Kilmorack Gallery, until 21 December 2008

Hatchet Fish by Sam MacDonald

KILMORACK’S latest mixed show is the perfect exhibition to visit on a cold December day, offering an excellent selection of new work to enjoy and contemplate. The show includes works by Paul Bloomer, Jim Bond, Kirstie Cohen, Angus Clyne, Helen Denerley, James Hawkins, Allan MacDonald, Robert McAulay, James McCallum, Ingeborg Smith, Illona Morrice, Blair Thompson, Sam MacDonald, Frank To, Eugenia Vronskaya, Jym Brammah, Henry Fraser and Peter White.

Among the highlights are strong showings of works by Paul Bloomer, Sam MacDonald and Allan MacDonald together with Frank To’s figurative work Moira, Blair Thompson’s beautifully rendered and energetic ink drawings Appearing and Tullochgrue and Ingebjorg Smith’s lyrical mixed media work Raindrop Wheatear.

Paintings by Shetland based artist Paul Bloomer display his characteristic command of composition. The large scale Gannets at Noss (Oil on Canvas) is a superb example. The artist’s considerable experience in printmaking – particularly large scale woodcuts – has contributed much to the strong design and composition of his paintings. Work in black and white using woodcut technique is decisive, in terms of the strength of each mark and the balance of the composition.

This is clearly evident in the formal elements of this work locked in a spiral of pure energy. The placement of the seabirds in a brilliant interplay of positive and negative space, subtle variation of tone and the spiralling brushwork of the background lead the eye into the work from a high aerial perspective. A large beak protruding into the left hand corner of the composition heightens the sense of depth in the work looking down to the cliffs, caves and ocean beneath.

A vibrant palette of turquoise and ultramarine is accented by the black wing tips and white body patterns of the Gannets in their descent. Softer treatment of the stylised cliffs touched by warm ochre reminded me very much of the work of Canadian Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris, especially in relation to its formal design and inherent spiritual qualities.

Bloomer’s current work celebrates the beauty and energy of the natural world. Migrants balances colour and form on branches teeming with life. His abstract mixed media landscapes, woodcuts, and large scale figurative and narrative works are equally dynamic and accomplished. Having exhibited widely elsewhere, this artist is long overdue a major solo show in the Highlands.

Alan MacDonald has contributed some particularly fine works to the exhibition, including Old Headland (Oil on board), a beautiful seascape where the solidity of warm brown rock is pitted against the icy green turbulence of the raging sea. There is tremendous movement in this work demonstrating a mature understanding of oils and a strong personal connection with the natural environment.

MacDonald’s work out of doors contributes much to the energy of his work and his ability to capture the ever changing elements of the Highland landscape. The rhythmic brushwork and softer palette of High Place Suliven is beautifully handled. This is a serene and aspirational image where the central landform becomes a natural and spiritual focus in the work.

The smaller work Mountain Shadow (Oil on board) is an absolute gem. Here MacDonald grasps the light reflected in the sky and water in thick impasto with a dominant palette of red, purple, lemon yellow and white. This is a more abstract work and wonderfully expressive, a tendency which emerged in MacDonald’s last solo show and that I hope we shall see develop further in future, lead directly by the artist’s handling of paint.

Sam MacDonald’s wildlife sculpture is magnificently crafted. Sensitivity to materials is part of the delicacy and detail characteristic of his work. Half Mile Down (Bronze, pewter, gold leaf and copper) utilises layers of metal and patination to take the viewer into mysterious depths. The partial spiral of the background in low relief and the positioning of the fish suggest a depth of ground in the mind’s eye. The lustre of the metal together with the interplay of gold, silver and bronze colouration capture the natural beauty, the shimmer of scales and fluidity of light within a watery medium.

Hatchet Fish (Pewter, Gold Leaf and copper) reveals MacDonald’s ability to work with great subtlety in metal with variations in colour tinged with blue, copper and silver. In Mayfly and Brownie (Copper and brass) etched markings further refine the metallic surface, with the finely rendered mayfly balanced on the surface of the water and the brown trout accented with bluish green and red. As this suite of works clearly demonstrates, craftsmanship is a hallmark of MacDonald’s practice and I would love to see more work by this artist on a larger scale.

Kilmorack Gallery has consistently delivered a programme of exceptional quality throughout its history. In 2008 the Art and the Word exhibition was one of the area’s cultural highlights and it was particularly gratifying to see a more creative approach to curating in a commercial gallery space.

Great programming in any art form isn’t about delivering what we expect – it is about surpassing those expectations and raising the bar. This is of particular importance in terms of the profile and public expectation about Visual Art in our area and in this respect it is the private rather than the public sector who are leading the way.

© Georgina Coburn, 2008

Links

• Kilmorack Gallery