RGI Opens

I was at the opening of the RGI (Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts) at the weekend, finally back in its old home of the McLellan Galleries In Sauchiehall Street for the first time in 10 years.

(For those of you who don't know, the annual RGI exhibition is THE show to get in to in the west coast of Scotland.  It's an open submission process, so you are selected by your peers, possibly bought by the public, perhaps picked up by a gallery and maybe even awarded a prize - so its an important event in the Scottish art calendar.)

Here's my painting on the wall.

That's it at the top....

 

 There, RIGHT at the top...

 

There we go. 

It's Tower Bridge with HMS Belfast, in case you can't quite make it out.

Apart from the McLellan Galleries looking fantastic, and finally being used for the purpose for which they were intended, the show has certainly gone up a notch as well.  I can't say that I saw any paintings or sculptures which I would have questioned the inclusion of.  There were some that I didn't like, and some I didn't understand, but that's a different thing.

So if you get the chance to go along - please do.  It's on until December 8th (closed Mondays).  And take the opportunity to once again enjoy the beautiful big, open exhibition rooms of the McLellan.

Stormy Weather at Eastbourne

Here's the painting that I did after visiting Eastbourne recently during the big storm.

Storm Swell, Eastbourne Pier (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

This is the view from the pier looking down to Beachy Head.

Towards Beachy Head (Oil on linen, 16 x 16)

And this is looking the other way from the pier, down the beach towards Bexhill on Sea in the distance.

Storm Swell, Towards Bexhill on Sea (Oil on linen, 16 x 16)

Armistice Day

Today is Armistice Day, and next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

Two of my grandfathers fought in World War I, and as I've written about here. my paternal grandfather William survived a gas attack in the trenches in 1916, and went on to work after the War for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as a monumental mason.

It's quite something to think that someone who is so close to me in terms of family - my grandfather - was born so very long ago - 1887.

He carved not only war memorials such as this one at Little Common in Sussex

but also carved some of the 54,896 names on the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres, which honours those who were killed, but who have no graves.  

As you can imagine, this would be a very sobering and mentally difficult task for someone who had survived the war, but who had seen all the horror of those friends and comrades who had been killed.  It must have filled him with guilt for surviving, but also with a resentment that his life and creativity was spent tied up with all that death, and that it never went away.  The shadow of the war and its effects (mental and physical) hung over him for the rest of his life.

I am hoping to go with a group of friends to Ypres next year to see the Menin Gate, and also to visit the grave of my great-uncle.

Shona Barr at Flying Colours

This is a painting from my sister-in-law's solo show, which is on just now in London at the Flying Colours Gallery.

Shona Barr, Dahlias and Cosmos (oil on canvas 36" x 36")

Grayson Perry - The Reith Lectures

If you've any interest in contemporary art and what it is to be an artist, then I highly recommend that you have a listen to Grayson Perry's four Reith Lectures recently broadcast on Radio 4, which are available now to listen to on i-Player.  You can also download a transcript.

Photograph: Richard Ansett/BBC

Usually handily packaged under the moniker 'transvestite potter', Perry is witty, intelligent, articulate, knowledgable and funny, and talks huge amounts of illuminating sense about art, the nature of art, and what it is to be an artist. 

Tune in to the first lecture HERE.  It's a thought-provoking treat.

New Stylish Home for "Cottage near Portree"

I've been contacted by the owners of one of my paintings to share pictures of it in its new designer home.  Here it is at 48 Rydale in London.

The painting is "Cottage near Portree", with a plum and moon frame. I think it looks pretty stunning against the bold, black walls.

It fits right in to the sleek, modern, minimal interior, adding an organic splash of colour.  It's great to see where my paintings end up and to see how they compliment their new surroundings and bring pleasure to their owners.

Despite the fact that the subject of the painting is (somewhat ironically) a traditional croft in the middle of a large open space, the house where it is now situated is poles apart, being a cutting-edge spanking new self-build in London, squeezed onto a corner plot that used to have garages on it.    You really couldn't get two more different homes.

Awkward and tiny, Adam and Shauna could see the potential that no-one else could – and they have created a clever curved three bedroom house over 110m² which features stylish interior spaces (designed by the couple themselves) which make maximum use of the small footprint, a secluded external space and a highy efficient stick-built construction. Grey water recycling and a green roof, as well as triple glazing, complete this masterclass in efficiency.
- See more at: http://www.homebuildingawards.co.uk/glabay-and-ohandley-residence#sthash.lZ1wsg0Z.dpuf

Awkward and tiny, Adam and Shauna could see the potential that no-one else could – and they have created a clever curved three bedroom house over 110m² which features stylish interior spaces (designed by the couple themselves) which make maximum use of the small footprint, a secluded external space and a highy efficient stick-built construction. Grey water recycling and a green roof, as well as triple glazing, complete this masterclass in efficiency.
- See more at: http://www.homebuildingawards.co.uk/glabay-and-ohandley-residence#sthash.lZ1wsg0Z.dpuf

48 Rydale is up for an award for the way that it makes use of a tiny amount of space to create an uber-sleek and stylish three-bedroom home with an outdoor area as well.  Read more about it HERE.

Thanks to Adam and Shauna for getting in touch to tell me about it!  Good luck with the competition.

If anyone else has photos of my paintings, then please do get in touch - I'd love to see them!

Into the RGI

Good news!  I've had a painting accepted for the RGI (Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts) annual exhibition!

Tower Bridge with HMS Belfast (Oil, 16 x 40)

The exhibition runs from 10 November - 8 December, and is back in its proper home at the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.