Water and Colour

March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.....

and....

The Jenny Matthews solo exhibition 'Water and Colour' opens on Friday.
Looking forward to seeing you all then
x

Up The Garden Path

The month of June sees us tending to our gardens:

What will you fine up the garden path?

Join us for a summery evening to celebrate the wonders of the flora and fauna (and much more) that inhabit our gardens.

See you tomorrow!

Patience is a Virtue

Hello everyone,

There's just a few days more to enjoy our wonderful and uplifting exhibition, In the Company of Birds, that has been so enjoyed by those who have found the time to come to UG in February.

It would be remiss of us not to look in a little detail at some of the beautiful work created by artist Jenny Matthews specifically for this exhibition.
Have a look at this:

'Birds of a Feather I', watercolour on paper, by Jenny Matthews.
 And this:

'Birds of a Feather II', watercolour on paper, by Jenny Matthews.

It will come as no surprise to learn that these two stunning paintings have attracted a great deal of attention since the exhibition opened.  They are quite, quite beautiful, and a testament to the immense talent that Jenny Matthews has at her disposal.  They are also testament to her commitment and attention to detail.  As she explains:
'The feathers are so beautiful that I wanted to paint them as studies. The green feather I found in the Lake District 4 years ago, there are Jay feathers, Pheasant, Peacock, and seabird feathers from Tyningham beach. The black and white spotted ones are from my husbands sister’s wedding when his mother dressed up in the evening to entertain the guests in a hat decorated with feathers from a neighbour’s Guinea Fowl flock (they’re all farmers round there)! Note that I don’t use white gouache or masking fluid: the white is the paper.'

So, these paintings have been some four years in the making!  Jenny collects items of interest wherever she goes, knowing that one day the right painting will materialise for them to find a home. Here are those feathers laid out for painting:

We would like to thank Jenny, and all the other artists who have taken part in In the Company of Birds, for contributing to what is an exhibition of outstanding quality and beauty.

If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out.....

Sir Francis Drake & Lady Penelope

Hello everyone

I'd like to bring your attention to a particularly lovely piece in the current exhibition, 'In The Company of Birds'.
Some of you may have already read about it in the fantastic Spurtle review but if not, cut and paste this into your browser to learn more about it and others in the exhibition:

http://www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/shock-flock

'In The Company of Birds' exhibition was given it's title after a painting that Janet Melrose RSW made for her exhibition here with Jenny Matthews. It was a beauty and everyone wanted it.....including me!

'In The Company of Birds', mixed media on paper by Janet Melrose RSW.
As you can see it was perfect and, I felt, the starting point for a fantastic exhibition.

We visited Janet in her studio earlier in the year to see what other beauties she had created for this show. To be fair all her work is beautiful, but this one really stood out:

'Sir Francis Drake & Lady Penelope', mixed media on paper by Janet Melrose.
Just like 'In The Company of Birds', to my mind, this painting is perfect.
It gets its intriguing title from Janet's own ducks seen here:

Sir Francis Drake!
And again:

Janet Melrose RSW with Lady Penelope and Sir Francis Drake, who are Muscovy ducks originating from Asia. I didn't know that bit - Janet - told me, but it sounds good I think!
As you can see from the photo, it was white with snow in Perthshire, where Janet lives, which made driving conditions pretty tricky on our visit to her studio.
No such problems for her lovely ducks, however, who it seems enjoyed their travels in the snow......

Hurry back for more tweets soon!

In The Company of Birds II

Hello everyone

Just thought I'd share some snaps of this beautiful exhibition and the opening night:

All calm and quiet.

Some particularly nice Janet Melrose RSW along the back wall.
When my lottery numbers come up I'm buying the second one in from the left!

With my winnings I shall also be buying the 2 second from the right!
I think someone else will beat me to it though.

'The Messengers' gracefully flock around the windows.

The flocks begin to arrive!

And flock around 'The Messengers'.
Leaving you with this cheeky fella:

'Hello !!'  acrylic on panel by Mark Nicholas Edward.

And that's goodbye from us x

God's Grandeur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 'God's Grandeur', oil and pencil on card by Joyce Gunn Cairns.

 

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

    It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

    It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

    And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

    And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

    There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

    Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

    World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

God's Grandeur, Gerard Manley Hopkins.

CHRISTMAS

There's no escaping it folks......

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!

