ultimate shattering of this concept and how the Classic came to represent everything that was opposed. Today it is Modernism that provides the familiar narrative whereas the Classic is now estranged. Bringing those opposites together is a key aspect of my work.”

The RGIs at the Kelly Gallery

 

12 - 30 April 2011

 

Dame Elizabeth Blackadder? Barbara Rae? John Byrne? Just who will be submitting work to the Kelly Gallery’s latest exhibition, The RGIs, is set to remain a mystery until the show opens on 12 April.

What’s certain is that the exhibition, which is part of the celebrations to mark 150 years of The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, will showcase the work of some of Scotland’s most distinguished contemporary artists, giving the public a rare opportunity to view and purchase work by current RGIs.

 

The award of RGI is made to artists for artistic merit and their dedication to the Institute, and there are only 50 of them at any given time. Current RGIs include Glen Scouller, George Wyllie, Simon Laurie, and Neil MacPherson the most recent artist to receive the award. Scottish poet laureate Liz Lochhead and artist/playwright John Byrne are Honorary RGIs.

 

RGI President Gordon Macpherson has invited all 50 RGIs to submit work to The RGIs Exhibition which runs at the Kelly Gallery from 12 to 30 April. While it is hoped that all 50 will contribute to the show, gallery curator, Lynne Mackenzie, will not finalise the catalogue until the eleventh hour. The most recent RGI, Caithness-based Neil MacPherson, is submitting two paintings, one of which is Spring The Quiet Song, an oil on canvas inspired by a Highland folk saying that if Spring comes in like a quiet girl singing, the rest of the year will be lovely. The painting shows Spring as a young girl gently blowing through the sky bringing thoughts of renewal, growth and love with her.

“The RGI has always been important to me,” points out Neil who studied at the Glasgow School of Art from 1974 to 1978, “as the first contemporary art exhibition I ever visited was its annual show which at that time was held at the McLellan Galleries. The visit to the show was organized by my art teacher and I think I was the only one who wanted to go along. “I remember going along and thinking, ‘wow’, and couldn’t believe that all this work was going on in Glasgow. At that time, I didn’t imagine for a minute that I’d be exhibiting work at an annual show, let alone become an RGI.”

THE WAY TO NORTHERN CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Charity Exhibition

 

6 - 10 April 2011
RGI Kelly Gallery & Blair Thomson’s Studio

 

Laurel Casjens, Stuart Kerr, Keiko Mukaide, Campbell Sandilands, Blair Thomson

 

 

This charity exhibition of Japan inspired artists raised towards £6000 (70% of sales were donated) for the Japanese Red Cross and Japan Society Appeal and aimed to send a strong message of support to Japan. Consul General of Japan Mr. Tarahara and RGI President Gordon Macpherson officially opened the exhibition on the 6th April.

 

More info and images for this exhibition →

Impressit

 

12 March - 5 April 2011

 

Scott Campbell, Stuart Duffin, Claire Forsyth, Rosalind Lawless, Ian McNicol, Murray Robertson.

 

 

By using the printmaker’s broad vocabulary of mark-and image-making to create a visual language which reflects their interests, these six artists present works created with traditional, manipulated and new printmaking techniques.

 

This consummate mastery of traditional skills alongside an experimental approach, becomes a consuming passion for the artists. As well as developing their individual and often innovative artistic practices, each artist fulfills the role of collaborator, editioner, and educator, championing printmaking as a vital means of artistic creation and expression.

 

The term Impressit comes from the Latin meaning "he (she) printed it", and is sometimes seen as Imp. written on a print.

 

Event: The Art of the Master Printmaker
Tuesday 5th April, 10.30 am.
Stuart Duffin talks about his work and his role as a Master Printmaker.
Tickets : £6.00 per person, £10.00 for 2 people. Booking essential.

 

 

The Glasgow Society of Women Artists

 

24 February - 9 March 2011

 

Glasgow Society Of Women Artists currently enjoys a membership of 154 artists and 56 lay members and exhibitions form an important part of the yearly programme. This exhibition will show the high standard of GSWA members' work in painting, sculpture, ceramics, textile art and jewellery.

 

Once again, the RGI Kelly Gallery is delighted to a host an exhibition of works from members of the GSWA (www.gswa.org.uk) which includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and jewellery, as well as unframed postcard-sized paintings mounted on boards.

An Echo of Faith, New works by Sadia Gul Ibrahim

 

8– 19 February 2011

 

Born in Islamabad and having trained as an artist specialising in wood carving and Islamic calligraphy, Sadia worked there professionally as an artist until she emigrated to Scotland in 2001. Ever since then she has continued to work as an independent artist while also frequently running various creative workshops for a wide range of groups from adults to children. Sadia has always been passionate about her work and takes great pride in being able to promote Pakistani/Islamic culture and heritage and now looks forward to doing the same for Scotland too.