The Whitehouse Gallery in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway celebrates Spring, in an exhibition featuring an all female group of artists and makers. ‘Spring in Her Step’ opens on Saturday 11th March, and runs through to Saturday 6th May. Doors will open for the opening from 11am, and all are welcome.
The gallery welcomes new artists to the gallery Yvonne Coomber, Liz Toole and Carol Moore.
Yvonne Coomber is a well established artist, who is known for her colour drenched paintings of wild tumbling hedgerows, tangled meadowlands, open moorlands and magical forests. She is a plein air painter, and works with a mix of oils, inks, glosses, glazes, glitter and gold leaf. The results are mesmerising.
Liz Toole is another well established printmaker and painter. Liz takes much influence from her extensive travels in Africa and the patterns she finds in nature. Liz uses lino-cutting and screen-printing techniques in her printmaking, and also enjoys painting original pieces on wood, with a particular penchant for birds. Her work is instantly recognisable.
Carol Moore graduated from Glasgow School of Art, and works from a studio in Balloch, near the banks of Loch Lomond. Carol has exhibited widely throughout the UK, and has won numerous awards. Her work is mainly concentrated in two subject areas: still life and narrative paintings featuring figures or animals, with colour always being a dominant force in her work.
Another graduate of Glasgow, Jennifer Mackenzie returns with some of her still life oil paintings, with a passion for using a vibrant colour palette and texture in her work. As is the case with Carol Moore, you can see the Scottish painterly tradition in Jennifer’s work, which reflects her time spent at GSA.
Still-life is also a preferred subject matter for local artist Margaret Milligan, who manages to capture light and colour beautifully in her acrylic paintings.
From still-life to wildlife, Heloise Maylin and Ingebjorg Smith return to the gallery with their own distinctive styles. Heloise’s paintings aim to capture fleeting moments in nature, and are more concerned with capturing the mood of that moment, than depicting a realistic portrait. Ingebjorg Smith’s collage landscapes are very often quirky and evocative, and often described as ‘magical’.
Another artist with a passion for wildlife is Kelly Stewart, who will be exhibiting a collection of mixed media bird studies, alongside some charming canine’s from her ‘Dogs with Personality’ series. Kelly’s work is a mix of screenprint, watercolour and pencil.
Pamela Grace returns with a mix of her originals and hand-coloured solar plate etchings, featuring scenes depicting the Scottish countryside and rural life in and around Dumfries & Galloway. Amanda Phillips will also be exhibiting some of her dramatic landscapes, on a larger and bolder scale.
We will be treated to vibrant textile ‘paintings’ by Scottish Landscape of the Year finalist Moy Mackay, and some of Morag Lloyds unique paintings which reflect her background in illustration and design.
Some exciting new makers will be in the gallery this Spring, including Amanda Anderson who crafts the most exquisite mosaic birds and other creatures, which are hand made using colourful stained glass, jewel-like millefiori and patterned ceramic pieces.
New ceramics will be available from Mollie Brotherton, who is inspired by the local landscape around her home of SW France. Mollie uses objects and flowerheads to impress into the clay, and work in colours that relate to the seasons. Each piece is totally unique and hand-crafted in stoneware clay.
Kath Cooper will be sending us a collection of her ceramic work, which focuses upon themes around trees, seasons and nature. Her influences can be found from patterns and images on textiles, folk and Scandinavian art, naïve drawings and ceramics from ancient cultures and traditional slipware.
Returning will be ceramic work by two very popular makers, Jacqui Atkin and Helen Kemp. Jacqui has a love of shapes and patterns,and her work very often features birds. Helen Kemp aims to create a whimsical or dreamlike feeling in her work, often featuring figures and birds.
Suzanne Breakwell will be exhibiting some of her charming paper sculpture for the first time. Her sculptural pieces are constructed from wire, paper mache, pages from books and cotton rag papers. Her attention to detail is delightful, bringing these pieces to life with her hands and paint brushes.
Lynn Muir returns with a new collection of her very popular handcrafted driftwood figures. We are excited to welcome back Carey Naughton from Rustique Interiors, with one of her much sought after hand embroidered, upcycled chairs, alongside new silk scarves from Dorothy Stewart, and cushions by Jo Gallant.
