St Andrews Has a Fours Star Arts Venue.....Us!

We have reason to celebrate this week at Artery - we have just been given the prestigiuos award of Four Star Arts Venue by VisitScotland!

We are delighted to receive this award, in recognition of all our hard work and attention to detail over the years. We also think it's great to be able to bring this accolade to St Andrews - we can now boast that St Andrews has one of only sixteen four star arts venues in the whole of Scotland.

VisitScotland award star ratings to different types of establishments such as hotels, restaurants and museums and these star ratings are used to give customers and tourists a guide to what to expect from an attraction. Every detail is scrutinised such as pricing, cleanliness, appearance, customer service, and consideration of children - everything!

Artery's selection of interesting and unusual artwork - everything from clocks, to ceramics and paintings - and our clear and sensible pricing structure were a particular positive for us, pushing us into the four-stars category.

We'll continue to push ourselves to bring our customers the best in contemporary art, great customer service and a different class of gallery altogether.

New 'St Andrews' painting by Jackie Gardiner

'Moonrise, St Andrews'

St Andrews is in full 'summer swing' at the moment, with lots of holiday makers from the United Kingdom, Europe, and across the world.

St Andrews is somewhere which is instantly recognisable to people from all corners of the globe, which is why we are delighted to have another beautiful oil painting of St Andrews by our regular artist Jackie Gardiner.

Jackie Gardiner has been a successful artist for 20 years now, and her work is featured in personal art collections such as The Earl of Strathmore's, Ernst and Young in Edinburgh and Karademir House. Her paintings have sold all over the world - travelling to places such as Singapore, Canada, South Africa, and of course, the UK.

Artery Gallery had been lucky enough to consistently exhibit Jackie's work for the last four years, with many keen followers regularly visiting to see her new work.

Artery Gallery, St Andrews, is open 10am - 5pm Monday - Friday, 10am - 5.30pm on Saturday, and 12 - 4pm Sunday.

www.arteryuk.com

Celebrating Our 3rd Birthday In St Andrews

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, Artery Gallery in South Street, St Andrews is celebrating an exciting and enjoyable three years in the town.

There has been great excitement and enthusiasm from the many UK and overseas visitors along with tremendous loyalty and support from local people who have claimed it as their own favourite shopping “hot spot” since the opening in May 2006. The continued growth and variety of local, national and international artists has been the major factor in Artery Gallery’s development from the early beginnings of the Crieff gallery, to the expansion of the St Andrews branch, through to its award winning website, www.arteryuk.com which brings orders and artists from across the world.

2009 has started off very bright and busy thanks to Artery’s philosophy of providing art that is more affordable and accessible, with an increase in purchases of paintings which could be a result of less people moving house and instead wanting to wake up their own walls and living space with fresh, new art.

Contemporary paintings from exhibiting artists such as Derek Collins, Colin Carruthers and Jane Duckfield continue to prove popular purchases as well as newcomers Susan Lincoln and Robert Ryan amongst many others. Thought-provoking paintings from popular artists such as Steve Johnston, Andrew Baines and Scott Carruthers continue to inspire and attract collectors from far afield.

The Director of Artery says, “Despite the gloom out there, artists are producing some of the most exciting and vibrant work we have ever had. It makes for a really promising year ahead”.

Artery is constantly bringing in quality handmade art and craft, which means there is always something new. With birthdays, weddings, graduations and anniversaries all year round, there is increasing demand from people who are looking for unique handmade art gifts as opposed to high street mass-produced items. Scottish artists such as John McPhail, Ronna Elliott, Rob Mulholland, Daniel Kavanagh and Mike Hunter are all proving that Scottish craft is as strong as ever.

Handmade jewellery has continued to show great popularity in the St Andrews gallery with Artery exhibiting works from nearly 20 different designers, all very different and unique in techniques, materials and style. Wedding jewellery has also seen a huge increase this year with many St Andrews couples having their entire party bedecked in individual and memorable pieces from Artery.

