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Jack Morrocco – The Language of Light

We are delighted to announce our second solo show of Jack Morrocco’s work this October. The Language of Light opens on Saturday the 22nd of October and will feature over 40 paintings, spanning all of Jack Morrocco’s painting styles and subject matter. Many of the paintings in this exhibition have been painted following Jack’s first post lockdown tour of Europe and his paintings of France, Spain and Italy are especially evocative as a result.

 

 

Jack’s work might most accurately be described as impressionist, in that he is always striving to portray an impression of something seen, whether an effect of light, shade or form, or perhaps more obliquely a sensation or feeling of place. The subject can be quite simple: the bend in a canal, a modest street café or a morning market but it is the effect of the light falling and reflecting that becomes the real subject.

 

 

Light is good to think with and it has become Jack’s pictorial language – his means through which to translate the scenes before him into paintings that say and do something for the viewer. These are paintings which not only speak of the dappled light through plane trees or the luminous shafts of light between buildings; Jack’s paintings awaken feelings and memories – evoking that sense of being there, and calling up all of the senses at once to recall or imagine the very essence of a place.

 

 

An artist truly led by his subject, Jack’s style changes as he moves between studio flowers and silverware, lily ponds and the cafes and courtyards of Mediterranean Europe. In each of his paintings we witness the transformative quality of light – light’s ability to effect changes upon the reality before us –  a quality both quietly uplifting and timeless and one which Jack’s paintings communicate so beautifully.

 

22nd of October – 9th of November 2022

REGISTER INTEREST

VIEW CATALOGUE

Jennifer Irvine – Solo Show

We are looking forward to our first ever Jennifer Irvine Solo show, which opens on the 24th of September. Glasgow School of Art graduate, elected member of the Royal Glasgow Institute (RGI) and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), Jennifer Irvine’s paintings are instantly recognisable and evocative. We’ve been exhibiting Jennifer’s work for a number of years and this much awaited solo show of 25 paintings will take viewers on a journey through all of Jennifer’s favourite painting places and a few new ones.

Each of Jennifer’s paintings are an invitation; to slow down and relax in a beautiful flower filled Provencal garden or take a meader up one of the winding streets of an Algarve village. Jennifer begins each painting with loose under-drawing, using brushes and palette knives to block in elements of the composition. She then builds up layers of colour and tone to achieve a sense of place and realism, highlighting the nuances of light and shade, and the way that the sunlight interacts with its surroundings. It is not only the light that Jennifer conveys so well, but also the sense of temperature – the gently warming dappled morning sunshine or the soporific build up of afternoon heat.

A recent first visit to the Hebridean island of Tiree, with its special special quality of light, inspired Jennifer to pick up her brushes and the resulting paintings will be featured in this exhibition. Even on a day of leaden skies there is an amazing pale, transparent, translucent turquoise light that is completely captivating and again just as much of a challenge to capture.

In the main group of Provencal paintings Jennifer creates a real feeling of the heat of the sun soaking into the buildings, with its shimmering light and luminous shadows. As with the Provencal paintings, there is a similar feeling of heat with the Portuguese work but here Jennifer concentrates more on the intense colour afforded by the bountiful bougainvillaea and mimosa and the beautiful shadows that they create in the heat of the day. There is a clarity of light in the Algarve that is simply irresistible for an artist.

JENNIFER IRVINE SOLO SHOW

24th September – 9th October

Meet the Artist: Saturday 24th September 1 – 3pm – All Welcome

REQUEST A PREVIEW OF THE IMAGES OR A PRINTED CATALOGUE

Blythe Scott – Solo Show: Come a Little Closer

Scottish artist Blythe Scott’s exhibiting with Morningside Gallery is one of the good things to have emerged out of the lockdowns of the last couple of years. After following each other on Instagram for some months and both being nervous to approach each other due to the physical distance between them – us in Edinburgh and Blythe in Canada – we finally decided to make something happen in the Spring of 2020. The first collection of paintings went down incredibly well, despite the gallery being closed to the public and only window and online viewings possible. Each subsequent group of paintings has captivated its audience in the two years since, culminating in the decision to host a large solo show of Blythe’s work this September, entitled Come A Little Closer. What’s more, Blythe is coming over from Canada to be at the exhibition and meet some of her collectors!

