Spread the Love

Hello everyone,

Well I'm afraid it's that time of year again folks.  There's no escaping Valentines Day!

Here at UG we believe that it's no more than a tasteless commercial frenzy, from which the likes of Tesco do very well indeed.
So, to counteract the tat we thought we'd highlight a couple of gems from our current exhibition, Poetic Licence, that are truly heartfelt, classic, and that will certainly stand the test of time:

'Shakespeare's Sonnet, oil and pencil on board, by Joyce Gunn Cairns MBE.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds

William Shakespeare, Sonnet No. 116

Sensitive and regal, Joyce Gunn Cairns captures the intimacy of a genuine couple in love - beautiful.

Or, if you'd like something more intimate in scale:

'Home Is when I'm Alone With You', mixed media, by Imogen Alabaster.
With a title taken from the lovely song 'Home', by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros', this is a beautiful little painting that gets its message across without submitting us to dreadful commercial sentimentalism.

You have until February 27th to come in and have a look at this wonderful exhibition.

Speak soon. 

Horsepower

HORSEPOWER

The horses look
at all that power
the classic car club
in strict formation
like men o’ war
painted and polished
good enough
to meet the Queen. 
'Horsepower' by Iain Finlay MacLeod.

'Horsepower', oil on canvas by James Newton Adams.

Ahab

AHAB

He’s not looking my way.
I know why!
Look at this beauty
and his creels are empty
And the village is watching
I knew it, I said
I’ve hooked this monster before
But people never believe
a man with his feet on the ground
will amount to much.
Get the chips on, darling
I’m king of the world.



'Ahab' by Iain Finlay Macleod.

'Ahab', oil on canvas by James Newton Adams.

Some Of These Things

'Golden Chain', oil and egg tempera on canvas by Olivia Irvine. 

Some of These Things

Imagine some of these things

Not just the glint of a hard, blue glacier

Nor the curl of wrought iron on a bench by the Seine

Not even the haunting music from a pink house,

Chanced upon on a midnight walk

But old, blotched walls

A carpet, faded and worn

A diving platform, a broken parasol, a creaky hinge

And a heart drawn hastily on a greasy window

Imagine and be there

Where the bright leaves dance in the tangled dell

And the rose trellises carve out spaces in the sky

Stay a while and touch the smooth, orange beacons

Left by lopped off branches on the crumbly trunks

Open the cupboard where the imaginary thing lives

Hit that soaring, plastic shuttlecock

Maybe you once had the shell I put in my pocket for a while

Sat on that same lonely, stony shore

And swung on that same peeling gate

Even so

I want to show you the actual tent poles and the signposts

The spotted dresses, the lampposts, the trodden path

I want you to see for yourself

The exact spot we hid the treasure

Feel for yourself the curl of the fine chain on your hand

The drag of a bag on the floor

The soft folds of that curtain drawn aside

Hear the ringing ankle bells

The buffeting whip of a kite

And the crisp turning of another page

Olivia Irvine               January 2012

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

The Cardinal Bird

Hello Everyone

I thought I'd tell you a lovely story connected to this stunning painting, currently being exhibited in our Small and Perfectly Crafted exhibition:

'Homecoming' by Fiona Jappy
I am a real fan of Fiona's paintings: they are always so beautifully concieved and painted.  And I love the fact that her paintings always have an interesting story attached to them, and a slightly 'other worldliness' feel to them.

After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art, Fiona moved to the US to complete her Masters at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.  I'll let her take up the story:

"When I moved to America and arrived in Carbondale it was night so I couldn't really see much of me new 'home'.  The next day, when I got up one of the first things I did was go outside to see where I had come to.  I discovered that the house I was living in had a beautiful garden, and as it was such a beautiful sunny day I sat out on the porch and observed everything that was going on around me.  I was busy watching the birds when my landlady came out to see how I was getting on.  I asked her what type of bird I was looking at as it was so pretty, and she told me it was a Cardinal, which happened to be the state bird of Illinois.
Forward on many years, back in Elgin, and one Saturday I went down to the local mart to have a look at the stalls they have there.  There's always one stall that I go to that collects for charity, and when I was looking I couldn't believe what I came across.  It was a beautiful little suncatcher....shaped like a stylised Cardinal Bird.  So through different spaces and time, two of my 'homes' were connecting themselves."

And so, there is a stunning little Cardinal Bird in a cage in the foreground of this painting.  It's tiny, so if you want a proper look you will need to come into the gallery before Feb 14th.

And here is an image of a real Cardinal Bird:

 

Beautiful, isn't it?

And leaving you with this:

Artist Christine Clark popped in while we were hanging the exhibition, and here she is having a good look at her friend and fellow artist Imogen Alabaster's new work.

Have a good weekend everyone.....  

SAD?

Hello everyone

Apparently today is the most depressing day in the calendar. Dubbed 'Blue Monday', psychologists say that a combination of the weather, post-festive blues and financial worries make this the most depressing day of the year.

So, at UNIONgallery we are going to look at things a bit differently. Firstly, after today 'Blue Monday' will be over - a thing of the past - and you will only have 348 days left to make the best of 2011. It IS a new year and I have higher hopes for the artists, gallery visitors and for the gallery itself than ever before. I truly believe that even in these difficult times brilliant things can be achieved. I also believe that artists - creative, resourceful and forward-thinking individuals - are the very ones to pull together and to make a difference for the better.... for everyone's benefit. Indeed, with the world seeming an increasingly brutal place, I believe that there is even more need for art. I know this: I am lucky enough to experience it, day in and day out.

Always remember that at UNIONgallery we have an 'open door' policy. The inspiring and uplifting artwork we exhibit is to be shared and enjoyed by everyone, and I am convinced that just a look will help to alleviate any Blue Monday or SAD symptoms.

This will put a smile on your face:

Artists Imogen Alabaster, Mark Nicholas Edwards and Christine Clark worked hard throughout the freezing temperatures to achieve what is now affectionately known as 'The Wonder Wall'. Their work may be on a small scale, but it is the epitome of what 'Small and Perfectly Crafted' is about.

Leaving you with this, which I hope will create more smiles:
There has been much talk about the new man in my life. Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing......HENRY:
  

I have given him a test drive over the weekend and it's true.....we are inseperable. My New Year's Resolution? Clean up my act!

Speak soon.....

"SMALL AND PERFECTLY CRAFTED"

Hello everyone

Overinduldged at Christmas? Did everything supersize?

The perfect little fix is here.....

and......

If Santa was good enough to put some cash in your stocking, then this is the perfect exhibition to treat yourself to something really special.

Big can be beautiful, but tiny treasures can hold there own.

There are some real stunners in this exhibition and, in spite of the smaller scale of the work, there is no shortage of quality.

Last weekend to view "The Hunt" and many other beautiful artworks from the Christmas show.