Artery Gallery has become part of the fabric of St Andrews, and like the town, is full of great character, style and individuality and if the last few years have been anything to go by, it will celebrate many birthdays to come.

Artery Gallery at 43 South Street, St Andrews (01334 478221) and 22 King Street, Crieff (01764 655722).

www.arteryuk.com

Beautiful Mixed Media Landscape Paintings from Monica Paton

Sometimes the best things really do come in small packages. These small 20cm x 20cm box paintings from Monica Paton are one of our most popular artworks we have here at Artery Gallery, so much so that they are never in the gallery for very long from the moment we put them out on display.

"The Field 4"

Monica graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 2001 with a first class Design Degree in Printed Textiles. Her work has evolved from the inspiration and techniques she developed during her time at Art College and has involved the exploration of screen-printing onto fabric and manipulating surfaces using batik wax and dye.

The inspiration for her work is nature and the surrounding landscape and the imagery and designs she produces are drawn from the shapes and patterns found in this environment. She is particularly interested in creating designs using collage and combining this material with paint, pastel and inks.

"The Field 2"

The wild dandelions found in her garden became the source of her inspiration for the “Wish” series of paintings, using acrylic ink and paint. These paintings have in the past been created onto large box canvas, but now she has created these small versions in the same form as her popular "Field" series.

"The Wish"

The wild dandelions found in her garden became the source of her inspiration for the “Wish” series of paintings, using acrylic ink and paint. Monica is continually experimenting with different mediums and surfaces to explore their creative potential. The images are aimed at expressing a stimulating atmosphere which then captures the imagination.

Monica Paton is a wonderful artist and the expression she uses in her work shows off her personality beautifully.

And at just £70 these original paintings are a must have!

www.arteryuk.com

Contemporary Landscape Paintings of St Andrews

Scottish artist Martin Devine has been painting the Scottish landscape for many years. Employing colour theory, Martin varies the use of tone and differing brush strokes to present a contemporary image of the landscape: inspired by minimalism, spare with detail, and encouraging a regard for simplicity. Using a palette of bright, bold and vivid watercolours, he catches the essence of the Scottish landscape beautifully.

Martin has now created a small series of paintings especially for Artery Gallery, capturing the distinctive skyline of the historic town of St. Andrews, and this collection shows off St. Andrews in all it's differing light tones, in his own distinctive abstract form.

Take a look for yourselves by clicking on this image that links to Martin's work on our website, or visit us at 43 South Street, St Andrews for a closer look.

www.arteryuk.com

Colin Carruthers - Scottish Landscape and Seascape Paintings

"Flowers on the Gauldrons" by Colin Carruthers

Exhibiting at Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff with his new work is internationally selling artist Colin Carruthers. His seascapes and landscapes have been exhibited through Artery Gallery since the gallery opened in St Andrews two and a half years ago, and Colin has a great track record of selling out each of his works on every occasion.

Originally from Northern Ireland and now living and working in the West Midlands, Colin makes regular trips up to Scotland to capture its scenery and dramatise the textured poetry of the landscape in his art.

Colin says, “I regularly travel to Scotland, where I find the high drama of the Scottish Coast, a constant source of influence for my paintings. There's a challenge involved in my work. With every canvas I attempt, I am searching for something. Beyond simply looking at my paintings and gaining an aesthetic pleasure, I do think it's important that they offer up space for thought"

The strengths of his canvases lie in their versatile response to nature as he grapples with the relationship between memory, place and emotion. His work challenges our assumptions of the landscape and returns us to a new sense of engagement, both spiritual and practical, with our surroundings. His triptychs in particular, add that extra panoramic dimension to the image.

Colin explains, “People often value paintings of a place they have visited because they need to feel a connection with it and what to be reminded of where they have been. Lots of people have a longing to be by the sea, experiencing the freedom of being by the coast, the sounds, the smells, the sensation of being healthy and alive. I want my landscapes to share in that sensation”.

To view the work by Colin Carruthers at Artery Gallery, log on to www.arteryuk.com or visit Artery Gallery in St Andrews or Crieff.

