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

Delicate Things

Hello everyone,

I would like to draw your attention to a very special number in Janet Melrose's solo exhibition, "A Still Life". Firstly though, by way of introduction, I wanted to show you this:

Oddly enough, this time last year I was out walking Union Gallery hound Harry, and came across this perfect little birds nest. And, like last year, I will stress that I didn't hijack it from a tree, I simply came across it on the path. I couldn't resist the urge to pick it up and inspect the fine craftsmanship. I also said in that blog that I immediately thought of artists Janet Melrose and Jenny Matthews, believing that they would also appreciate this perfect piece of nature.
And so, one year on, we have another work of perfection:

"Delicate Things", acrylic on canvas by Janet Melrose.
Artist Janet Melrose has, in the past, made comment about her 'generic' birds. Yes, it's true to say her birds are often stylised, but this is not to be confused with being frivolous or cartoon-like. Janet's seemingly effortless birds are captured in the moment, skillfully recording their very essence. To me, the bird featured in "Delicate Things" is anything but generic. Her beady eye is alert and watches anxiously, staring right at you whilst she sits protectively over the fragile fruits of her labour.
I have a feeling that who ever secures this treasure will also have an eye for all things delicate and special.

Leaving you with a couple more delicate and special things:

No. We did not prepare them earlier! These tiny visitors are the gorgeous twin girls of our good friends Sam and Nina Gough.
Little Cassia is on the left and Poppy is on the right.....we think!

Speak soon x

Bird Watching

Hello everyone

So now we have done the fish, it's time for the birds.
And there are some stunning species in Union Gallery's Christmas Exhibition.
Lets start with an all time favourite:

"A Bird in the Bush" by Janet Melrose.
Award winning artist Janet Melrose painted this earlier on in the year, outside in her garden. She tells me that the subject of the work...Mr Blackbird....accidentally flew into the canvas! I like that story, a little bit of history about the painting's creation. The frosty blue pallete is very fitting for the time of the year!
Next:

"Green Still Life" by Suzanne Kemplay.
Mmmm. I rather like this painting. Months in the making, that's a hungry little bird in the foreground!
And:

"Sand Martins" by Sally Johns.
The actual birds are done in pastel, but you would be forgiven for thinking they were painted. The be-spoke round frames add to the curiosity factor.
And finally:

"Flat Pack Bird Cage" by Jessica Irena Smith.

Oh folks, this is something else and right up my street! The skill in the making process of this glass cage is quite staggering. Let me know if you want to learn more...prepare to be amazed!

Here was the exciting moment the flat pack arrived with Jessica....

Leaving you with this:

Posted in by lovely artist Ruth Addinall. Another Mr Blackbird, a favourite subject of Ruth's, is checking out the new arrival in the garden. You will be seeing more of Ruth's superb work in the New Year.

Have a warm and happy weekend all x

Going FULL BLOOM!: Jenny Matthews solo

Hello everyone
I decided to set myself a little project the other day to get my brain into the "zone", in preperation for the spectacular Jenny Matthews solo exhibition in May. I did something similar before during the Christmas Exhibition. We were showing Janet Melrose's stunning paintings, some of which featured the little birds that visit her garden. I went on a reckie to do a spot of bird wathching.....only then did I fully appreciate the difficulties of trying to paint the wee blighters....they wont hold still!
So this time, armed with my wonderful wellies, a spotty dog and camera, I decided to get myself inspired by the flora around Edinburgh.

During the expedition the spotted one thought he'd found himself a girlfriend, however sensible Crombie took one sniff of Harry and thought better of it!

I was trying to pick out certain types of flowers in keeping with Jenny Matthews style: she likes the kind that suprise you, have grown quite happily on their own, not necessarily really exotic or overly manicured specimens. I also picked out a few of my own favourites, probably because like a lot of other people I am so glad to see them finally here.....we have defeated another winter! That's why we are having the Jenny Matthews solo exhibition. It seemed fitting to celebrate getting through a particulary tough winter, and rather grim year for many people, by putting on this beautiful exhibition. Everyone is welcome to come and celebrate with us!
Back to the project:

I confess to actually having taken this photo (not a bad one if I may so so myself!) back in February. These snowdrops are the first to come out in Edinburgh and every year I make a point of going to visit them.

