TAKE III

Hello everyone

The Barbara Franc mania continues here at UG which explains why this blog has been a little quiet of late....it's been super busy round these parts!

As some of you will know Barbara has made some amazing, mischievous red squirrels as part of her Menagerie solo exhibition so I thought we'd take a look at 3 of my all time favourites.
Lets start with this little fella:

'Plain and Jam', steel wire and recycled decorative tins by Barbara Franc.
He is christened such by the biscuits tins that make up much of his perfectly sculpted body.
I adore the tiny snowflake motif on his paws and tail.
And this speedy little girl:

'Yellow Flower', steel wire and recycled decorative tins by Barbara Franc.
I think you can probably see how she got her name. It's funny, it's not just me that can tell by looking at a piece wither it's a boy or girl. Lots of gallery visitors refer to Barbara's animals as she or he. You can just tell! It's a credit to Barbara's skill that she can give each piece such character and personality.
Last but definitely by no means least:

'Tea Leaf', steel wire and recycled decorative tins by Barbara Franc.
I just adore this little guy. He sits in the window and gets so much attention. He's a cheeky chap who looks like he's in a hurry, possibly because he's just pinched someone else's nuts? I'm particularly fond of his flowery, red legs.
'Tea Leaf' is also Barbara's favourite squirrel and I can't understand why he's not got a home yet.
I'm confident he will though, so in the meantime I just enjoy watching his mischievous manner.

Leaving you with this:

They say a picture says a thousand words and I do believe this lovely photo says a lot about how people are reacting to Barbara's incredible creations.

Have a great weekend all!

GET READY!

The Menagerie is coming!

Featured here are 'Yellow Flower', 'Work of Art' and 'Cafe Creme' and are just 3 of the fabulous creations Barbara Franc has made for her solo exhibition.

TIP: This is a MUST SEE exhibition!

Horses for Courses

Hello everyone

I thought we could do a spot of horsing around today and take a closer look at sculptor Barbara Franc's magnificent horses in her first ever Scottish solo exhibition, "Diversity".

"Ride on a Fine Horse", steel wire, copper wire, tin and brass by Barbara Franc.
Barbara used to keep horses and even trained to be a riding instructor, so has always been fascinated by their power and physique. Barbara explains "the debt owed to them by humanity as the early fast vehicle of trade and conquest has always been a subject for artists since the dawn of time".

"Time Flies", steel wire & recycled material by Barbara Franc.
I wholly admire sculptors. Like many other painters, I find trying to create an accomplished image on 2D really hard...it's so difficult and taxing on the brain! However, to create something in 3D, so that it appears anatomically perfect, tactile and pleasing to the eye from all angles...that's mind blowing.
Here's another fine horse:

This is award artist Janet Melrose's horse toughing it out against the harsh winter of 2010/11.
As you can see he was well cared for with his blanket, and given plenty of scoff to keep him fit.
Nature is an incredible thing. It's hard to believe that under all that snow and frozen ice it was still working hard, working it's magic, and 3 months later provides us with joy like this:

We all welcome and enjoy the sights of the awesome blossoms, here we see it perfectly celebrated in:

"Birds on the Damson", acrylic on canvas by Janet Melrose.

Award winning artist Janet Melrose's first Edinburgh solo exhibition, "A Still Life", opens Thursday May 5th. GET VOTING AND GET VIEWING PEOPLE!

 Speak soon x

Bird Song

Hello everyone

I wanted to show you a very special guest in award winning sculptor Barbara Franc's solo exhibition, "Diversity".

This sweet little chap is called Edgar.
Edgar came to stay with Barbara Franc just before Christmas last year and proved to be quite an inspiration.
Barbara explains to me that crows in particular are very intelligent birds, and that it is not uncommon for them to turn to humans when in need. Sadly Edgar died peacefully of old age, but he was given a loving home in his dotage and Barbara naturally got very attached to him.