Birmingham’s Arts and Business Awards recently approached Colin and in conjunction with the Sky Arts television channel, have made one of his images available for download. For your free desktop wallpaper of Colin's 'Flowers on the Gauldrons' painting, click here: http://www.skyarts.co.uk/skyarts/30th-arts-and-business-awards-downloads/

The China Effect - Painting by Sheer Numbers

There have long been complaints on the forgeries of all kinds of goods from designer fashion to golf clubs, and watches to CDs and DVDs, all pouring out of China. This is nothing more than copying Western products for Western consumption. A strange way for any society to grow and prosper but what does this really mean in terms of our own values?

China's low wages and hunger for exports have already changed many industries, the art world, at least art for the masses, seems to be next, and is emerging as a miniature case study of China's successful expansion in a long list of small industries that when added together represent a huge chunk of it’s economic activity.

With the art market seen as a lucrative area, China continues to rapidly expand its art colleges, turning out tens of thousands of skilled artists each year willing to work cheaply. In the village of Dafen in particular, just outside Shenzen, factories have been set up purely for these art students and graduates to work, where the assembly line paintings are produced and sold throughout the world via the Internet.

The artists working on the assembly line divide up the colour, each possibly only using 2 or 3 colours. Working their way briskly along a line of up to 20 identical contemporary-style paintings, the artists will apply perhaps a few strokes of brown, while the next worker along applies the red, and so on.

The fact that the country is producing hand painted copies of old masters is only a small part of it. The main push by China has been in the broad market for works that retail for anything up to £200, with painters who work from postcards or images on the Internet. Due to the amount of interest the original works gain, popular artworks on all levels from across Europe and the US, are being copied in China and then exported back into the Western market. China's ability to turn what has long been an individual practice into a mass production industry will no doubt affect small-scale artists, as well as many galleries and various art colonies in the West.

When someone purchases one of these ‘Original Oil Paintings’, they are acquiring a piece that could have been painted by 10 different artists. So what is the advantage of owning such a thing? If all you want is something to decorate the walls and something that has no individual meaning or worth, surely a £1.99 poster would suffice.

So what can be done about the influx of copies arriving from China? As an art gallery, we are always trying to take steps to protect our exhibiting artist’s work, but the volume of artwork on the Internet is staggering and realistically impossible to keep track on what is being copied. The main aims are to protect the artists that create the original work and help the buyers protect their investments.

Perhaps copyright laws need to be more stringent. Previous laws were set up prior to this mass-production industry, so the principals and practice of copying art in general has changed considerably. If the laws on copyright were to be updated someway then that could go a long way in protecting the artist’s work.

www.arteryuk.com

New Works From Artery Gallery's Latest Success Story

We are pleased to announce that we have just taken in 2 new paintings from Perth based artist Scott Carruthers, exhibiting here at the gallery in St. Andrews.

"Out By My Side" - by Scott Carruthers

Scott’s paintings have attracted many admirers during his previous sell-out exhibitions at Artery Gallery, where his original style and thought provoking images have captured the imagination.

Largely inspired over the years by the art of Andy Warhol, David Hockney and LS Lowry, the biggest inspiration for his work has been his two young children.

The stories behind Scott’s paintings are based on the mix of nostalgia from his own childhood along with watching his two young kids grow up. Not necessarily making any comparisons, but being reminded of the nostalgic years and how their life today differs in these modern times, yet in some ways have some similarities to Scott’s own childhood.

Scott explains, “Each individual painting is telling its own story, however the description is only secondary to the image itself. I like to add my own thoughts behind the piece so that the viewer knows exactly what I was thinking regarding the particular painting and my reasons for it. Although this is designed to work alongside and compliment the image, I do find sometimes that the viewer has already made up their own mind anyway before they even know my written description. I am always fascinated by people’s thoughts on my work and their imaginations are understandably diverse”.

