Just Art, Fochabers, until 18 August 2012

JUST ART, an independent gallery located on Fochabers’ High Street, has a new exhibition of contemporary landscapes and still-lifes, and a fine mix it is too.

THE GALLERY itself is an informal space; well lit and welcoming, encouraging a relaxed dialogue with the works. Caroline Simmill’s moody and sublime landscapes effortlessly capture the dramatic atmosphere of the Moray Firth. ‘Mist Coming In’, with its brooding dense clouds undercut by a bright turquoise perfectly suggests the light and spray of an incoming haar, whilst the dark grey stillness of ‘The Early Morning’, evokes the peace and isolation of this remarkable landscape. Simmill’s textured impasto only adds to her coarse and bracing subject. Simultaneously peaceful yet intimidating; inspiring yet disquieting, Simmill provides a sensitive visual paean to the Moray coast.

Caroline Simmill - Mist Coming In

Donna Duncan, too, is inspired by the Scottish landscape, in this case the fertile countryside of West Lothian. The shifting light and its impression on the character and ambience of her surroundings provide Duncan with a romantic and diffused eye. Her smaller studies, ‘Ryal I’ and ‘Ryal II’, in which the bright, lush green of the fields punctures the gloomy storm laden sky are beautifully captured moments, while ‘Boilerhouse’ from her Bangour series is a perceptive and delicate eulogy to the ghosts of the area’s local industry.

Donna Duncan - Ryal 1

In contrast to Simmill and Duncan, Pam McBride’s focus explores the narrative and suggestive power of colour as manifested through a series of extraordinarily vibrant still lifes. There is undoubtedly a Mediterranean nostalgia that feeds through McBride’s canvases, one which flavours her work with a vivid palette. ‘Summer Still Life’ highlights McBride’s response to colour – warm, rich and playful in its use of light and subject; the seemingly exotic vase of flowers accompanied by a mug decorated with a thistle and ‘wally dug’.

Pam McBride - Summer Still Life

Her small works are perhaps her most successful, though; ‘Flowers in a Porcelain Vase’ is an especially energetic canvas – depicting a white and green vase filled with an abundance of pulsating red, orange and yellow flowers, all constructed and contained by McBride’s loose textured brushwork.

Emma Noble - Reflect On This 4

Emma Noble’s mixed media prints are clearly the most abstract of the four artists, but a sense of space and structure is still palpably evident. As Emma notes, her work is a reaction to ‘place’; in this case the tunnels and walkways of urban London. ‘Reflect on This – 4’ is particularly harmonious. Inspired by the market areas around Brick Lane the strong lines and low-key muffled green/grey palette imply an architectural structure to the work. ‘Under the Bridge – 4’ is more fluid, dotted with arches and bold purples and gold. Focusing more on the aesthetics of the experience, Noble provides a uniquely and beautifully constructed perspective of a busy cityscape.

In their own way each artist illustrates that the experimental traditions of landscape and still life are still vital and flourishing in the contemporary Scottish art world. While seemingly disparate, all four demonstrate an emotive response to their environment; one that is unique to their time and place.

© Billy Rough, 2012

Links

• Just Art Fochabers