Happy Chinese New Year

Hello everyone,

Many of you will know that this Friday sees the Chinese New Year and that we are entering the year of The Horse. At Union Gallery, we are particularly aware of this fact this year as our fantastic intern, Jenna, has gone home to China to celebrate, and we are missing her keenly.

The Year of the Horse is a good one in many ways: for those like Jenna, born on a horse year, the good news is that it is suggested that they are cheerful, popular, talented and enjoy entertaining. They are associated with success and cannot stand failure. For those of us not born on a horse year, the year ahead will apparently bring health and prosperity.  I, for one, fully intend to embrace that prediction.

Small wonder, then, that the wonderful Barbara Franc sculpture, 'A Sure Thing', was one of the first pieces to sell in her recent exhibition and, sure enough, it was sent to an eager client of ours in China.  Lucky chap:

 













'A Sure Thing', steel wire and recycled material, by Barbara Franc.

And small wonder that the exquisite little painting, 'Black Prince', by great Edinburgh artist Henry Kondracki, which is currently hanging in the gallery, is attracting so much attention:

'Black Prince', oil on canvas, by Henry Kondracki.  Such a beautifully observed painting: I am pretty confident that it will soon find a new, enlightened and soon to be prosperous home.

And, of course, we are still lucky enough to have two lovely Horse Puppets by the brilliant Barbara Franc - the perfect companions to a really successful Chinese New Year:

 












'Fruit and Nut Horse Puppet', and:

 












'Jonathan Horse Puppet'

Enjoy the New Year, and we'll see you soon.

Shore Things

For all you lovers of the seaside:

See you there......

Perfect Little Packages of Joy

Hello everyone,

With just a week to go until our first exhibition of 2013, 'It's the Little Things', comes to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to have a closer look at some of the cracking little paintings hanging in the gallery at the moment.

We should start with this:

'Gone Potty', acrylic on card, by James Newton Adams.
Whenever we are lucky enough to have new work from Skye-based artist James Newton Adams in the gallery, it always creates a stir.  His ability to mix naive charm with a slight sense of melancholy in his work life seems to strike a chord with all who view it.  He is a chronicler of the world around him, exploring the land and seascapes of Scotland as well as the people, animals and objects that inhabit them, often highlighting tensions in their relationships with each other and with the landscape itself.  It is always a pleasure to have his playful, charming scenes of everyday life in the gallery.

And how about this?

'Highland Hiker', oil on canvas, by Henry Kondracki.
Edinburgh institution, Henry Kondracki, is famous for his stunning, and often quirky, views of Scotland.  He is perhaps best known for his larger scale work, yet this little gem is tiny - just 14x14cm and is absolutely exquisite in every detail.  I often feel that it takes a great painter to create something so perfect on such a small scale, and Henry Kondracki has proved it yet again.

As has artist Olivia Irvine with this:

'Woods', oil and egg tempera on canvas, by Olivia Irvine.
We've been  exhibiting work by Olivia Irvine since we opened, back in 2009, and she never fails to get me going with her beautiful, atmospheric work.  This beauty is just 14x10cm in size, and is all the more special for that.  Olivia takes her subject matter from her house and garden, family holidays and themes of childhood and play and recently she has been inspired by swimming pools in Iceland, campsites in the French Pyrenees and rose gardens in Madrid. Often her works explore a combination of natural and man-made elements, and they all have a rather 'other-wordly' atmosphere to them - less to do with observed reality and more to do with the creation of a world of fascination and engagement.  This stunning painting is no exception.

I have given you just a flavour of the special small paintings on show at Union Gallery at the moment, and there are many more.  if you haven't managed to come in yet, I really recommend that you do - it is a really wonderful exhibition.

Various Visitors

Hello everyone

Just thought we'd share with you some snaps of some of the lovely artists who have been in to UG in the last week.
We should kick off with this:

This is Joyce Gunn Cairns MBE.  We are starting with Joyce because her work is going to make a serious splash next week in our new exhibition 'Head to Head' which opens on Thursday.  Joyce's work had been in the gallery for just five minutes and it was already attracting a lot of attention....you must see it!

This is the lovely Henry Kondracki who has been very busy finishing off various commissions for some very happy new owners.  Well done, Henry.

The charming 'Adams Family'.  This is James Newton Adams and co. enjoying a holiday from their home on the Isle of Skye.  We are excited about seeing more work from James in January 2012.  We will keep you posted.