Last year Scott Carruthers signed a major publishing deal with one of the UK’s largest fine art publishers, which has resulted in numerous exhibitions of his original work and limited editions going on show across the country.

Scott adds, “It’s great to have my original work on show at Artery Gallery once again as it’s where I enjoyed my first success as an artist”.

Artery Gallery, based in both St Andrews and Crieff, has been a major supporter of contemporary artists over the years and continues to boost the profiles of up and coming artists, as well as the well established.

www.arteryuk.com

New Glass Artist at Artery Gallery - Mike Hunter

Multi-award winning glass artist Mike Hunter of Selkirk, on the Scottish Borders, is the latest exhibitor at Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff. Mikes work really is of the finest quality, each beautiful piece is hand crafted and intricately designed with great care and attention to detail. He has a real passion for working with glass, which shows in the quality and defines his years of experience gained from working with some of the finest glassmakers.

He began his love affair with glass as a small boy, gazing with fascination at the colourful, magical twists contained in the marbles he played with. Later, as a 17-year-old apprentice with Wedgwood Glass of Kings Lynn, Norfolk, he remembers asking the master glassblowers how the intricately designed glasses he had seen at the museums were made. None of them could tell him.

It struck him then just how many skills of the 18th century were being lost as more and more machines were introduced to glassmaking, and he determined right then to figure out how they were made and to see if he could learn the techniques himself. On many trips to the museum, without being able to pick up the glasses, he peered into the display cabinets and took notes. After seven years of trial and error at the factory during his lunch breaks, he succeeded in perfecting a technique of embedding coloured glass canes and air into the stems of glassware – a technique not used commercially since Victorian times.

Mike went on to spend 11 years with Wedgwood, training under master glassblowers from the UK, Italy, Austria, Germany and Scandinavia, and attaining the position of master glass blower and coloured animal maker.

At his studio in Selkirk, Mike produces designs with cane-working techniques, creating traditional contemporary glassware styles based on the designs of 16th and 17th century Venice and 18th century England. He created his flagship technique of “vetro”, the Italian for glass, which demonstrates the combination of his natural talent for design with the highest level of technical skill. The result is a vast array of colour in design that speaks of his unique relationship with glass; the glass on the blowing iron becomes one with Mike as, with a sense of ease and speed, the molten glass is commanded into form – his “vetro”.

Mike has received high recognition and exhibited his work throughout Scotland and England. As well as a commission for Lord and Lady Milburn of Paxton House, Berwick-on-Tweed, he was invited to provide reproduction glasses for the Hornblower series on ITV, and he designed the trophies for the Scottish Businesswomen’s Association Awards in 1998 and 1999. His beautiful creations are stocked at the most exclusive outlets: Asprey and Garrards, New York and London, Harrods of Knightsbridge, The Room in Chelsea, Wing On Hong Kong, and Cameo in Paris.

www.arteryuk.com

Buying and Investing in Art

Any time is really a good time to consider buying and even investing in good quality original fine art, and you don’t need to be an Oil Tycoon to do so!

Imagine a loved painting hanging in your office where you can enjoy the pleasure of ownership throughout your working day, or a wonderful artwork that greets you when you come home. These are good reasons to buy fine art, but the reasons to buy do not have to be limited to just this.

Investing in quality fine art has consistently kept pace with the stock market over the last few decades now and recently, due to the rise in the international art market and the much-coveted decline of stock market shares, begun to out pace it considerably. That not only includes works by the blue chip artists both living and deceased, but also works by lesser-known artists. Paintings by artists who are selling in the best galleries, emerging artists with new art theories and even those by well known artists of the past can be very affordable.

Investing in fine art does not need to cost the thousands to millions of pounds that we read about in the news. These are usually only over inflated prices anyway specially targeted for Russian and Arab businessmen with over inflated bank accounts!

Anyone can purchase a good quality piece of art at an affordable price if they know what they want and where to find it. The Internet is a great place to do research on the styles you like and on the artists themselves and is certainly less time consuming and more feasible than visiting the numerous art galleries. If you can visit your local and national galleries to help get inspired, this all helps, and it has to be said that seeing art exhibited in an actual gallery does help you connect with the work.

