The Spey Bank Studio is about to mark its first birthday and to celebrate we've got a great new exhibition on its way.
It's unbelievable to think that we've been open as a gallery and shop in Grantown-on-Spey for a year. Thank you to everyone who has been through the doors - we've loved meeting you and chatting about all the wonderful art on the walls.
It's also been lovely to see so many pieces of art from the Cairngorms head off to their new homes. We've even been sent pictures of them hanging on their new owner's walls.
Paintings that you love
Angus said: “Grantown is a wonderful place to do business and everyone has been incredibly encouraging of our venture.
“Our first year has been full of hard work but we are delighted with how our first year has gone. One of the aspects I have enjoyed most has been running the shop and talking to so many new people about art. It’s been a wonderful to help customers find a painting that they love.
“We’re also delighted at how popular our ceramics classes have been. Our students have had great fun making pinch pots, vases and mugs.”
Our next show
Next up for us is an exhibition of abstract work. These are pieces that do not necessarily represent an object or place in a realistic way. Instead, there is often an emphasis on shapes and textures and colour. Abstract works can be more challenging to look but it can also be liberating, in that you can more easily bring your own experiences and interpretation to the piece.
Among the group is Grantown-based Joanna Wilson, an award-winning painter whose work references cartographical lines and organic shapes, including figurative compositions.
Fun and imagination
Photographer Jess Greaves turns her focus on nature, using multiple exposures and darkroom techniques to explore the inter-connectedness of humans and the natural world.
Katie Ward is an up-and-coming painter and printmaker whose emotionally-charge work seeks to capture a sense of atmosphere and push between abstraction and representation.
Meanwhile, there is a sense of fun and imagination in Malcolm Tyson’s colourful pieces, which develop the idea of doodles and go to unexpected places.
The exhibition opens on October 7 and runs until October 21. The gallery will be open from Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm during this period.