The Orchids

'Orchids and New Moon', watercolour and collage on paper by Jenny Matthews.

Orchids by Hazel Simmons-McDonald 

 

I leave this house
box pieces of the five-week life I;ve gathered.
I’ll send them on
to fill spaces in my future life.
One thing is left
a spray of orchids someone gave
from a bouquet one who makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.
The orchids have no fragrance
but purple petals draw you
to look at the purple heart.
I watered them once
when the blossoms were full blown
like polished poems.
I was sure they’d wilt
and I would toss them out with the five-week litter.
They were stubborn.
I starved them.
They would not die.
This morning the bud at the stalk’s tip unfurled.
I think I’ll pluck the full-blown blooms
press them between pages of memory.
Perhaps in their thin dried transparency
I’ll discover their peculiar poetry.
-Hazel Simmons McDonald

Sleeping Under the Stars

Hello everyone,

In the last blog, we had a look at a particularly special painting by Jenny Matthews in our current exhibition.  This time we are having a look at UG's 'curators choice' from Janet Melrose RSW's side of the show, and I have to say that I am slightly nervous about doing so - I am not sure I will have the right words to do the work justice.  What I am confident about, however, is that Janet's work will speak for itself and will easily hold its own.  I will take a leaf out of Janet Melrose's book and take a 'less is more' approach to discussing her work - of which these are a master class:

'Meeting of Ideas', mixed media, by Janet Melrose RSW.
What I will say is that as a general rule with paintings, the more perfect and effortless they appear, the more difficult and demanding they were to arrive at.  In Janet's canvasses in particular there is evidence, or rather clues, as to the history of the painting.  There are signs of the layers of history or story-telling that lie behind the paintings, which enhances their overall beauty.

To be honest, there is not a single painting in Janet's new body of work that I wouldn't love to have on my wall, but here is my curators choice:

'Sleeping Under the Stars', mixed media, by Janet Melrose.
I will confess that, on viewing 'Sleeping Under the Stars' for the first time, I shed a little tear.  Recently, I lost my best and irreplaceable friend, UG hound Tommy:

I guess my heart was feeling rather heavy at the time, and that in part explains why I had such an emotional response to this painting.  Janet's paintings have the enviable ability to touch your heart, to create strong emotional responses.  It has been fascinating over the last month to witness people's joy firstly at seeing the work, and then at the appreciation of the talent needed to paint with such subtlety.  This painting, and indeed the exhibition as a whole, has certainly helped lift my spirits and those of many visitors to the gallery - I will be very sorry to see it end on Monday.

I have always admired Janet's brave approach to painting.  It takes real guts and conviction to pare everything right back to the bare flesh and bones of what makes a great painting - colour, composition, application of paint and, in this body of work, a subtle and sensitive narrative that is meaningful and appeals on so many different levels.

Thank you to artists Jenny Matthews and Janet Melrose RSW for creating a truly sublime exhibition, which you can still be moved by until Monday 4th June.

Speak soon.

Airborne Creatures

Hello everyone

I hope you have been applying the factor 50 lately!

In our last blog post we presented you with a challenge of finding all the little sandals thoughtfully painted into Janet Melrose's new body of work.
Our challenge for you this, the final week of the Janet Melrose RSW and Jenny Matthews exhibition, is to spot some butterflies.
Now, there's a lot of them! Including Scotch Angus, Small Heath and Small White as observed in this exquisite watercolour:

'Insects from Summer 2011', watercolour by Jenny Matthews.

This painting was secured by a lovely gallery visitor who was keen to buy a special work of art in memory of her mother who sadly passed away last year. 'Insects from Summer 2011', I feel, is a very sensitive and fitting memorial.
However, there is another, solitary 'airborne creature' in the exhibition which, on seeing for the first time, I immediately feel in love with:

'View from my Studio', acrylic and watercolour by Jenny Matthews.
I am sure, given a little time, you will find the tiny 'airborne creature' fluttering around on his (or her) lonesome voyage.
For me, the subtle insect is the icing on the cake of what is a truly beautiful work of art.
The more and more I study Jenny Matthews' work, the more I consider her to be an engineer as well as a brilliant painter - and this painting is a perfect example. I think the drawing work here speaks for itself - how she's captured the heavy rain with her confident and bold mark making requires no words from me. The energetic strokes work superbly with the subtle, yet precise collage work on the bottom and on the left of the work.
Yes, I think it's fair to say that from the Jenny Matthews side of this really special exhibition, 'View from my Studio' is a curator's choice.