A graduate of Glasgow School of Art with a keen interest in Edinburgh’s architecture, the starting point for Blythe’s Edinburgh cityscapes is usually reality. However, during their creation, they quickly take on a quality that is more intuitive and semi abstract. The purpose of these works is to communicate Blythe’s emotional experience of the city and the impression it leaves rather than to describe it factually. A combination of observed drawing, abstraction and a playful, inventive use of materials characterise these paintings. While these cityscapes have been created thousands of miles away on Vancouver Island, the lack of proximity has in some ways been an advantage. Nostalgia’s palette is bright and distance has encouraged Blythe to focus on her artistic response rather than cling too closely to reality and what might be viewed differently owing to familiarity. She creates a pleasing blend of fact and fiction. Blythe’s Edinburgh fireworks paintings – her ‘Hootenanny Series’ – are perhaps her most colourful and feature the most unbridled abstraction. These are paintings that display vigorous mark making, technicolour palettes and texture you will want to touch.

In addition to the cityscapes and hootenannies featured in the exhibition are harbours, havens and dreamscapes. The starting point for each artwork in the dreamscape series is observed study of existing Scottish landscapes. Thereafter, Blythe allows a more dreamlike, intuitive and romantic approach to take over her process. The work is intended to allow the viewer to escape to a place outside of reality, where time of day, season or even a need for plausibility, melt away. Harmonious layers of merging colour, abstraction, embellishments and mark making as well as an enjoyment of contrasting surfaces and textures, all characterise the works in this collection.

BLYTHE SCOTT SOLO SHOW

‘COME A LITTLE CLOSER’

3rd – 18th September

Private View and Meet the Artist: Friday 2nd September 6 – 8.30pm – All Welcome

REQUEST A PREVIEW OF THE IMAGES OR A PRINTED CATALOGUE

Walter Awlson – Behind the Scenes

An incredible Scottish figurative painter and sculptor, Walter Awlson exhibited regularly with Morningside Gallery from its beginnings in 2003, until he put down his brushes and tools in order to follow another of his passions – the theatre – and in particular stage set design and construction. After some years the urge to paint returned and this rare and exciting exhibition marks a return full circle for Walter, to painting and to exhibiting at Morningside Gallery.

This group of seventeen paintings features scenes from well known and lesser known plays, from Othello to The Cemetery Club, all performed by the Alman Dramatic Club at the Coach House Theatre Alloa. Bringing together all of Walter’s interests and skills, the paintings not only feature the dramatic scenes of the plays but also the stage sets that he has designed and helped to build over the last twelve years.

Walter’s work as an artist has always centred on the human figure and after working on the stage sets for some years, he realised that he had to hand a large collection of images from his past productions which involved the figure but with costume, lighting, setting, emotion and character – drama! As Walter puts it: ‘Where else would I get to do paintings the same size as “Guernica”, make chimney pots or a stag’s head or construct classical columns and revolving bookcases? What could be better?’ Having moved away from his more traditional subject matter of women draped in beautiful cloths and white sheets – this series of paintings has set Walter on a course concentrating on character and psychology in the portrait.

We are honoured to host such a dramatic and compelling exhibition during this year’s Edinburgh Festival month, a fitting celebration of a return to Edinburgh’s annual festival of the arts. We look forward to welcoming Walter and some of the actors and actresses featured in the play during our private view and we hope that the exhibition will be appreciated by many.

