Summer season of exhibitions underway at Gladstone Gallery

The first in a series of art exhibitions at the National Trust for Scotland’s Gladstone Gallery at Gladstone’s Land on the Royal Mile gets underway on Tuesday 1 July 2008.

Artwork produced locally, by artists inspired by Scotland, its landscapes and wildlife dominate the programme in the conservation charity’s city centre exhibition space, but there are is also work inspired by countries and lifestyles from far beyond Scotland.

Gladstone Gallery is an unusual exhibition space, based in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. It is on the second floor of Gladstone’s Land, a restored 17th century tenement where visitors can discover what life was really like in Edinburgh almost 400 years ago.

Fiona Murray, Property Manager at Gladstone’s Land, said:

“We wanted to pull together a programme for our summer season that would showcase the best and breadth of local talent. Many of the exhibitions are created locally by artist who live or studied in Edinburgh and cover a wide range of media and subject matter to meet everyone’s taste. There is no admission charge for the Gladstone Gallery, so feel free to come and browse and buy at your leisure.

“We are lucky to have such a rich pool of artistic talent to draw on and hope that these exhibitions add a little extra to anyone visiting Gladstone’s Land over the summer.”

The full programme follows:

30 June – 5 July
Craig Jefferson
Edinburgh College of Art graduate Craig Jefferson’s work focuses on landscape and figure studies, using a variety of materials to capture the mood and beauty of his subject.

7 July – 12 July
Michael Stirling-Aird - Large format landscape photography of Scotland
Michael's images have been made in exceptionally beautiful parts of Scotland, often well off the beaten track.

14 July – 19 July
Zanna Wilson and Kari de Koenigswarter
Zanna Wilson and Kari de Koenigswarter are two painters who will be exhibiting watercolours, inks and oil and beeswax paintings. Both Zanna and Kari explore landscape as their theme but respond in contrasting styles.

21 July – 26 July
Three Scottish Photographers
After last year’s popular exhibition, Ed Fielding, Paul Johnston and Hamish King return to Gladstone’s Land for their 2009 exhibition featuring Scottish landscapes and townscapes as well as wildlife images.

28 July – 2 August
Art 309
Art 309 is an exhibition of original artworks by a number of talented artists from Dundee, Fife and Angus. The exhibition will be an eclectic mix of around 50 works in oil, watercolour, pastels acrylic and mixed media, covering a wide range of subject matter. In addition to the original, framed artworks, there will be a selection of unframed pictures, prints, cards, and jewellery offered for sale at the exhibition.

4 August – 9 August
Vera Coghill's Edinburgh: Its people and the unique flavour of the place
This exhibition contains sixty images, each one foot square. Vera has spent the past year creating these paintings, which reflect her thoughts and reactions to Edinburgh. They range from portraits of some of its people and places to more abstract interpretations of its ambiance.

11 August – 16 August
East Meets West – Indian Art Exhibition
This unique exhibition is brought to you by ‘Gecko Gallery’ promoting Indian Art and Culture in Scotland. It includes up and coming contemporary Indian artists, Sharmila Rathore and Durshit Bhaskar, amongst many others. There will be traditional folk art and contemporary sculpture by Indian artists, all original and affordable, giving the opportunity for people in Scotland to experience some of the exciting talent India has to offer.

18 August – 23 August
Craig Jefferson
Another chance to catch the opening exhibition.

25 August – 30 August
‘Homecoming & the Sea’ paintings by Mike Turpie and Roberta MacRae
Colourful paintings working the themes of migration, homecoming and the sea using vibrant imagery based on studies done in New Mexico, Ireland, Australia and the West Coast of Scotland. Mike is a Scottish artist whose recent work is based on time spent in New Mexico and the West Coast of Ireland, while Roberta is an Australian artist whose work is based in Scotland. Together, they look at landscapes and people with a foreign eye, and in a new way, bringing home the migrant, the sea and the land.

1 September – 6 September
Vera Coghill's Edinburgh: Its people and the unique flavour of the place
Another chance to see this exciting exhibition.