Here is the brilliant Stewart Bremner's back.  Stewart has been helping out a lot at UG recently (thanks, S!), and here he is installing the camera to make the 'Now We Are Two' opening video.  Is no limit to his creative talents?
And this:

Richard Demarco, Alison Auldjo and Stewart Bremner enjoyed an interesting chat in the gallery the other day....
Et Enfin:

Beautiful artist Imogen Alabaster delivering a truly magical painting featuring some frogs at the special request a lovely French couple.  They are delighted.

Au revoir, mes amis

Now We Are Two

Hello Everyone

On Thursday, we held the private preview of our new exhibition Now We Are Two.  As you can see from the video below, much fun was had by all who came to help us celebrate the second anniversary of Union Gallery:
Union Gallery: Now We Are Two from stewart bremner on Vimeo.

There are some stunning works of art in the gallery this month, including paintings by Jenny Matthews, Drummond Mayo, Douglas Sedden, Henry Kondracki and Stewart Bremner.  Also, for the first time, we are exhibiting work by award-winning collage artist Colin Brown:

'Salon' by Colin Brown.
More on Colin later, but in the meantime we hope you can make it into the gallery during this exhibition.

A Tale of 9 Lives

Hello everyone

A big welcome to Douglas Fraser. Thanks for joining us!

This is a happy blog entry to kick start another pawsome week.

I recently made a studio visit to award winning artist Joyce Gunn Cairns MBE's studio to fully appreciate her exquisite work. Joyce will be showing with us in July and I will be sure to let you know all about it in good time. I was very excited by Joyce's work, and was even lucky enough to get a sneaky peek through her drawers. It's not everyday you get to say that!
I was really taken by a small drawing of her dearly departed cat, Seamus, on the studio wall. Sadly I didn't have the presence of mind to take a photo of it at the time, but it struck me because it was very similar to a drawing I did of my own kitty, Pluto, in my art student days:

I sold the original drawing at my degree show so this is a photo of a scan, behind glass, so the image is a bit dodgy. It was much better in real life..... I promise!
Anyway, it got me thinking about how many artists I know that are animal lovers. I wonder if it is that we are quite sensitive souls by nature, and that we enjoy the gentle but fullfilling company of our loyal and unconditional loving friends?
So this blog is for all those studio cats....we can't get enough of you!

HOLD THE PRESS!:

 






We now have Seamus! Isn't he beautiful?

Back to my own pussy:

So here is Pluto who I acquired in my 3rd year at ECA. Being a mug I actually got 2 from the litter, but sadly Holly left this world a long time ago. At the grand old age of 14 Pluto's still up to his old tricks and annoying me by blocking the TV.
Many of you will be familiar with Scottish treasure Elizabeth Blackadder and her cats:

Simply gorgeous.

Northern kitties:

Terrible twosome Lola, left, and Millie, recent studio companions to award winning artist Fiona Jappy who sadly lost her former companion earlier this year. They look like real mischievous moggies!
A regal feline:

This is Rosie, an Egyptian meow.....sorry, Mau! Rosie is studio accomplise to flower painter extrodinaire Jenny Matthews. Here she is getting in on the action:

Now that's a beautiful drawing.
Award winning artist and coincidently, former student of Elizabeth Blackadder, Jenny Matthews will be showing again next year in a duet with fellow contemporary, Janet Melrose. Janet Melrose's stunning solo exhibition will be in May this year. Again, I will let you know all about it.
Next:

This is Pearl, the bonnie British Blue. Pearl lives with Andy Green and Karen-Claire Voss who have a most excellent printing company which you can read more about here:

http://www.pearlprints.co.uk/index-about.html

 I really like this little pussy:

This cute little menace is Newton. Ever enthusiastic, but perhaps a bit distracting to outstanding sculptor Barbara Franc. Interestingly, Barbara trained under another Scottish treasure John Bellany, yet progressed into 3D work. Iam VERY excited that Barbara will be having a solo exhibition with us next month. You MUST see it.
Leaving you with this:

"Ginger Cat" oil on canvas by Henry Kondracki.
Ok, so Henry doesn't have a studio cat however, he quite likes moggies and this tiny painting is of his neighbours cat 'Ron' - so named after Ronald Weasley of Harry Potter fame.
I'm a massive fan of Henry Kondracki's work and in my humble opinion he is another Scottish treasure.
Purrrrfect.

So that's a nod to the felines DONE. Next time a pat on the back to the studio hounds.