REQUEST A CATALOGUE AND MORE INFO

Nael Hanna – Auchmithie

 

Nael Hanna has been visiting and painting Auchmithie for decades, returning there again and again. He first visited Auchmithie as a student at Duncan of Jordanstone and then returned regularly while he was on a scholarship at Hospitalfield. He now enjoys working there from a studio he shares with another artist.

 

Looking down at the beach at Auchmithie from one of the gardens, May 2022

 

The studio that Nael works from when painting Auchmithie.

 

A much loved subject of Nael’s – he’s been painting this boat for decades and has watched as it has slowly become a part of the beach.

 

Summer Evening, June 2022

 

Pebbled steps going down to the beach

 

 

 

An area of great geological interest, the village rests on top of red sandstone cliffs, with pebble beach below.

 

In good company! William McTaggart’s ‘Auchmithie’ 1893

 

Scott Naismith – Solo Show 2022

Our annual Scott Naismith solo show opens on Saturday the 21st of May. Entitled Awe, this is our largest exhibition of Scott’s work to date, with thirty four new paintings on show, including a number of large scale pieces.

 

 

For over 20 years the rugged coastlines and dramatic skies of Scotland have been the inspiration for Scott’s paintings. For this, his latest body of work he decided to reflect on what exactly has sustained this interest. And one word came to mind: “Awe”.

 

 

The concept of awe seems to be a profound spiritual impulse invoking feelings of both grand appreciation and an element of fear or apprehension. It is the intimidating nature of the expanse which separates awe from the mere beauty of a landscape. Awe can invoke an instinct to imitate; some landscapes and vistas make us draw in a deep breath. In the production of this latest series of paintings Scott attempts to imitate the sublime, to outwardly project through painting, this deep intake of breath.

 

 

We hope you will join us in the gallery for a Private View on Friday the 20th of May, between 6.00 and 8.30pm to meet Scott and enjoy this incredible collection of paintings. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition and it can be viewed below. Please note that all paintings can be reserved or purchased ahead of the opening and do get in touch if you would like to make any enquiries or request further images. We ask that decisions on reserves are made by 12 noon on Friday the 20th of May.

VIEW DIGITAL CATALOGUE

RSVP FOR PRIVATE VIEW

 

Gordon Wilson – Solo Show 2022

We are delighted to have our first solo show with this much loved and collected artist. With thirty seven paintings, this is an exhibition that spans all of Gordon’s iconic subject matter – birds, boats and biddies, wee lums and poppy fields, Ailsa Craig, the Bass Rock and jaunty still life.Gordon studied at Glasgow School of Art and began his working life as a designer and picture framer. Over time demand for his paintings grew and Gordon is now a full time professional artist, and the only framing he does is his own – with his signature creativity and flair. An exciting and intriguing artist, Gordon has built up a strong, loyal following of both private and corporate clients around the world. He is represented by a select number of prestigious galleries throughout Great Britain as well as taking part in exhibitions in London, New York, Hong Kong and Stockholm.

Gordon Wilson does things his own way and his approach to painting is no different. Treating his job as an artist like any other, he is in his studio by 7.30 every morning, six days a week. Tea is brewed, and the music is switched on. This is perhaps where the routine and regimen ends. Although he might have had ideas on his walk to the studio he begins his work for the day in quite an impulsive manner, embarking upon a journey without really knowing where it will end. He finds this impulsiveness and sense of the unknown stimulating creatively – he might send off his ‘grandmother’ on a stumpy little puffer boat, or get lost in a field of poppies, or exorcise a Glen Garry character dreamt up in the night! Every day is different.

A film will accompany the exhibition, providing an insight into the man behind the paintings, and Gordon will be in attendance to meet guests at the private view.

2nd to 17th of April

Private View : Friday 1st April 6-8.30pm

Please RSVP by March 25th and contact us to request a catalogue or a preview of the images. 