The common outlook and probably best advice is to just ‘buy what you like’ first and buy as an investment second, but it is very possible to do both, to have a painting you love and also something that you know you will not lose anything on. A painting wont break down or need upgrading, and if it is a piece you love, it will never get old and tired. So unlike pretty much anything else you spend money on, it wont mean you will be out of pocket on it. This means it can certainly be seen as an investment, especially if you have done that little bit of research and obtained an artwork by an artist that does establish him or herself. Or you may even just get lucky and have a billionaire bidding war on works by the same artist, and this sort of profile boosting is something money cant buy!

For business owners, Investing in art can be an affordable way for any size of business to increase and maintain customers and client bases.

Many small business owners, especially professionals such as doctors, lawyers, dentists and financial advisors, have experienced the benefits of displaying good investment quality art in their offices and reception areas.

Recent studies have shown that products benefit with increased sales when marketed with fine art. Professionals who display good fine art in their places of business experience that their clients and customers view them as having more authenticity, authority and professionalism. Restaurant owners have also come to find that art helps bring in customers, not just prints for decoration but good quality fine art.

A business purchasing original art can also reap the benefit of an investment that increases in value over time. There can even be a tax advantage as the art, or part of the purchase price can be deducted, just like any other office furnishing. Depending on the work and its value there are other possible tax advantages to be had from loaning work to shows or even local museums.

The overall important factor remains however, that investment in art is the visual pleasure received and if it has the potential to increase in value, even better.

A good place to start looking for original, contemporary art is at Artery Gallery of course!

Buy British Made!

Since the economic downtown, everyone has become more wary of their own spending, and rightly so. It’s not just Britain’s economy that has seen a slide, but the world economy as a whole has slumped.

This does not mean though that no one has any money anymore, because employment is still high and people are still earning. What Britain needs to do now is simply look after itself.

Sir Alan Sugar was recently quoted as saying “Buy British to support the British economy”. This is not just a throw away comment to grab a headline, this is something that we should all think about doing.

There may well be some items that are unavoidable of course. For example, kids this Christmas will inevitably be after the usual computer consoles and electronics, and if you end up buying a British “Wii”, the chances are you have got the wrong thing!!

Unfortunately of course, so much stuff is made in China these days that it is very hard to find a British product, particularly in such areas as electronics and clothing.

The arts and crafts market however is a good example of where to find good quality British made products. Buying an artwork as a gift is ideal primarily because of its individuality coupled with the knowledge it has been handmade by a skilled craftsperson or artist. The receiver of such an art gift will also notice and appreciate the work and thought that has gone into finding and selecting the piece.

It’s not just a case of supporting the craftsperson as an individual business and helping to keep them in employment, but can also go someway in supporting the supplier of the artists materials, the framers, delivery and courier companies and of course the shop or gallery where you purchased it from. It’s a large circle of activity that gains the support with every purchase of a British made product.

So not only are you buying into an artwork that you can enjoy, or give to someone else to enjoy and treasure, but in your small way you are helping employment and the British economy stay as healthy as possible and regain it’s strength.


www.arteryuk.com

Original Art for the Workplace

Well-chosen, good quality original art displayed in the workplace should be considered as being part of the welcome package of any company. It can provide a subtler and more innovative way of sending messages about the organisation, the approach and their people, and goes beyond the recognised company logo and corporate image identity.

In the increasingly competitive business environment, quality art is playing a key role in strengthening and communicating the image, ethos and values of a growing number of restaurants, hotel chains, companies and organisations. There are also other real benefits. Art has been shown to improve the staff environment and research has revealed that employees find art in the workplace extremely motivating. It makes people feel that their workplace is a creative and stimulating one. Staff often mention that they feel more inspired and motivated, when their stark and anonymous corporate walls are hung with uplifting art. As well as energising the working environment, artwork in the office has also been proven to have a subliminal effect in helping reduce stress among employees! What a great return from simply hanging a few well-chosen paintings!

