Lyth Arts Centre, Caithness, until 31 August 2007

Eugenia Vronskaya - Self Portrait in Red Jacket.

REPRESENTATIONS of the human face and figure dominate this year’s summer exhibition at Lyth Arts Centre. There’s hardly a glimpse of a landscape in sight, a bold and novel stance in the Highland art scene which is invariably awash with countryside views – but one which has succeeded in bringing us one of the best exhibitions to be seen in the North for some time.

Six artists have peopled the main gallery with a very varied and contrasting selection of paintings and drawings, ranging from the stunning ‘Iconastas’ of Eugenie Vronskaya, the warm and lively portraits of musicians by Andrew Sinclair, working scenes from Sarah Orr and Meg Telfer, prints of figures from the oil industry by Sue Jane Taylor, and gentle reminiscences of the rural past from Mark Smith.

Vronskaya, as her name suggests, is originally from Russia but now lives near Beauly. She began her training in Moscow and her grounding in classical draughtsmanship serves her well.

This is an age where good draughtsmanship has often, like the proverbial baby, been thrown out with the bathwater in most art schools. Since drawing entails learning how to look and convey what is seen, the result of the lack of such training is an art world full of emperor’s new clothes.

An expert in the Russian icon, Vronskaya creates her own secular world of family, friends and self-portraits in ‘Iconastas’. Sixty images, beautifully sketched in oils, sustain and repay the attention the viewer gives.

Not to be overlooked is her large self-portrait, a delicate figure in an ill-fitting red uniform, plus a charming charcoal interior, an insightful picture of two girls on a sofa watching TV, and a still life of little jars and bottles on a shelf. The domestic and everyday, the family; these themes contrast with the almost fragile determination of her self-portraying images of an artist who never ceases to seek her way.

This is what makes Vronskaya such an interesting painter, and, still a young woman, she undoubtedly has not only an interesting past but a fruitful future before her.

Andrew Sinclair manages to combine a great deal of painterly talent with good business sense, very useful skills in today’s art world. He runs his own gallery in Argyll and still maintains an integrity in his work. His paintings of groups of musicians show not just a fine technique but also convey his feeling for the act of making music, especially the relationship between player and instrument.

This is a young painter who has much going for him, but only time will tell whether he manages to avoid the lure of commercial success that can destroy a talent and turn work into “product”.

Telfer’s big bold paintings and Orr’s detailed drawings show two different aspects of Highland people at work. Both convey scenes of contemporary occupations, with Telfer’s strong compositions and deceptively simple approach contrasting with Orr’s almost journalistic style.

Taylor’s beautifully drawn figures from the oil industry perhaps suffer from their very subject: the heavy gear the human figure is buried under almost obliterates the character of the individuals portrayed. Mark Smith’s delicate watercolours of crofting life in days gone by portray the nostalgia we sometimes still feel for the days when hay dried in stooks and not mechanical bales.

Returning to the theme of musicians and portraiture, Wick-based artist Fergus Mather has an outstanding collection of 30 photographs portraying the various jazz events that have been held at Lyth over recent years. These range from straightforward images to monotone and solarised graphic abstractions and sit very well with the subject of jazz.

The blue concentration of Konrad Wiszniewski on the tenor sax, and the fine portrait of Brigitte Beraha in minimalist white are outstanding, plus the multi-imaged portrait of Tina May which so expertly conveys her charm… really there are too many stars to mention them all. But the collection is a tribute not only to Mather’s talent but also to the splendid range of jazz artists that Lyth has brought to Caithness.

No summer show at Lyth would be complete without its crafts and mini-shows. Outstanding among these is a range of hand-made Caithness furniture by Catherine Macleod, an illustrated Ivor Cutler story especially for children, mini-baskets by Sarah Orr, small abstract sculptures, cheerful plastic sea-horses, and deconstructed bottles.

In a word, for anyone interested in people in particular and good draughtsmanship in general, this year’s show at Lyth is not to be missed. The arts centre is open from 12 noon to 5pm daily.

© Bette McArdle, 2007

Links

• Lyth Arts Centre