You can see why! What beautiful and trusting eyes. Birds are very intelligent and you can tell from this photo that Edgar felt safe and comfortable in his new surroundings.
Here he is lovingly immortalised:

"Black Crow", steel wire & recycled materials by Barbara Franc.

I already knew the touching story of Edgar and had seen the photos of this magnificent bird with the searching eyes. So I confess that when I unwrapped the above sculpture and saw his eyes staring back at me, it pulled the heart strings. Barbara Franc has captured Edgar's personality with great care: In the eyes alone she has given him soul and created a fitting tribute.
Thankfully, "Black Crow" now also has a loving home: as I've said before, I love happy endings :)

Previously I have posted blogs on artists and their studio cats and dogs. I think about the special bonds between humans and their faithful companions quite a lot. Personally, I'm an animal lover and if I'm painfully honest, sometimes I prefer the company of my pets to humans.
So, I will leave you with another touching story:

This is little Chirpie in the studio of award winning artist Janet Melrose. Janet's solo exhibition, "A Still Life" opens next month and promises to be an exhibition of real beauty and sensitivity. This photo was taken way back in the summer of 2009 and was an enlightening introduction to Janet Melrose and her work. Janet rescued little Chirpie as she was being relentlessly picked on by the rest of her flock. Being a baby and without Janet's careful observation and swift intervention, Chirpie would surely not have survived. However, lucky Chripie is now thriving and much like the story of Barbara Franc and Edgar, it reveals wonderful acts of kindness and character-a genuine love and respect for nature.

Wishing you all a lovely Easter....if you're passing by I can introduce you to Edgar personally!

Something Magical

"I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else". Pablo Picasso.

Barbara Franc solo exhibition, 'Diversity', coming soon..........

Foxy Ladies!

Hello everyone

I hope you have all been out and about and enjoying the better weather!

This is a special blog as we have 2 very special exhibitions coming up at Union Gallery. April the 11th sees the arrival of award winning sculptor Barbara Franc's new work for her first Scottish solo exhibition, "Diversity". 30 new pieces of work, varying in scale and subject; all perfectly crafted; all simply brilliant. "Diversity" opens on Thursday, April 14th.
Introducing......

"Reynard" by Barbara Franc. Wire netting, steel wire and red oxide.
This stunning chap will be making a trip with all his other companions in a van all the way from London. By the time he reaches Edinburgh, he will be one well travelled fox. I can't wait to meet him!

"Reynard". Profile.
There is much to admire in Barbara's work. I am always amazed by her care and attention to detail. There's as much love and commitment in the small scale works as there is in the larger sculptures. We are always being force-fed the importance of recycling, so I'm sure you will agree, that this is an inspired and ingenious form of recycling.
Barbara was rather modest about making her debut on the blog. However, Newton, her studio cat was more than happy to represent her:

I often think that foxes get an awful lot of bad press. Considered as vermin and a pest to many, I personally believe and I think both artists Barbara Franc and Janet Melrose (who's solo exhibition will be in May) would agree with me, that there is much to admire in them. Of course they are 'cunning', but they are so much more than that. I think they are beautiful and mysterious, inquisitive and intelligent animals. As the modern day world relentlessly encroaches on their natural habitats, they have adapted like the true survivors they are, and I find them welcome visitors to our cities. They are, after all, merely scraping by and surely deserve their place in natures grand plan.
So here is award winning artist Janet Melrose:

Sporting those 'famous' dungarees, I admire Janet's no nonsense and unglamorous approach to her vocation. I'm sure many artists will recognise this 'there's work to be done' attitude. Forget image, the work comes first.

"Spot the Fox", acrylic on canvas.
This painting was given a home in a heart beat. However there will be other foxes appearing in Janet Melrose's solo exhibition "A Still Life", as the fox motif is a recurring theme in her work.
"A Still Life" opens on May 5th, and I canny wait!

Have a great weekend all x