Investing in original art can also show the companies involvement in supporting the arts community, whether local or national. Purchasing art can also be considered an investment for the business. Many world class businesses already buy original works year after year for this purpose and claiming them as investments and assets. Another plus is that the purchase of original artworks is treated similarly to that of office furnishings and is usually allowable against tax!

Visit the Artery Gallery website, pop into the galleries or call on St Andrews 01334 478221 or Crieff 01764 655722 to recieve any assistance you may need in purchasing the right artwork for your workplace.

www.arteryuk.com

Perthshire Open Studios - 27th Sept to 5th Oct

Artery Gallery in King Street, Crieff will be taking part in the first Perthshire Open Studios between September 27th and October 5th. During the Open Studios week, there will be three of Artery Gallery’s exhibiting artist performing demonstrations and talking about their ideas and inspirations behind their work.

On the opening day of Saturday 27th September, renowned Scottish artist Derek Collins will be giving a fascinating insight into his unique style of ‘Flaming Art’ paintings. Using various mediums and materials in his paintings, Derek creates wonderful impact paintings full of colour and texture. What really brings his paintings to life though is when he sets them on fire! That will definitely be something worth seeing!

Comrie based artist Peter Davenport will be giving talks and demonstrations on his abstract landscape oil paintings on Tuesday 30 September from 12pm.

And on Saturday 4th October, Christine Forsyth will be demonstrating her techniques in creating beautiful contemporary silver jewellery. She will also be giving talks on her ideas and designs as well as hints and tips on how to look after your silver jewellery. There will also be 5% off all Christine Forsyth jewellery all day.

The Perthshire Open Studios is a great way to see local artists showing their skills first hand and Artery Gallery is proud to be playing a part in promoting artists in Perthshire.

For further information on the demonstrations taking place at Artery Gallery, call 01764 655722.

Gallery opening hours during the event will be;

Saturday 27th Sept 10am - 5pm

Tuesday 30th Sept - Saturday 4th Oct 10 am - 5pm

Andrew Baines - 'Surreal Human Sculpture'

This short clip gives a brief insight into the 'Surreal Human Sculptures' by Australian contemporary artist Andrew Baines. This particular shoot was done at St Kilda beach in Melbourne, Australia.

Andrew has been creating these Human Sculptures for the last couple of years and uses them for his Surreal paintings for which he has become renowned for across Australia as well as here at Artery Gallery in Scotland.

In 2009, Andrew Baines is planning to create one of his Surreal Human Sculptures right here in St Andrews in conjunction with Artery Gallery.

We will post more information here in due course, so stay tuned and informed with the Artery Gallery News Blog!


www.arteryuk.com

Still Life Oil Paintings by Bing Wang - A Contemporary 'Old Master'

("Strawberry on a White Torrent" by Bing Wang)

We have just taken in 10 brand new outstanding Still Life oil paintings from Artery Gallery regular Bing Wang.

Bing Wang explains his works:

"Recently, I have used the Still Life format as a foil for my ideas. The painting is becoming a vehicle to express a state of mood through the fusion of Minimalism and Realism. Both the process of making and the result suggested an escape from the real and sophisticated daily life.

By depicting the simplest object within the simplest composition but executed in a masterful and astonishing realistic manner, I am trying to engage the viewers into a translucent and peaceful pictorial space.

It is not easy any more to be able to be ‘traditional’ in the contemporary context. But I am still conscious of the meaning of painting tradition and its needfulness in the present to engender resistance to the libidinous flex of media images.

My researches into techniques, media and pigment of the Old Masters and the painstaking working procedure have led my works to a highly finished surface and a sense of timelessness."

With prices for Bing's original oil paintings ranging from £595 to £895, you can have a modern day masterpiece without the price tag of an old one!

