ArTay – Perth Festival of the Arts – Opens Today until 26 May!

It’s the end of May, which means it’s that wonderful time of year again when Frames Gallery in Perth invite over 80 of their regular artists to show their work under the banner (and canvas) of arTay, which is held in a huge marquee next to Perth’s Royal Concert Hall over the next 4 days.

The Bell Rock (Gale Force 10) Oil on canvas 25x25cm

I’ve been taking part in this excellent exhibition for around 10 years now, and it’s always great to catch up with old friends during the hand in and hanging of the works and to see what everyone has been working on recently.

Unfortunately, I was unable to help out with the hang this year as I was on a whirlwind journey around half the country dropping off more work to several other galleries on the day (more on that to come!). I did, however, manage to stop by with the 3 oil paintings here, including the newly finished Bell Rock above, as well as this brand new hand-painted etching of Bow Fiddle Rock below.

Bow Fiddle Rock (i) Hand-painted etching 40x59cm

There’s always a great selection of paintings, prints and objets d’art on show and this 4 day event only seems to get bigger and better each year.

Edinburgh Nocturne (ii) Oil on canvas 80-x80cm

The official preview night, know as the arTay Party, takes place this Friday night (24 May) 6pm – 7.30pm and this is your personal invite! Entry to that and throughout the whole weekend is free, so if you happen to be in or near Perth then do come along and see a huge variety of great work by some of the country’s best artists.

Isle Ornsay (ii) Oil on canvas 70x100cm

Opening Times:

Thursday 23 May 10am – 5.30pm
Friday 24 May 10am – 7.30pm
Saturday 25 May 10am – 6pm
Sunday 26 May 10am – 7.30pm

arTay Party Friday 24 May 6pm – 7.30pm

Frames Gallery

10 Victoria Street, Perth, Scotland, PH2 8LW
01738 631085
info@framesgallery.co.uk

Opening Night of my Solo Show – Frames Gallery, Perth – 3 March 2023

Minutes before the doors opened

After almost a year of hard work and preparations, last Friday night saw the opening of my solo show at Frames Gallery in Perth. And what a fantastic night it turned out to be, with almost a quarter of the pictures sold within 2 hours!

But I have to admit that I am always a little anxious when it comes to opening nights, and especially when it’s just my work that’s on show.

There’s a lot of pressure to get everything finished, framed and on the walls on time and I feel that heavily on my shoulders for weeks in advance.

A quick spin around the show!

And there’s quite a lot of variety in my work too, so I’m also always wondering how all of those pictures will look when they’re hanging together in one room.

Glitter Moons, watercolours and etchings
Etchings and oils with a sea theme in the main

Of course, I’m also hoping there’s going to be a good turnout for the opening, as a great atmosphere always helps to get any show off to the best start.

But in spite of my growing nerves as 6pm approached on the big day, I should really have known that I needn’t have worried! Hugh and his team at the gallery had done a brilliant job of hanging the show and I couldn’t have been happier with how all 45 pictures were presented!

The first picture to sold was one of the largest, Muckle Flugga, oil on canvas

And to add to my great feeling of relief and excitement I was delighted to see that there were already some red dots accompanying pictures before the doors officially opened!

It’s always lovely to chat to the people who have been to my previous shows and have bought my work in the past, and I love to meet those who’ve come along to see it for the first time.

Two more of my lighthouse oil paintings sold on opening night!

It’s really the one chance I get to hear what people think of my newest work and that feedback is always very helpful when it comes to starting new pictures.

All in all it was a lovely night, with lots of interest and by closing time at 8pm 10 pictures were sold, ranging in price from £250 for a framed etching of Victoria Street in Edinburgh to £3450 for my large oil painting of Muckle Flugga.

I want to say a huge !!THANK YOU!! to Hugh, Julie and Jenny at the gallery for making it such a wonderful event and also to Lucy who so beautifully framed many of the pictures there! Massive thanks also to Kevin at Framing Point in Aberdeen for his incredible service and help over the past couple of years! I can’t recommend both highly enough!

And, finally, thank you so much to everyone who came along on the night, with some of you traveling a fair distance to get there! When you buy my pictures, or any artist’s, you really are helping to ensure that we can keep making more and the world would be a much duller place without art!

Here are some photos from the night. If you couldn’t make it along but still want to see the show, then you still have 2 weeks to go. And if you do go, please let me know what you think.

 

arTay 2022 – Part of Perth Festival Of The Arts

Where There Is Light, oil on wood panel – 78cm x 78cm (framed)

After 2 year’s absence from the art show calendar, I really can’t wait for arTay 2022, which opens at 10am in Perth this coming Thursday 19th May and runs until 7.30pm on Sunday 22nd.

Every May, and as if by magic, a large marquee appears next to Perth’s Concert Hall and is filled to the brim with a great assortment of fantastic artworks.

Dubh Artach, oil on wood panel – 75x75cm (framed)

But all the real magic is what’s on show inside the marquee!

With more than 70 artists taking part and a few hundred pictures to hang and label, it’s a challenge to get it all done and looking great in just a few hours. It’s not all hard work though and there’s always a great atmosphere, with Hugh and his team making it all the more fun by providing lots of coffee and cakes to keep us all going until the show is hung. Remarkably – considering the often competative nature of a typical ‘hang’, and with so many artistic egos to be found in one relatively small compass – I have yet to witness a punch up!

Rattray Head, oil on canvas – 57cm x 57cm (framed)

As well as helping to hang the show on Wednesday, I’m also very much looking forward to catching up with lots of artist friends and maybe matching some new faces to familiar pictures and names too.

So these are the four paintings I’ll have in the show. Three fairly large atmospheric lighthouse oils and my latest dreamscape (or ‘longing’) painting of Edinburgh, as seen at night from across the Firth of Forth.

[Contact Hugh at Frames Gallery, Perth for more details, or if you would like to reserve one of these paintings. Tel: 01738 631085]

Edinburgh Nocturne, oil on canvas – 95x95cm (framed)=

If you happen to be in or near Perth then do come along and see a huge variety of great work by some of the country’s best artists. Along with many of the other artists, I’ll be at the ‘arTay Party’ preview on Friday 20th from 6pm.
Hope to see some of you there too!

Frames Gallery

10 Victoria Street, Perth, Scotland, PH2 8LW
01738 631085
info@framesgallery.co.uk

Details for my solo show this November …

There will be a variety of recent watercolours, oil paintings and etchings on show. Proceeds from sales will go towards the costs of a 2 month residency at Castlemaine Press Print Workshop, Australia next year.

Please join me at the private view. I look forward to seeing you there!