Stephen Mangan – Exhibition: Still Life

 

A Stephen Mangan solo exhibition is a rare event and a first in Edinburgh since 2010. This exhibition,entitled Still Life, spans all of Stephen’s iconic subject matter – beach promenades, the racecourse, the theatre, tenements, harbours and figures – and it will captivate collectors of Stephen’s work and inspire those encountering it for the first time.

What we find in Stephen’s work is more than a strong style. Stephen creates another world through his paintings, one which is at once familiar and otherworldly. Through his carefully planned out compositions and his slow, meticulous approach to painting, he creates a world with arresting presence and stillness. Whilst each painting is compelling on its own, when presented together the strength of Stephen’s vision is even more apparent.

Stillness is palpable in Stephen’s harbour paintings, which are devoid of people and feature calm waters, the occasional lit window in a lighthouse acting as the only suggestion of human habitation. What is perhaps even more fascinating is the way that Stephen creates a sense of still and quiet contemplation even in his paintings of busy beaches, theatres and train stations. These are paintings populated by many people yet each person seems to inhabit their very own world.

Stephen’s paintings invite us to be still, to stop and look, and we hope that you enjoy the exhibition as a whole as much as the individual works. The exhibition runs from the 5th – 20th March and there will be a Private View and Meet the Artist event on Friday 4th of March. Numbers are limited and please contact us for details. In the meantime, you can view the exhibition catalogue here.

Introducing: Nael Hanna

Nael Hanna was born in Nineveh, Northern Iraq and as a young man he served in the Iran – Iraq war before being awarded a scholarship to study art in Britain. Following on from a foundation course in England Nael completed a degree in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. This was followed by a residency at Hospitalfield in Arbroath where Nael fell in love with the Scottish landscape and coastline, and in particular the drama of the changing weather. A string of prizes and awards followed, including one from Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) to travel to and study in Florence. After his return Nael completed an MPhil in Art, also in Dundee, and then went on to lecture in its Fine Art department. Since then Nael has painted full time, exhibiting throughout the UK and collected world wide. His distinctive style of painting is instantly recognisable but pays homage to many of his favourite artists – an ecumenical gathering – Willem de Kooning, Marc Chagall and Joan Eardley.

West Coast Spirit, Mixed Media on Canvas, 160 x 120 cm

 

Nael’s passion for painting is unmistakable. He often prefers to paint outdoors, setting up easel in any weather, the more unpredictable the better! Nael  can see and hear the sea from his Angus home and it acts as constant presence in his paintings; his seascapes are a visceral and immediate response to its force and rhythms, with each painting developing an emotional charge and a rhythm of its own. His canvases return time and time again to the Scottish coastline, to the wild open seas of Auchmithie and also to the fishing villages of the East Neuk of Fife.

Spring Collection, Oil on Board, 78 x 78 cm

 

Equally inspired by flowers, and in particular the poppies he grows in the fields outside his home, Nael’s innovative colour mixing and distinctive brushwork lends itself well to these lively compositions that burst with vibrancy and energy. He always paints flowers from life, relishing the whole process of planting, growing and finally painting them. In each of Nael’s paintings – floral, seascape or abstract – we find a kaleidoscope of colours dancing within his rich, glistening, and almost sculptural surfaces.

Indifferent Summer, Mixed Media on Canvas, 177 x 170 cm

 

Nael’s large abstract paintings are wild and dynamic, a manifestation of all his interests and artistic influences. He paints them when he is particularly moved and without any other goal than to fully immerse himself in the process. This one, ‘Indifferent Summer’ was started in the summer of 2021, in its heat. Bathed in the bright yellows of oilseed rape, the reds of poppies and the blues of the sea, Nael set up the canvas in the field outside his home, and began painting. He describes working outside as almost effortless; you see all the colours, you hear all the sounds, and your body moves with the rhythms of the day, happily working through the long days of summer as the sky changes from blue to pink and the landscape transforms before your eyes, its own life force.

Early Summer, Carnoustie, Mixed Media on Board, 119 x 59 cm