Speak soon

Something Fishy

Hello everyone

As promised we are continuing on the fish theme:

Mark Nicholas Edward's "Sasaki Kojiro" series continue to amaze all who see them.  The attention to detail and slick presentation is quite mesmerising.
Also mesmerising:

"The Goldfish" by Drummond Mayo.
I probably don't need to point out how beautiful this painting is.  Drummond is the oldest artist who works with Union Gallery, and his life-long experience with paint and brush is clear for all to see.  A brilliant balancing act between colour and composition...the softness of his work puts those who see it under a spell.

"Two Figures in a Red Garden" by Jean Hall
When I look at these graceful and enchanting ladies, it seems to me that the lady on the right is sporting a regal angelfish on her kimono.  However, I am wrong as artist Jean Hall explains to me that this is actually a traditional Japanese Kimono design.  You know what fascinates me about Jean Hall's paintings (apart from the obvious)?  They are very striking paintings with a great deal of impact, and yet they are very calming and therapeutic to spend time with.  Lovely. 

Take a look at this:

"The Chinese Teapot and Batis" by Jenny Matthews
You might not notice the little fish in this beautiful painting at first glance, but it's worth the effort for an extra treat!  This Balinese Earring Fish (I hadn't heard of it either) is so elegant and graceful.

And this:













"Toy Shark" by Henry Kondracki
OK, so strictly speaking this is not a 'common' fish, but something really gets me about this painting - a mix of museum piece and a special love of the subject.  Please feel free to pop in and learn more...

And leaving you with this.....

"Toy Giraffe" by Henry Kondracki
So this is DEFINITELY not a fish, but I couldn't resist showing him on the blog.  It's not every day you see such an enchanting and lovingly observed painting of a toy giraffe......

All these paintings are currently in the gallery as part of our Christmas Exhibition.

Next up, a spot of bird watching..... 

Goodbye and Hello

Hello All

The end of our Festival exhibition, 7 Artists: Edinburgh Soul, is nigh!  Monday is the very last day.
So Alison and I have that regular, slightly depressing feeling that we are about to lose a group of great friends - the paintings and sculpture that have kept us company over the last four and a half weeks.  When you're surrounded by work by some of the finest artists working in Edinburgh, it's hard not to get attached to them.  If you haven't been in yet, I strongly recommend that you try and find the time over the next couple of days....it really is a superb exhibition.

Alison having a quiet moment with Graham Flack's 'I Wait for You' before it goes off to it's new home in Glasgow.

Award winning artist David Hosie having a look at "Mythopoeia" and a final look at "Anima" before she begins her journey to her new home in Germany.

As well as Graham Flack and David Hosie's brilliant work there are new paintings by Olivia Irvine, Michael McVeigh, Henry Kindracki and Philip Braham, and amazing bronze sculpture by the brilliant John Brazenall. A real feast for lovers of great art.

'Constellation 4' by Philip Braham 

'Father Son' by David Hosie

However, for all of you who think that September is a little bit of a cultural void after the overload of the Festival, I have some very good news for you.  Our next exhibition, opening on Thursday, is a collection of new work by the brilliant painter Derek McGuire, titled 'ELLA NOVO LOCO'. 

Derek McGuire is a lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art, and a painter of extraordinary depth and diversity.  His work will amuse you, confuse you, and definately challenge you.  This is an important exhibition, where the artist has used his unique voice to superb effect. 

If you look in The Scotsman on Monday, you will find an advert for this exhibition, along with an image of this painting:

'The Relaxing Pleasure of Shitting in the Woods' by Derek McGuire

In their wisdom, The Scotsman decided that the word 'shitting' was far too offensive for their readers, even though they seem to cope with the daily dose of murder, rape and cruelty.  So, they insisted on changing the title to 'The Relaxing Pleasure of Sh***ing in the Woods'.  I have only just stopped laughing at them.  How ridiculous.

Anyway, more on this exhibition will follow, but for those of you who like to be challenged and enthralled by their art, you really should come along in September.

Toy Story

Hello everyone

I have another curious and magical coincidence that I would like to share with you. The other day, whilst out walking Union Gallery hound, Tommy, I came across this little cutey:

A dinky little fire truck sadly seperated from it's owner. It immediately put me in mind of:

This wonderful gem, "Toy Bus", by award winning artist Henry Kondracki.
This sweet painting is of one of Henry's own children's toys. As is this:

"Toy Giraffe" by Henry Kondracki. Brilliant!
Oddly, not long after finding the lonesome fire truck, "Toy Bus" found it's new home. Even better "Toy Bus" will share it's new home with an old friend.......