Visit our website to view the new Still Life oil paintings by Bing Wang now exhibiting at Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff.

www.arteryuk.com

Caroline Slane - Irish Landscape Paintings

("Walking Home" by Caroline Slane)

Often known as Cal, Caroline Slane works out of her studio in Holywood, County Down. She has enjoyed much success in the Irish art community that has now extended to Scotland following a number of successful exhibitions in recent years with Artery Gallery, based in both St Andrews, Fife and Crieff, Perthshire. Her paintings, using the rarely used medium of Gouache, famously depict the small harbours and coastal cottages of Northern Ireland. She has found these landscapes of Ireland and the Western Isles a continuous source of inspiration, which is reflected in her vibrant and contemporary work.

Caroline is a relative of the late Marky Robinson who enjoyed worldwide success and acclaim, and it is to him that she attributes her artistic freedom clearly displayed in her work. He was a self-taught artist, whose artistic career spanned sixty years, although his working life led him from a merchant ship, to welding, even to boxing!

Marky acquainted himself first hand with ‘The School of Paris’, and European modernism - in particular, expressionism and cubism, which influenced his style and take on still life and landscapes. Often his work was met with critical indifference or distaste. In 1942, Marky sold a painting to Ulster Academy of arts for five pounds sterling, and he grew to be one of Ireland’s most popular artists, with his work selling at a value of up to £22,000 at auction today.

Markys influence can be clearly seen in Caroline’s work, as he was her first experience with art. It seems he not only taught her his methods of composition and style, but passed on an inherent talent and artistic ability.

Her original paintings can be found in collections not only throughout Ireland but also in Europe and the USA, and her new exhibiting works at Artery Gallery in Scotland have already gained huge popularity once again.

Log on to the Artery Gallery website at www.arteryuk.com to view more works by Caroline Slane.

Scottish Landscape Paintings

("Northern Skies" by Martin Devine)

Scottish artist Martin Devine has launched his latest exhibition of work at Artery Gallery in both St Andrews and Crieff.

Martin, original from Edinburgh and now based in nearby Linlithgow, employs colour theory, varying the use of tone and differing brush strokes to present a contemporary image of the Scottish landscape, aiming to change the perception of the landscape seen by the viewer.

Martin explains, “I originally discovered an artistic ability in portraiture and wildlife, moving onto landscapes which have now become my recognized field in a distinctive style”.

Inspired by minimalism, spare with detail, encouraging a regard for simplicity, the strengths of his watercolour paintings lie in the boldness of the colours he uses, perfectly outlined with Indian ink.

His paintings have proved a huge success in his short time with Artery Gallery, selling out all of his previous exhibitions.

The work of Martin Devine can be viewed online at www.arteryuk.com or by visiting Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff

www.arteryuk.com

Scottish Seascape Paintings

("Machrinhanish" by Colin Carruthers)

Exhibiting at Artery Gallery in Crieff and St Andrews with his new work is internationally selling artist Colin Carruthers Due to the high success Colin has had in exhibiting his work previously through Artery Gallery, he has given the gallery exclusive selling rights, now allowing them to be the only gallery in Scotland to show his works.

Jason of Artery Gallery says “We feel this is a bit of a coup for us, being a Scottish contemporary art gallery and securing unique selling rights to the works of a successful artist. We like to work with our artists and try to help them progress. In his time exhibiting with us, we have seen a fantastic development in Colin’s work and this has been reflected in his success”.

Originally from Northern Ireland, Colin says, “I regularly travel to Scotland, where I find the high drama of the Scottish Coast, a constant source of influence for my paintings. There's a challenge involved in my work. With every canvas I attempt, I am searching for something. Beyond simply looking at my paintings and gaining an aesthetic pleasure, I do think it's important that they offer up space for thought"

The strengths of his canvases lie in their versatile response to nature as he grapples with the relationship between memory, place and emotion. His work challenges our assumptions of landscape and returns us to a new sense of engagement, both spiritual and practical, with our surroundings.

www.arteryuk.com

Portraying Essence and Emotion - Paintings by Steve Johnston

("Rainy Day" by Steve Johnston)

Here at Artery Gallery, we are proud to introduce the paintings from renowned artist Steve Johnston.

