Castle Gallery, Inverness, until 30 April 2010

THE CASTLE GALLERY presents a varied showcase of paintings, original prints, ceramics, jewellery, glass and sculpture this month, with many individual works to be savoured.

Drifting to Sleep by Trevor Price

The art of glass is well represented with works by Natalie Aird, Phil Atrill, Will Shakspeare, Adam Aronson, Mike Hunter and Graham Muir, ranging from functional pieces on a domestic scale to larger sculptural works. Mike Hunter’s Concerto Vase in lemon and deep purple, the design wrapped elegantly around the curved form like a musical scale, is a lovely example of a beautifully crafted functional piece.

Graham Muir’s elemental sculpture Arctic Current Wave in hues of reflective pink, emerald green and blue, is a superb example of the glass artist’s incredible skill. The sheer cuts and tremendous movement of form convey the power of nature coupled with the elusive quality of light. The fluidity of solid glass, play of light and colour in this work is a pleasure to behold.

Also among the sculptural highlights in the exhibition are David Meredith’s elegant Kingfisher (ed 45 in bronze and black polished slate), and a series of ceramic figurative sculptures by Eoghan Bridge.

The Castle Gallery continues to be an excellent showcase for the art of original printmaking, and there are some strong works in this latest show by artists such as Mychael Barratt, Trevor Price, Linda Farquharson, Veta Gorner and Angie Lewin.

Linda Farquharson’s bold works in linocut and wood engraving are striking examples of fine composition and design. The Lino Bird IV ed24 in blue, black and white and the beautiful vertical composition Roost are good examples. Farquharson is equally adept at subtle variations of colour such as we see in Dawn Riders, where crimson, rose and steely purple combine with equine form to create a beautifully balanced image. Similarly Helios Hunters presents a solid, sculptural treatment of the animal with a complimentary palette of burnt orange and blue, softening the stark line and heightened tonality traditionally associated with wood and lino cut technique.

It is wonderful to see ongoing development in the work of Trevor Price, a regular exhibitor of original prints at the Castle Gallery. In this latest exhibition Price’s series of etching and drypoints together with acrylic paintings on board display his characteristically whimsical, slightly surreal take on love and human relationships, tempered with an exciting new palette.

Drifting To Sleep (Acrylic On Board) depicts a couple on a bed hovering above a field. Held aloft by a series of lush jewel-like balloons in red, green and orange, the feeling of weightlessness somewhere between love and the unconsciousness of sleep is captured beautifully in the repose of Price’s two stylised figures. The colours in this work and in Entwined (Acrylic on Board) are emotionally saturated like very ripe fruit, a quality that works extremely well with the subject matter.

Entwined is something of a departure for Price, the robust stylisation of the human figure giving way to a more interior display of delicate butterflies and fruit suspended from fragile strings. The figures are suggested rather than depicted in their physicality and the suspended objects in the foreground give the viewer a feeling of vulnerability in the exchange.

Among the new works at the gallery are a series of mixed media pieces on canvas by Jo Oakley, an intriguing combination of decorative domestic interiors and found objects of remembrance. Morning Coffee is perhaps the most successful, with its distressed vintage feel, subdued palette and emergent under-painting. The arrangement of objects including a “token of love” postcard and distant ship add to the range of narrative possibilities in the work, a quality that could be developed further still.

Happy Days is more staid in terms of a still life, a selection of objects presented on a shelf which shifts slightly uneasily between interior decoration and illustration in the paint handling. The cool white plates and crisp edges of alizarin give the scene an edge just this side of domestic cosiness and it will be interesting to see if Oakley develops these gentle ambiguities further in future work.

If you fail to look up you may well miss a hidden gem in this show; Hilke MacIntyre’s Skating in ceramic relief. The unity of design in the oval rink, cut with the flow of movement from the skaters, is echoed in the semicircular arrangement of trees and onlookers together with the curve of branches receding into the depths of cool wintery blue.

This small piece is brimming with life and owes much in its multilayered treatment to the printmaker’s art. The repetition of oval forms in the work gives it a unity, simplicity and balance which cannot fail to raise a smile.

© Georgina Coburn, 2010

Links

• Castle Gallery