Praise Indeed

The Black Woods of Rannoch,, oil on canvas 2011, by Philip Braham.

A quote from Philip Braham's guest book:
'Seldom that I am so enthusiastic, but: absolutely superb!

 To find out what all the excitement is about, you really should come and have a look before the exhibition closes on 5th September.

Snapshot

This is a great photo of award winning artist Philip Braham in front of his painting 'Antonine Hill'
at the opening of his solo exhibition, 'Still'.

House Sparrow

House Sparrow, oil on canvas 2011, by Philip Braham

The brawling of a sparrow in the eaves,   

The brilliant moon and all the milky sky,   

And all that famous harmony of leaves,   

Had blotted out man's image and his cry.

A girl arose that had red mournful lips

And seemed the greatness of the world in tears,   

Doomed like Odysseus and the labouring ships   

And proud as Priam murdered with his peers;

Arose, and on the instant clamorous eaves,   

A climbing moon upon an empty sky,   

And all that lamentation of the leaves,   

Could but compose man's image and his cry. 

 

'The Sorrow of Love', W. B. Yeats

Great Minds Think Alike...

http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/arts-ents/stage-visual-arts/philip-braham-still-union-gallery-edinburgh-1.1115131

Hold The Press!

This is award winning artist Philip Braham giving a final check over the catalogue that will accompany his incredible solo exhibition, 'Still'.

Opening on Friday, this exhibition has been tipped as a Festival 'must see' and with interest high already, Philip's show will prove to be one of the hottest acts in town.

See you Friday.....

The Eyes Have It

Hello everyone

I hope you have managed to catch some sun in between dodging the downpours.

I wanted to steer your attention to some captivating and haunting gazes in the current exhibition 'Head to Head'.
First of all I'd like to start with a piercing stare that is not part of the exhibition:

Thia photo is simply called 'Afghan Girl' and became one of the most famous National Geographic pictures ever. Indeed, it was featured on the cover of National Geographic's Top 100 Pictures of all time. This 12 year old refugee's photo was taken in 1984 and her iconic stare captivated audiences for years. It was the first time anyone had ever taken her photo.
If you have never seen 'Afghan Girl' before you can read more about her here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/03/0311_020312_sharbat.html

 I brought Afghan Girl into the equation as, on viewing David Hosie's 'Arabian Child' I immediately thought of her.

'Arabian Child', oil on panel by David Hosie.
Similarly, 'Ghanaian Girl II' thumps me with the same impact as Afghan Girl.

David Hosie has painted this beautiful woman twice now and she is a direct result of a field trip David made to Ghana last year.
Tired of the constant reports of economic doom and gloom in this country, David wanted to get a fresh perspective on poverty. I thought his trip to be admirable:the photos he sent back to us were pretty grave and I for one was also given a new perspective on what it is to be skint.

And look at these boys, and look them in the eyes:

and

These 'Young Spartans' look rough and ready and, for me, there is no escaping their gaze which is determined and yet vulnerable at the same time.

This next painting I definitely have eyes for:

'Bonxie', oil and pencil on card by Joyce Gunn Cairns.

Gosh, the haunting stare of 'Bonxie'.
After Joyce's work was hung a lot of time was spent simply experiencing this painting.
Now, there's a beautiful and moving story behind 'Bonxie', which I believe should be shared between the four walls of the gallery. For me, 'Bonxie' is a jewel in its own right and I am pleased, from the response, that many others can see this too. That there 'happens' to be an intelligent and sensitive seed behind 'Bonxie's' creation is an added bonus. Of course intelligent and sensitive is artist Joyce Gunn Cairns all over.

Next time we will be looking more at Joyce Gunn Cairns and the work of Sophie McKay Knight. In particular this treasure:

'Mirror Mirror on the Wall', acrylic and screenprint on canvas by Sophie McKay Knight.

Oh, and I want to leave you with another iconic gaze which is also captivating many people....

 
'Antonine Hill', oil on canvas by Philip Braham.
This painting will be shown in Phil's solo exhibition 'Still' which opens next month.

People are fascinated by people.

Happy Sundays x

Impact

Hello everyone,

A warm welcome to our latest followers. It's nice to have you with us.

I noticed this lovely message left in award-winning artist Janet Melrose's visitors book:

"I don't know if I've ever looked at a painting in a magazine or online and felt the same impact as when seeing it face to face".

The comment is spot on of course, and I believe goes someway to reinforce the importance of galleries as public spaces....for all to experience, share and enjoy.
I have likened Janet's exhibition to a 'stage set' in that it is perfect, intriguing and transports you to another world. The overriding opinion at Union Gallery is that it's to a better world.
Here are some tasters:

and...

I simply can't get enough.

 
Leaving you with some more impact:

"Antonine Hill", oil on canvas by Philip Braham.
Philip Braham is another award-winning artist who has shown all over the world. Philip's solo exhibition, "Still". will open during the Edinburgh Festival in August. Please contact Union Gallery for more details and to ensure an invitation to see something with serious impact.

Speak soon