Born in Glasgow in 1956, Steve grew up in Dumfries before attending Art College in Carlisle. Whilst in his second year, he opted for a change of medium preferring photography to painting. Upon graduating, he moved to London to work as a freelance photographer working for magazines such as Vogue and I-D. His work was published in various books and magazines and was included in the 'Lives' exhibition at the Haward Gallery, London.

In 1991, when photography no longer became inspirational for him, he started painting seriously again concentrating once again on the medium that he had originally embraced. He says, “It was then that something clicked and I have not looked back since……painting is my life.”

He is always drawn to figures that create a great shape. Details such as ‘how’ someone is standing or ‘what’ they are doing come into play afterwards. It is the graphic shape of the ‘body mass’ that inspires the first ideas. Certain images can unlock powerful emotions which are separate from what the actual content of the picture could create if focused on in more detail.

He adds, "I approach my 'backgrounds' very much as an abstract painter - colours, composition etc are chosen instinctively rather than being pre-planned. Certain images can unlock powerful emotions which can be separate from the actual content of the picture....the aim is to portray and essences and emotion rather than a precise person or specific location.'

Steve always takes the shape of his figures from photographs, generally using side or back views to create a more anonymous character. For this same reason he prefers minimal backgrounds. Using a mixture of oil and acrylic on the same canvas, he likes to experiment and play with colour to draw as much emotional response from the image as possible. The backgrounds are always in acrylic, whilst the figures are always in oil. This is so the oil figure can be worked on in a way that will make it stand out from the background.

www.arteryuk.com

Tom Payne - "The Grunts"

Tom Payne graduated from the Kent Institute of art and design in 2000 and has gone on to become a successful self employed sculptor and model maker. His sculptures are generally figurative based and built using coiling techniques in high-grog crank clay.

He says “I concentrate on poise and character rather than realism but like my figure to be easily recognisable and relatable too. My finishing is normally quite rough as I like to show the surface and making-marks such as fingerprints.” Each ‘Grunt’, as Tom calls them, are one-off pieces, however they exist in themes and groupings.

The clay is first rolled into a sausage, making sure each one is roughly the same standing height, before being chopped and bent into their required seated, crouching or standing position. The details are then sculptured into the clay creating the basic shape of the figure together with the posture and hand gestures before further detailing including trouser folds and muscle tone is added. When the sculpture is complete and firing has taken place, the pieces are then quickly smoke-fired with wood chips to a very low temperature which gives the desired finished result.

A finished Grunt can quite happily stand or sit there on his own, but the best visual effect is experienced when they are placed into a group. This gives a fantastic and sometimes quite comical impression that some kind of conversation or debate is taking place between the Grunts.

Tom’s work has been displayed all over the UK as well as being involved in several high profile public art projects since graduating. Most notable of these projects include Tom helping in the construction of the site for ‘Dino Dig’ at the Natural History Museum in 2006. Tom was commissioned to create lifelike clay dinosaur bones that were to be buried in sand, ready for children to excavate during an exhibition at the Museum.

Prior to that In 2005, Tom was commissioned by a recruitment marketing company to make models for the ultimate 'People Brand' at the AHHRM Awards (Association of Healthcare Human Resource Management). The campaign was to brand Whipps Cross University Hospital in London as a Trust that has an exciting future ahead and recognises that their biggest asset going forward is their people.

Models were created based on real-life employees, one from every department within the hospital. Images of Tom’s sculptures were used for advertising posters that were displayed on London buses and taxis, in brochures and on the web. The campaign was well received both internally and externally including helping to win the 'Best Employer Brand' Award itself.

Tom was also involved in an environmental advertising campaign that was aired on MTV in 2007. He was asked to create a Polar Bear mould to be used as an animation for the television adverts aired on the channel through Spring of that year.

The sculptures by Tom Payne are on show for the first time in Scotland at Artery Gallery in both St Andrews and Crieff, and can also be viewed online at www.arteryuk.com