Yes, I am sure I am not alone in being very glad to see these fellas. Although I do remember them one year being out in full glory during March.....then being snowed on! I picked this one out as it was just the couple of flowers in the middle of no where. Who put that bulb there then?

I came across this on my adventures:

I think both artists Jenny Matthews and Janet Melrose would like this. A perfect little bit of nature, lovingly and dutifully crafted. I would just like to point out that I found this little nest (probably last years) lying at the side of the path....I did not take it out of a tree!

The bravest of the brave: Helleborus makes an appearance in January when all the other sensible flowers have shut up shop. I noticed that artist David Hosie had one of these potted up in his studio on my recent visit. It's a pretty tough species, so may survive ok in doors.
Leaving you with this picture as it put a smile on the old scowly:

Edinburghs finest. Two lovely WPCs take some time out to allow the children to pat the horses. I wanted to have a pat myself but unfortunately the spotted one made it impossible. This was in Inverleith Park, which I will show you a couple more snaps of soon....with a bit of a Fiona Jappy artist theme.

Bye bye for now x

Calming, Inspiring & Uplifting

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say a bit more about the beautiful paintings of Janet Melrose which are currently on display in the gallery. I have to say the Christmas Exhibition is really stunning: a lot of top drawer work here.  I actually found myself sneaking in early on Sunday morning just so I could be with the paintings - perk of the job!
Janet's current work is based on the comings and goings that occur in her own walled garden, and the work appeals to me on many levels. I adore the tiny brids that feature in many of the pieces just as I love watching the birds that visit my own garden. It just shows there's so much goes on under our very noses.They are painted in a style that captures these fleeting, joyful, moments. It was this observation that inspired me to attempt to photograph some of the wildlife that I notice when out and about with the gallery hounds.

The image below is a detail from "Evening", showing a tiny but perfectly formed Chaffinch....I think. No doubt Janet will correct me if I have this wrong!

I didn't have much success with my nature photography. I always knew it was going to be a tough call with my remedial camera skills and I realise now that the presence of the gallery hounds crashing around was scaring every bird within a 10 mile radius. I did, however, manage to snap a few ducks who clearly knew my mutts can't swim.

I also managed this sorry attempt at snapping a Willow Tree by the Water of Leith.

Again Janet has done a better job at capturing the subject matter in the image below, which is a detail from "Underneath the Willows".

This is another detail from "Autumn on the banking".

So delicate and well observed.
We visited Janet's studio back in the summer as I wanted to see first hand her studio space. I knew it would be an important factor in her work, as it has indeed turned out to be. We were introduced to her own dogs, Pip & Oscar who also feature in her work and are constant companions when Janet works. Obviously they behave better than mine.

This is Pip patrolling his grounds. We were also introduced to "Chirpie", the hen that Janet rescued as she was being bullied and rejected by the other hens. I though that was so sweet! Chirpie was pretty cute and clearly enjoying her new, safer life. Having experimented with my nature shots, I now have even more admiration for Janet's work as I can appreciate the practical difficulties involved. Her subjects, the birds and dogs, are constantly on the move and of course, the birds in are so tiny. I will also say that Janet's work is the finest example of what I call a "less is more" style; the end result being a beautiful and delicate balance of getting it just so. The process of painting like this is quite stressful, it's the kind of work where one false move would be so obvious and ruin the work.
I also came across this winter blossom whilst out and about. This brave soul comes out in November and flowers right through to February. I think flower painter Jenny Matthews might like it.

This blossom also has a really lovely, delicate fragrance and in January I often make a point of seeking it out for an uplifting sniff! I can sometimes find January hard work after all the glizt and sparkle of Chritsmas has passed. It can seem really dark and gloomy.

Of course I'm not going to have that problem this year! That's because Union Gallery's January exhibition is something a bit special. Featuring the work of exceptional artists Olivia Irvine and Fiona Jappy, I am sure I will find myself sneaking in early more often to get an inspiring lift. Here's a quick preview!

"Reception" by Olivia Irvine.

"Wanderer" by Fiona Jappy.

Very beautiful, I am sure you will agree. Both Fiona and Olivia have worked incredibly hard for this exhibition and I can't wait to see it finally on the walls! If you find you are in need of a spot of colour in January you are very welcome to come in to be inspired too.