Please come back to find out what UG's curators choice is for the Janet Melrose RSW side of the exhibition.....I might need some tissues!

Speak soon x

The Wanderer

Hello everyone,

Those of you who have viewed the current exhibition, new paintings by Jenny Matthews and Janet Melrose RSW, will know that there is a recurring theme of a journey running through Janet Melrose's work.  With titles such as 'Crossing the Desert', 'Making Camp' and 'Following Signs', you can find many symbols related to this journey in these exquisite paintings - such as the lone red-robed figure and, shown below, his sandals:

'Temple Shrine', detail, mixed media, by Janet Melrose.

Now these lovely, simple sandals appear in a number of the paintings, but as is the way with Janet's  subtle, less-is-more style, not all are immediately obvious to the viewer.

So, as a bit of fun, we are offering a bottle of something fine to the first person who comes to the gallery and can find all of the sandals in the paintings.  There will be no help from us, and no clues!

Happy hunting....

Imperial Yellow

Hello everyone,

Some of you will already have seen it, but for those that haven't, there is a particularly beautiful and intriguingly titled painting by Jenny Matthews in the gallery at the moment, as part of her two person exhibition with Janet Melrose.

And here is is:

 













'Imperial Yellow', acrylic on paper, by Jenny Matthews.

So where does this title come from?  In China, yellow has been a highly significant colour for centuries.  Yellow is seen as the colour of earth, the most important of the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water and, as an emperor rules the earth, it is the colour of Imperial power.  Emperor's decorated their palaces with yellow glazed tiles, and dressed in robes made from a special 'imperial' tint of yellow silk.  This colourful display of power was the exclusive domain of the emperor, so if anyone else dared to wear it or decorate their home with it, they risked execution for such an insult.  Of course,it is entirely reasonable to assume that the emperor's decorated their vases in the same way.....


Luckily for us, this practice never reached the shores of Scotland, and have in all probability become obsolete on China too.  So there is no punishment for gazing upon the 'sacred' 'Imperial Yellow' that we are lucky enough to have in the gallery at the moment.  In fact, there is only reward for doing so, and we recommend that you find the time to come in and have a look for yourself.

Speak soon.

One Swallow a Summer Does Not Make

Hello everyone,

Unless you have been extremely lucky, you might well have noticed that so far May has been something of a wash-out. Lucky for us, here at UG we have a truly sublime exhibition of new work by Jenny Matthews and Janet Melrose RSW that is guaranteed to transport you to more favourable climes.

To be fair, I have actually spotted a few swallows shivering their way around Inverleith Park.  I can't help thinking the poor fellows are wondering if they've got their dates wrong!

However, I want to show you this rather superb sketch from Janet Melrose's sketch book, which accompanies her little desk containing lots of enchanting items that demonstrate a lot of the thinking behind her new work.  Here is the little desk at which Janet sat many years ago:

It's hard to believe we were ever that wee, isn't it?
And here is that sketch:

Now I've scanned this from Janet's sketch book, so the image doesn't do it justice - which reinforces why it's always best to experience such exquisite drawings first hand.  There a nine swallows here (so it is officially summer), but the one that gets me the most is the one at the bottom left.  In a few masterful strokes of a pencil, with almost Samurai Sword-like skill, Janet has captured the fast-moving swallow with immediacy, precision and delicacy.

I would also like to show you this gorgeous drawing:

This sketch has been done in biro, which personally I have never believed to be the tool to achieve greatness in drawing.  I eat my hat!
What a beautiful drawing: with the 'clumsy', unsympathetic biro Janet has again captured her subject matter with elegance.  That little bird's beak is perfectly captured with a few masterful strokes.  Just brilliant.

Come back soon for some more drawing action from artist Jenny Matthews.

Speak soon.

Tulips from Amsterdam

Hello everyone

Some if you will have heard of the expression 'Tulip mania', but for the benefit of those who haven't, here's a quick horticultural lesson on what was once the most precious flower in the world.
Tulip mania erupted in the Netherlands in the 1630's, when visitors to the prosperous cities there were bewitched by the exotic and colourful blooms of the delicate bulbs. As speculation and excitement reached fever pitch, tulip bulbs became one of the most expensive commodities in the world - above spices or gold. The most sought after species were the black variety, at the time known as 'The Viceroy', and which today is commonly referred to as the 'Black Parrot'. Of course none of the flowers produced were pure black, but the trend of the time was 'the blacker the better', and more would be paid for the privilege of owning one.
Here is a particularly fine example of the species:

'Black Tulip Still Life', acrylic and watercolour by Jenny Matthews.

