The first exhibition since reopening is a mixed show featuring Nichola Martin, an award winning artist who graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee in 2007. Whilst at art school Nichola was awarded the John Kinross Scholarship which enabled her to study in the city of Florence, Italy and she also won the Scottish Further Education Unit Prize, both awarded by the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. Most recently Nichola has been awarded Artist in Residence for StAnza 2019, (Scotland’s International Poetry Festival) for her depiction of books.
This exhibition is a mixture of all the different aspects of her work ranging from oil and charcoal with subjects ranging from still life to figurative works. Nichola initially struggled for inspiration last year due to the pandemic, but she was gradually lured back to the easel by the familiar smell of turpentine and linseed oil along with a fresh roll of linen donated by a dear friend. She then came to realise how incredibly fortunate she was to have my own space, a gift for creativity and a library full of inspiration.
Nichola says: “This body of work is a reflection of my time spent over the last 12 months. Mostly created in complete isolation, I wanted to paint simplistic works using a limited palette. It was not long before these paintings began to take life whilst, unbeknown to myself, they greatly helped with my own anxieties during this time.
With the ball now rolling, one painting inspired and led on to the next. As a keen lover of books, not only to read, I felt it all too fitting that a large body of my work should include a mixture of oil paintings and charcoal drawings of these books for this exhibition.”
A skilled draughtswoman, Nichola is highly sought after for paintings requiring a high level of technical detail, including a commission for British author John Le Carre of all his published books.
Alongside Nichola’s work we have regular gallery artists offering new work for your perusal, many with a still life theme, including Fiona Sturrock, John Paul Raine, Janet Melrose RSW, George Gilbert RSW, Kim Dewsbury, Pauline Patrick, Helen Welsh and Irene McCann. There is the first chance to see the actual work from Gwen Adair, who joined the gallery during the online lock down exhibitions, plus paintings from new gallery artist Babs Pease.