Inchmore Gallery, until 29 July 2007

Woodland Harvest by Gayle Robinson.

THE INTERIOR of Inchmore Church has been wholly transformed by Fred and Gwen Black into a fresh and exciting contemporary art space that will compliment and enhance the network existing venues in the greater Inverness area.

A range of high quality work by Scottish artists including Joan Baxter, Lyn Beckett, Gwen Black, Clare Blois, Nichola Burns, Frances Crawford, Mari French, Michael Stuart Green, Daniel Kavanagh, Mhairi Killin, Charlotte MacNee, Diane McBain, Jenny McLaren, Brodie Nairn, Max Nowell, Hazel Passmore, Cyril Reed, Hazel Reed, Patricia Reith, Gayle Robinson, Maggie Savage, Kathryn Sharp, Patricia Shone and Gordon Watt mark an impressive beginning for the gallery.

It is particularly exciting to see the work of artists such as Mhairi Killin, Gayle Robinson and Maggie Savage being introduced to Highland audiences.

Based on the Isle of Iona, Mhairi Killin’s exceptional works in silver, brass and copper are a magnificent example of fine craftsmanship and conceptual art.

“Silver Weave” is an exquisite piece of abstract composition with shards of metal woven together with silver wire. The texture and surface qualities of oxidisation, blue copper and the visible effects of heat and fire make the construction and conception of these works an alchemical creative process.

“Long Night Moon” a sequence in silver, brass, copper, paper and wire represents phases of the moon using layers of materials to create shadow and glow, accented by silver wire and etched marks. This harmonious vision of movement in nature is beautifully realised in the unexpected medium of metal.

One of the finest exponents of contemporary art in Scotland Killin’’s work, like that of Patricia Shone and Daniel Kavanagh, also exhibited at Inchmore, moves with ease between disciplines of craft and visual art.

Daniel Kavanagh’s fusion of bronze and ceramics is distinctive and “highly polished” both aesthetically and in terms of craftsmanship. A bronze clad bowl with circular abstract motifs is a fine example and reads as both a vessel and a piece of sculpture.

Raku vases by the artist are also on display and are beautifully formed. Included in this year’s Six Cities Design Festival Kavanagh’s work like that of Mhairi Killin or Patricia Shone is at home on an international stage.

Featured recently in the “Latitudes” New Graduates exhibition at IMAG, the work of Jenny McLaren is both emotive and enigmatic. Her mixed media approach layering found objects with acrylics, inks and beeswax explore themes of memory, loss, abandonment and decay.

Technique is strongly linked to this exploration of subject matter. “The Absent Gardener” with its faded lace, sepia tones and photograph veiled in time seem a poignant reminder of a life once lived. “Bird Plate Patina” with its gentle palette of soft blues, tinted creams and bird forms in low relief is another accomplished work.

“Red Moth Ascending” with its burnt and torn edges was for me the most affecting of all in the suggestion of movement from darkness to light and strong focused use of colour.

Another strong practitioner of mixed media Gwen Black’s composition of “Misted Rain” created with layers of soft colour, matt, metallic, and opaque surface textures is a beautiful piece of work. The interplay of abstract and natural forms, light, colour and texture is typical of her distinctive style.

Gayle Robinson’s collagraphs reveal her characteristic gradations of rainbow-like colour with marked accents of symbols, trees and fields. “Woodland Harvest” is an excellent example. The use of abstract iconographic marks gives her work a timeless and universal quality.

Some pieces have a sculptural element reflecting the depth and range of mark made possible with this unique printmaking technique. Unity of form, colour and method in Robinson’s work is what makes it so engaging and unique.

Maggie Savage’s “Childhood Landscape” (Acrylic and Pencil), “Haven 2” and “Summer Garden” are remarkable for their delicacy and subtlety. “Childhood Landscape” reveals an aerial neighbourhood view dominated by sparse white ground and a fine tracery of pencil drawings.

The image floats on the surface like a distant memory. “Haven 2” sees the whole scene immersed in watery blue with a calm glow of softened edges around the central swimming pool. Viewing this work is like aesthetically and physically diving into it.

“Summer Garden” presents a naïve combination of views including a distant settlement, sun bleached sand and the haze of water and sky evaporating into the landscape.

Glass works by Brodie Nairn and Nicola Burns are well represented in this opening show. “Fusion in Grey” is a superb example with a fluid quality of light and depth that follows the natural architecture of a man made form in glass. Spun around the neck of the vessel is a clear necklace like dancing water or a spider’s web.

“It Ain’t Voodoo” by Nicola Burns is comprised of a smoky grey glass vessel with a bound neck of red glass strands and a series of objects like feathers, leaves or wands contained within. Each has its own density and interplay of colour in red, purple, brown and orange. Displaying the glass in a window shows the complexity and simple beauty of the chosen material to its very best advantage.

Incorporating the Squashed Frog Studio (formerly in Glenmoriston), the Inchmore Gallery is also home to a range of courses and workshops, including Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Bookbinding, Landscape, Stll Life, Abstracts, Acrylics, Mixed Media and Life Drawing. Both as a gallery and working studio I am certain that it will become an important artistic centre and I look forward to viewing future exhibitions.

Inchmore Gallery is 7 miles west of Inverness, off the Beauly Road. Open 10am to 4.30pm daily (closed Tuesdays).

© Georgina Coburn, 2007

Links

• Inchmore Gallery