Iona Gallery
An invite to Kingussie
Our lovely tutor Angus is exhibiting his work next month in Kingussie and we’re all invited to opening night.
He’s teamed up with Campbell Bryson (ex-GGS head of art) for the show, Lochs and Landscapes, at the Iona Gallery.
They’re promising a glass of wine (or a softie for the drivers) and some colourful paintings inspired by the Highlands.
It’s a great wee gallery, run by the Society of Badenoch and Strathspey Artists. If you’ve never been,, this is the perfect opportunity!
Launch night is on Friday July 7, from 7pm-9pm and the show runs until July 14.
Summer learning
Our counterparts in the Society of Badneoch and Strathspey Artists are holding a week of free art classes in the Iona Gallery in Kingussie.
Subjects on offer include acrylic and watercolour painting, felting and weaving. And there’s even a class teaching how to make “fauxidermy” – needle felting to make a fake animal head trophy.
Organisers are trying to get an idea of numbers interested so they can ensure that there is enough material and equipment to go round and spaces in some classes may be limited.
Best of all, it’s in the school holidays so if you’re babysitting or have some children to entertain, this could be a welcome addition to the schedule. But children must be accompanied by an adult.
The climax of the event is a big exhibition of all the work created during the week
Anyone looking for more information should contact: calypsoart@btinternet.com
Making a show of ourselves!
You cannot escape the Spey Art Group this month: we’ve got work in two prominent Highland galleries!
The main show is at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, where you can see our epic exhibition, Consequences, for the second time. If you missed it in September last year, then this is a chance not to be missed.
And it’s on show throughout February so there’s really no excuse!
AND! You can also catch members’ work at the Iona Gallery in Kingussie this weekend (until Feb 5). Before Christmas we did a workshop on decorating masks – resulting in our famous group shot. Angus has arranged that these unique creations – and those done by some of his pupils at Grantown Grammar – are being exhibited for the Food on Film Festival.
This well-known event is celebrating its 10th year with lots of events and films over the weekend so making a trip down the valley is highly recommended.
An art group in disguise
M was for masks last night as we took up the challenge of decorating paper masks.
With some inspiration from the Day of the Dead-style sugar skulls, members used paint, pen and collage to make some weird and wonderful creations: Donald Trump even made an appearance.
Angus would like to get them all back to class at some point soon so that he can make a big display to go to the Iona Gallery for the Kingussie Food on Film Festival next year.
Masks
We’ll be decorating masks on Wednesday night. Angus has a batch of paper face masks, blank for our own designs. You can draw, paint or even create a collage.
This lesson is related to an event in association with the Kingussie Food on Film event. Next year’s festival includes a Masked Ceilidh at the Iona Gallery on February 4. Your creations could come in handy for the Best Mask competition.
And do bring your pennies to the class… As a bonus, there will be a fundraising sale for the Grantown Grammar’s Art Department. Wonderful tubes of watercolour, oils, pastels, etc, will be available at discounted prices.
And there will also be the opportunity to buy goods produced for the Christmas craft fair in the museum.
Art exhibitions for winter
Lots more events going on around the region that arty people might be interested in as we head towards the end of the year.
The Creative Cairngorms collective is exhibiting at the Iona Gallery in Kingussie for most of November. There’s a host of craft and art on offer – jewellery, ceramics and photography and many more.
Opening hours can be found on the gallery website: http://www.theionagallery.co.uk/
At Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, there’s a new exhibition starting on November 12. Scottish artist Graham Fagan has reinterpreted the body of work made for the Scotland + Venice exhibition last year. The original exhibition was made for the Palazzo Fontana on the Grand Canal in Venice.
If you fancy going further afield, there’s the Kilmorack Gallery, just outside Beauly. Their winter exhibition starts on Saturday November 19. A host of artists will be showing new works.
Five exhibitions to inspire you this autumn
We’re on a break until October 26 but that’s no excuse to neglect your art.
There’s lots of places to seek inspiration over the next few weeks.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
The Main Gallery is hosting Remembering the Great War, an exhibition that marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. This show has been developed by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and includes famous Scottish artists, as well as the lesser known. There is a rich variety of portraits and other related works in various media and the exhibition provides an opportunity to learn about the impact of the war and the key role that Scotland and its people played.
- Until November 5.
Related to this, the Small Gallery hosts Next of Kin, which showcases a range of family keepsakes, including postcards, letters and photographs.
IMAG is one of eight museums and galleries working with National Museums Scotland to exhibit objects and archives in this show.
- Until November 5.
Iona Gallery, Kingussie
Jon Scheuler’s Skyscapes will be on show at the Iona Gallery until the end of the month. This exhibition coincides with the centenary of the artist’s birth. The Milwaukee-born painter studied in California before moving to New York in the 1950s.
In 1957 he came to Mallaig and the landscape he found there influenced his work throughout the 1960s. In 1970, he returned to the village and stayed for five years, returning most summers until his death in 1992.
- Until October 29
Meanwhile, you’ll have to be quick to catch the photography exhibition in the Small Gallery : Lost in the Glen features landscape works by Preslava Gancheva, of Bulgaria.
- Until October 15
But even if you do miss out on that, another small exhibition is due to replace it. Local artist Lynne Cairney’s latest collection is Back to the Farm.
- From October 17-30
Metamorphosis at the Iona Gallery
Just a few more weeks of the summer break to go until art group meets again, but there’s still plenty of art shows going on.
One upcoming event is the Broderie Alba exhibition, Metamorphosis, at the Iona Gallery in Kingussie.
This group of embroiderers and textile artists comprises Lena Ferrier, May Garrigan, Ann Knox, Christine Macintyre, Jane MacTavish and Carolyn Smart.
These ladies all studied at Dundee and joined together as a group in 1996. They have had several successful exhibitions around Scotland, and despite diverging lives, they have all kept in touch.
This new exhibition has evolved over 18 months of collaborative work, rekindling their love of textiles, art, designand embroidery.
And, as a contrast to their work, the group has invited Rob Christie, of Caithness, to exhibit alongside them. Rob works with wood and produces large vessels and platters.
The show starts on August 17 and runs until August 24.
The group will also be holding a charity event, Cakes in the Garden, to coincide with the exhibition. This event, which supports the Teenage Cancer Trust, will be on Sunday August 21 from 2pm until dusk, at Glencairn, Old Glen Road, Newtonmore, PH20 1EB.
The Iona Gallery
Hope you’re all enjoying the summer.
Our counterparts at the Society of Badenoch and Strathspey Artists start their summer exhibition from July 30. This is always a very busy show and well worth a trip down the road to Kingussie. See the poster below for opening times. the preview is on July 29, from 7pm-9pm.
As usual the work will be on display in the Iona Gallery – a wonderful space to see artwork.
As an added bonus, local artist Dave Fallows, who is also a Highland Councillor, will be showing his work in the Small Gallery at the Iona.
That’s life (drawing)
The Cairngorms Learning Partnership is offering the chance to learn or improve your life drawing skills.
Dan Cottam will be teaching a life class at the Iona Gallery on June 18, from 10am-4pm.
Activities will include:
- quick sketches and warm ups
- compositional and proportional sketches
- measuring in space and using relative comparisons
- How to use light and shade to create form
- Using negative space
- How to create perspective and deal with foreshortening
The six hour class cost just £65. To book, click here to get to the CLP’s website.
Spey Art Group 