The cult "Ice Cream Van" by Henry Kondracki. I LOVE happy endings!
Leaving you with this:

Here's a wee snap of Henry Kodracki himself. Happy to learn the news of "Toy Bus" and friends, but rather less impressed with the advances of Union Gallery hound Tommy.

Have a great weekend everyone

Beep Beep!

Action!

Hello eveyone

Thought you might like a look at this fabulous video. It's by my new partner in crime Stewart Bremner.
I spot of behind the scenes action and subsequent opening night....a lot of wine was enjoyed!

I would also like to invite you all along to a talk by award winning artist Philip Braham. He will be telling us as bit more about the inspirations and influences behind his stunning "Drift" series of paintings.
This Thursday 6pm. Dont miss it.



Snapshots in the life of a gallery from stewart bremner on Vimeo.

Its Festival Time!

Hello everyone

Its August again, and that means one thing here in bustling Edinburgh....its Festival time!
Througout July many visitors to the gallery have asked how we could match the outstanding Dylan Lisle, Patsy McArthur exhibition. A good question.

I think we have the answer........

and......

Don't miss this superb exhibition.

http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/

LITTLE LURVE BLOG!

Hello everyone
We interrupt coverage of the "Call of The Wild" exhibition to bring you this special little blog as it's fast approaching that time of year again. The time of year when, if you are in a relationship you are expected to waste a lot of money on cheesy, four foot teddy bears and questionable dining experiences. Or if you are single, made to feel utterly useless and the loneliest person on the planet. Oh yes ladies and gentlemen, it's Valentines Day!!

(No doubt I will struggle to open the door on Sunday for the mountain of mail that will be waiting for me.)

Love comes in all shapes and forms and there's no escaping that love is one of the most powerful emotions that us human beings will ever experience. Love has inspired artists, musicians and poets for centuries. I thought I would mark this romantic occassion by showing you the piece below by one of our very own modern day Masters.

"Edinburgh Lovers" by Henry Kondracki.

I don't actually have this wonderful painting in the gallery, however I have been lucky enough to see the real deal a couple of times now. It's a large scale piece with a sweeping panorama, and you really do feel like you are on top of Calton Hill with the wind whistling around you. The happy couple look completely at ease with each other and are having a great timein spite of the rain. What I personally love about this painting is the unusual light. I think it must be early evening and I enjoy the little details like the street lights and illuminated clock face. Beautiful.

Of course if you were keen to see it then give me a shout as it can be easily arranged.

Well, whatever you are doing this weekend I hope you have fun. If you are passing the gallery I will be attempting to get into the romantic mood with French Fancies and Champange.....or maybe just wine.

Don't go breaking any heARTs now.....sorry.

Birthday Blog

Hi everyone
I mentioned that February was shaping up to be a busy, busy month and so far it is. However, I would like to rewind to Tuesday the 2nd.....my birthday. I am not going to tell you how old I am. Let's just say I am incredibly youthful.....obviously.
It was lovely to turn up at the gallery and find a bundle of cards under the door. Some very lovely, and some just down right rude so I won't be showing you. The one below cracked a smile on my extremely youthful face.

Inside another:

Lovely. I was working on my birthday, but decided to mix the day with a healthy work/play balance. The day started off well with a new delivery from sculptor Carl Newman. I was particularly keen to see the piece below as it's a new line from Carl.

Oh yes....he is lovely. In fact he was only on the wall for a day before he hopped off to a new home. Again I even liked the little "nest" he arrived in.

My day was brightened even further with a visit from award winning artist Henry Kondracki. My ice cream van hero strikes a pose:

Note the red Greyfriars art bag....no doubt the contents will end up another Kondracki masterpiece.

Birthday bouquet. A wee posy from a secret admirer.

Followed by a spot of working lunch.......

We splashed out with that reduced to clear beef from Scotmid!!

The afternoon was also exciting as I anticipated the arrival of Hazel Cashmore's new work. I will be going into Hazel's work in more detail soon. I will say that when the work was being unwrapped there were a lot of "wows". One after the other, each piece as good as the other. I wasn't expecting them to arrive in such a whopping great lorry. Or to be handled by such a friendly courier driver!

Then another delivery from Sally Johns. When I first viewed Sally's work the response was instant. A mixture of excitement and curiosity. I haven't seen anything like her work before. It's fab.

A sneak preview of Sally Johns "A Blue Bird".

And look at Mr Barn Owl. With all that gold leaf (which must have been painstaking for Sally to apply) he looks dazzling in the gallery window. He is certainly getting a lot of attention.

The exhibition night was a real HOOT.....sorry.