Now this black beauty was snapped up in a heartbeat and I can understand why, Indeed, I was somewhat tempted myself.....I was particularly taken by those 'inky spots'.
Fortunately, for those caught up in the Matthews/Tulip mania there is another damn fine example on display:

Tulips 'Palestrina and Barcelona', watercolour by Jenny Matthews.

Pretty in pink I'm sure you will agree. Better still, these glorious flowers are ever lasting, immortalised and, in modern day terms, a fraction of the price of gold with a life times guarantee of pleasure.
So the 'inky spots' were not meant for me. I leave you with a happy snap of some other 'inky spots'.

Hurry back soon for a closer and very special look at the work of Janet Melrose RSW.

Endless Possible Futures

Hello everyone,

I've been thinking lately that the month of January gets quite a lot of bad press.  Sure, it can be grey, cold and tight financially, but lets face it, it is just a month in a man-made calendar and surely it can be just what you make it?  Perhaps we should enforce some mind over matter.....

On Tuesday, here in Edinburgh we experienced the coldest day so far this winter which, of course, is to be expected at this time of year. But it was also a beautiful day with bright blue skies and, dare I say it, a welcome appearance from the sun!  So it may have been cold, but it was also a day to feel positive about the impending arrival of Spring in a month or so.

At UG we are also feeling positive and excited about the amazing exhibitions we have lined up for this year and about what the future may bring.  I've been thinking a lot about this high voltage number and believe it sums up out positive state of mind:

'Endless Possible Futures', oil on canvas, by Patsy McArthur.
Award-winning artist Patsy McArthur will be having a major exhibition with us in the 'endless possible future, and it will be a belter.  But as we all know, the best things come to those who wait....

In the  meantime, if I have failed to persuade you that January is not a really shite month, the have a look at what else is coming up:

A truly inspirational and beautiful start to the year.  Not to be missed....

Blimey!  And then we have this:

'Ragged Robin', oil on canvas, by Cathy Campbell.
Folks, if Glasgow-based painter Cathy Campbell's still lifes don't melt your heart, nothing will!  Subtle yet powerful, I believe that Cathy's paintings are a metaphor not just for the artist, but for many of our lives - a highly skilled and unique talent that speaks a universal language.  There is a lot of interest in Cathy Campbell's first solo exhibition in Edinburgh and we want to share it with as many visitors as possible.  So don't be shy, come and be inspired in March.

And here's a lovely photo of artists Kevin Low and Stewart Bremner finalising details of their exhibition, 'Worlds Apart', which will open on Kevin's birthday, April 5th.  It won't only be a party to remember, but a stunning exhibition to boot.

We've only tickled the surface of UG's delights for 2012, so stay tuned to learn more about award-winning artists Jenny Matthews and Janet Melrose RSW, and brilliant artistic assassin Norrie Harman.

Speak soon.

Messengers from Paradise

Hello everyone,

I admit that I wasn't fully aware that in Greek Mythology bees were considered to be messengers from Paradise: not until award-winning artist Jenny Matthews tipped me off.  It makes sense really, given the importance of their role here on earth - such a shame that we don't hold them in such high regard now.

It is with this sentiment in mind that I'd like to show you what I believe to be one of Jenny Matthews' finest paintings to date:

'Skep Needle Book', acrylic on canvas, by Jenny Matthews.
I think this beautiful painting more than holds its own without further comment from me, but the clincher for me is the honey-sweet story behind it.  'Skep Needle Book' was created for our exhibition 'Plight of the Bumblebee', at the same time as Jenny's parents were preparing to move house.  Whilst clearing the attic of their house, Jenny's parents came across her Grandmother's needle book with a picture of an old-fashioned skep on the front - perhaps a message in itself....

Here's what a bee skep looks like: 

The highly decorative jug featured in the painting belonged to Jenny's Great Aunt, and I love how both objects have been painted with such care and sensitivity.  Indeed, I love this painting.

A mince pie to the first person to tell me how many bees there are in the painting....if you want a closer look, it's currently hanging in our window at the gallery.

Speak soon.

