Blandine Anderson Seanfhaclan Gaidhlig

22 Jun 2005 in Highland, Visual Arts & Crafts

Castle Gallery, Inverness, until Saturday 2 July 2005

INSPIRED BY Gaelic proverbs, Blandine Anderson’s solo show at the Castle Street Gallery in stoneware, porcelain and oils invites further investigation of its source.

I was glad to see that events including clay workshops for children led by the artist and talks on Gaelic proverbs by Ruairidh Macllleathain have been organised to coincide with the exhibition, broadening public involvement with the show.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Comunn na Gàidhlig and Fòram Gàidhlig Inbhir Nis have given financial support to these events, and it is wonderful to see Anderson’s body of work in a literary and cultural context in this way. It reveals how the Gaelic language continues to be a source of inspiration for artists.

In Anderson’s work her observation and stylistic interpretation of nature is very much at home with the wisdom and humour of the proverbs themselves.

Anderson is a highly skilled ceramic artist. All work is hand built without the use of moulds. Painted slips and oxides are added before the first firing and then enamels before the final part of the firing process.

The results are works that are intricately textured and coloured with a warm and naturalistic palette.

Anderson’s animal portraits in oils convey a great understanding of the creatures they depict but it is in her clay modelling that this rhythm of movement really comes into its own.

No 30 “As an dris anns a droigheann” (Out of the briars into the thorns) is a beautiful example of her distinct style. It depicts in stoneware a group of three hares in flight straddling in midair two abstracted fields that form a strongly curved base.

No 58 “Is math an sgàthan sùil caraide” (A friend’s eye is a good looking glass) with two hares facing each other on an abstract plinth is a superb example of her modelling of animal forms that are true to the creature they represent but also uniquely stylised by the artist.

Many of Anderson’s creatures are caught in the moment, perched precariously on the larger abstracted forms that are their stage. This abstraction is always derived from nature, suggested by the natural form of leaves, crashing waves or drops of water.

Tales, myth and folklore feature strongly in Anderson’s work and her travels in Scotland and Ireland, the influence of landscape and the Elements in this body of work are all strongly evident.

No 26 “An ni a thig leis a ghaoith, falbhaidh e leis an uisge” (What goes with the wind will go with the rain) is a good example. In this smaller work the form is like a swirled droplet of water that contains fish swimming upstream and leaves, suggesting movement by wind and water. This is extremely evocative stoneware.

The proverbs contain wisdom and humour which is realised in smaller works such as No 43 “Cha shoirbh triubhas a chur air cat” (It is not easy to put trews on a cat), No 55 “Gach madadh air a’ mhadadh choimheach” (Every dog sets upon a stranger dog) and No 16 “Am fear a bhios air dheireadh, beiridh a’ bhiast air” (Him that’s last the beast will catch), featuring a group of hares, the last one glancing nervously over his shoulder.

These smaller works are both affordable and accessible for the element of humour that governs the grouped figures in action.

Tales, myth and folklore feature strongly in Anderson’s work and her travels in Scotland and Ireland, the influence of landscape and the Elements in this body of work are all strongly evident.

Of the oil paintings, No 6 Cha mhisd’ a’ ghealach na coin a bhith comhartaich rithe” (The moon is none the worse for the dogs barking at her), is for me the most captivating of the exhibition. It is a beautifully luminous work with the emblematic hare caught in the cool blues of the moon and really captures the imagination in a way which animal portraits on their own are not able to.

Blandine Anderson’s work successfully creates curiosity in the source of her inspiration and engages the viewer with its evocation of nature.

I hope that future exhibitions will follow this lead and include talks and workshops, especially for children where appropriate. This is so important as it promotes local interest in the arts and develops an audience for visual arts in the area.

Contact with an exhibiting artist also helps to promote the idea of art not only as a as a creative pursuit but as a profession. The involvement of different artistic disciplines and groups within the community with what is in this case a commercial gallery helps support the work of artists, integral to our cultural identity.