An Talla Solais, Ullapool, until 18 December 2011

AT THIS time of year there is usually a members’ show at An Talla Solais in Ullapool.

This year they called for 3D objects, and the result, called Lustre, is a small but pleasing exhibition of sculpture and craft work. A few big pieces dominate the space. Up on one wall, a concrete and wire sculpture, suggestive of a crocodile’s gaping mouth, immediately grabs my attention. It is by Susan Brown, whose drawings of a vortex stood out at the West Coast Open exhibition. Next to it is a copper-wire sculpture, called ‘Life Through Space’, which is strangely organic in form, like an orange squid.

Susan Brown - To See Through

Also very striking is a fine-wire-and-bead representation of constellations, called ‘An Hour Before Dawn’, by John MacIntyre. The shadows cast behind it enhance the delicacy of the piece. Two big, glossy wooden sculptures by David Marshall celebrate the natural muscular shapes and textures of the wood but are also partially carved. The fingers on one piece seem a perfect way to reflect this blend of the tree’s own creativity and that of the artists’ hand.

John McIntyre - An Hour Before Dawn

My favourite piece of the show stands in one corner: a felt man raising a foaming beer mug (the piece is called ‘Slainte Mhath’). Made by Meryl Carr, he has big brown feet (filled with stones, I gather) and his green tunic and shirt would make him a fairy-tale rustic, except his face, with bulbous nose and veins standing out in his forehead, is far too realistic for that.

Artist Books by Joanna Wright

Frances Fogg has made several boats out of driftwood, stones and sea-smoothed glass, sticks and cloth, which seem to have been washed up from the shore and are soon to sail off out of their frames. Then there are lots of little pieces in glass cases, among them Joanna Wright’s little artist books. ‘Roof’ is made of iron and print, and is surprisingly delicate. Even more so is ‘Something settled here and took’, an organic gathering of flowers and ideas, revealing an eclectic and attentive creative process.

One of the sculptures by Barbara Peffers, called ‘Nothing is Lost’, also seems to address this aspect of creativity – all kinds of different materials, soft and hard, even a fish, are bursting out of a filing cabinet. I also took note of some pretty textiles by Eiream Strange, an appealing owl by Jennifer Morrison, and a rolling horse by Evelyn Peffers. It’s a shame that David Bastow’s beautifully turned wooden pieces are behind glass, thus can’t be stroked, but a gleaming silver tiny cup by Charlotte Watters is shown off well in the bright light of the case.

Charlotte is one of a group of An Talla Solais members who are embarking on a new enterprise called the Market Street Collective, a co-operative of seven artists who have taken over one of the rooms in the gallery to use as a shop, from now until Christmas. If it works well they hope to open again from April next year. The other artists are printmaker Phil James, weaver Flora Bush, felter Meryl Carr (the maker of the green man), jewellery-creator Merlin Planterose, painter and textile artist Celia Charity and bookbinder Jan Breckenridge. In addition to selling their own work, the shop welcomes guest artists and they have plans to feature an artist of the month. Some of the guests’ work from that stands out are Fergus Stewart’s pottery and two lovely ceramic hares by Paul and Jill Szeiler.

Charlotte Watters - Prosthetic and Fragment

Giving a room over to a commercial group is possibly a controversial move for the gallery. An Talla Solais’ motivation, as a community arts organisation, is to give practical support to the livelihoods of local artists – particularly welcome in the difficult economic climate. An Talla Solais will take a small percentage of sales made in the shop, and the members of the collective are volunteering to sit in the gallery, thereby allowing it to open longer hours. They hope that the presence of the shop will make the gallery attractive to a wider range of people, bringing some folk through the doors who would otherwise not visit an art exhibition.

There seems good potential for synergy between the two organisations, and it is a way for the gallery to get some benefit from commercial activity without having to trade directly itself. It will be interesting to watch how the partnership develops.

© Mandy Haggith, 2011

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