The Bee Hunter

Hello everyone,

So as the summer draws to a close and autumn slaps us in the face, I've been thinking about the bees and insects and their continuing plight, which is made even harder as conditions harshen.

In the lead up to this exhibition I had done some swatting up on bees and the problems they (and all insects) face, and how we can help.  I'm even taking steps to make my garden more bee and butterfly friendly.  If you want any tips, just ask me!

So I've learnt a fascinating fact or two about the bees, and I can even identify (at very close range) the odd species.  However, I can't claim to have studied the bees and butterflies in half as much detail as award-winning artist Jenny Matthews.

This is a great photo of Jenny visiting the hives at Edinburgh University's King Buildings.  Jenny explains that a beekeepers suit does not actually prevent you from being stung - only from being stung to death.  Reasuring I know, but surely there's a bit of a design flaw there.  Still, I suppose we must all suffer for our art!

Indeed, such was the committment of Jenny Matthews to this exhibition that her husband, Pierre, tells me that she adopted unusual behavoiral patterns such as dashing off in mid conversation having spotted a particular butterfly or bee.  The following photos show Jenny researching and hard at work:

 












In the Pentlands, and:

In the Botanic Gardens.

So basically, Jenny Matthews spent her summer throwing herself into this project and I am very grateful to her, as I am to all the artists who have contributed to the exhibition.  The results of her work are outstanding, and this shows:

 
















'Insect Observations: Summer 2011', watercolour, by Jenny Matthews.
What a stunning painting this is!

The feedback on this exhibition has been extraordinary and very encouraging, and so far we have raised £700 for The Bumblebee Conservation Trust.  This is great news and proves that, even in these difficult times, it is still important to give something back where you can, especially as all charities are struggling just now.

I will end by wishing you all a happy weekend and, if you're very, very lucky, next time I will share with you some of the secrets behind my favourite Jenny Matthews painting to date:

 
















'Skep Needle Book', acrylic on canvas, by Jenny Matthews.

Keep Buzzin'

Plight of the Bumblebee!

Post Festival blues?
We have the answer.....

A beespoke exhibition that will help restore some buzz!

I will leave you with this wonderful photo of artist Jenny Matthews suited and booted and ready for action.
All will bee revealed.......

Get Rhythm

Hello everyone

Sadly the soggy Scottish summer time is letting us down. However, it's nice and dry and bright and colourful in Union Gallery. It's also free and inspiring to visit, so feel free to drop by anytime.

I promised to shed more light on multi-award winning artist Colin Brown, so here goes:

I first viewed Colin's work in December last year at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. Not every artist can claim to have had their work shown in such a prestigious setting! The exhibition was titled "The River Runs Through It" and was the brain child and curated by artist Charles Jamieson MFA, PAI, PPAI and journalist and art lover Jan Patience, and I was very keen to see it as the ethos and spirit of the show and artists involved captured my imagination. The aim of "The River Runs Through It" was to generate interest and funding for the Riverside Museum Appeal. I felt it was also a celebration of heritage and culture and an exhibition not just of beauty, but of historical importance. The new transport museum, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, opens today (the longest day) and I will certainly be going for a look at some point.
There were many great artists involved including Ruth A Nicol, Adrian Wiszniewski, Annette Edgar, and of course Colin Brown.
I have to admit that Colin's work hit me right between the eyes. I had never seen anything like it before - or since.
Here is an example:

"Salon", acrylic and collage on wood panel by Colin Brown.

What hit me most was the outpouring of information. This information overload both excited and captivated me and I thought it very in tune with our modern day living. Yet at the same time, Colin Brown has been developing his wholly unique/distinctive/original style since the 1980's. After the initial excitement and experience of viewing Colin's work, there is no escaping how brilliantly engineered and constructed they are. The 'information overload' all makes perfect sense, the layers of thought are painstakingly cohesive and it's obvious that Colin, who begins making these paintings by experimenting with ideas, leaves nothing to chance once he is in the groove. To me, I liken Colin's work to composing a brilliant piece of music...there is rhythm, colour and texture and, like any outstanding composition, it will remain a classic:

"Gabriel", acrylic and collage on wood panel by Colin Brown.

You can experience Colin Brown's work in Union Gallery's "Now We Are Two" exhibition alongside Stewart Bremner, Trevor Jones, Olivia Irvine and Jenny Matthews.

Speak soon

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.