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FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: PHIL MCMENEMY OF THE GALLERY AT LAURIESTON

It is with great delight and pride that the ‘Gallery at Laurieston’ joins forces with ‘Dumfries and Galloway Whats Going On’.

Not just because Robin and Derek are such decent people and not just because DGWGO probably offers the best online opportunity for a business like mine to make its presence felt but because we both share a deep and passionate love and appreciation of Dumfries and Galloway – a special place which deserves shouting out about but also deserves protection too!

Introduction:

It is great to be working alongside DGWGO, and it is great and amazing for me to consider that I am now entering my tenth year as a professional artist and gallery owner – who realised that dreams actually can kinda come true. But only with hard work, support, encouragement, colour-blind eyes, allowing yourself to make mistakes and learning from them, wonderful customers who return to see me and the love of those closest to me.

We stumbled across Galloway by chance nearly twenty years ago – we always tended to take holidays to Ireland or Scotland – in, if memory serves, November. We had booked a tiny cottage near Creetown – I spent the whole week with my mouth hanging open in awe! No-one had told us, we didn’t know, how could we and I know it probably sounds like a cliché, but we fell in love with Galloway and all she had to offer.

The hills, the coast, the landscape, the lilt, the feel, the woods, the lochs, the rivers, the birds & animals, the nature and the towns and villages – we were smitten – and all these years later still are.

I was at this time a nurse manager in child and adolescent psychiatry – I learned that I wasn’t ‘management material’. Management requires a lot more it transpires that an honest heart worn on one’s sleeve! So be it.

And then the magic began….Louise, who had been a qualified Doctor for some years, was looking for a different challenge and that challenge appeared in the form of a position here in Dumfries & Galloway. Stunned? You bet!

Louise worked hard, applied and was successful – cue my resignation letter with a deal of melancholy and sadness but with a hopeful heart. We relocated.

But what was I going to do? We always said that if we were fortunate to have children it would make sense for me to stay home and bring up the children and ‘find something to do with my time’! Sounds easy, right?

Anyway, after much soul searching and tree-planting, I decided on a career in photography – what could possibly go wrong? I was colour blind, untutored, unqualified and had never read a book on photography. But I do like a challenge and have never been afraid of hard work – and nearly ten years on nothing has changed in those aspects.

Gallery at Laurieston on Facebook

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Journey in The Arts:

In the beginning, I knew very, very little. I still don’t know much and have much to learn yet.

But I worked hard, observed customers at the multitude of events, fairs, stalls and outlets I attended– and still do. In 2007 we opened the Gallery at Laurieston and how proud was I? This was my showcase and my space – I loved that gallery. It holds great memories, and it was very good for me, but things change, and we have to keep striving.

I won awards, was shortlisted for others, was named alongside Julie Dumbarton as DGLife’s ‘Artist of the Year’ became involved with the Spring Fling event and kept working to promote what I do and tried to become better at what I produce.

I don’t feel I have a natural fit with the Arts, but that’s OK.

I aspire for photography to be viewed and accepted on a level playing field with every other artistic medium – I have my opinions and views about this – this remains a marathon and not a sprint!

In 2015 we opened the new and larger ‘Gallery at Laurieston’ – this is a new and exciting development for us. This winter (2015) sees the first Winter Show at the new space including works from some of my favourite and best artists from the region.

I have no exact idea about what the new space will become, but I have dreams about it. I know it will be an egalitarian venue of quality Scottish art – and I am delighted by the interest shown in the space from established artists and exciting craftspeople – watch this space!

Gallery at Laurieston on Facebook

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My Work:

My work continues to evolve and hopefully improve.

I have recently held an overseas exhibition in both Holland and Ireland and held significant exhibitions in prestigious galleries in the UK, and I feel proud.

As I approach my tenth anniversary in the arts, I continue to find my own voice and its good, though not without setbacks, heartache and disappointments – so be it.

This job may not involve lifting heavy weights, digging coal, teaching schoolchildren or being a nurse but it is still stressful and involves an enormous amount of time and hard work, again, so be it! I am up for the challenge.

I recently had an epiphany, and perhaps this epiphany has been ten years in the making, but it feels significant: I no longer call myself a photographer, I am an artist!

It takes practice to get this to sink in but it will – I don’t use a paintbrush to create my art, my paintbrush is my camera.

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Conclusion:

I hope by working more closely with DGWGO we can help each other in a mutual way to be of benefit to this region.

Throughout my career to date in the Arts collaborations and joint-working have been so very important – I view joining forces with ‘Dumfries and Galloway Whats Going On’ entirely the same.
I believe we can help each other to promote this region, protect it, nurture it and encourage folk to come to beautiful Galloway and perhaps find time to call into the Gallery at Laurieston to share my, and other artists, view of Scotland generally but Dumfries and Galloway specifically.

You will be welcome, and perhaps you might be surprised by what you see here.

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