Tag Archives: rose strang art

Paintings for Limetree Gallery, Bristol

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‘Dawn, Ardtoe’. Mixed media on 14×11″ wood panel. Rose Strang, 2019

‘Early Evening, Ardban’. Mixed media on 14×11″ wood panel. Rose Strang, 2019

Above, three paintings for the Limetree Gallery in Bristol for their upcoming Christmas Exhibition. I’m very happy to be showing again at the Limetree Bristol, which showcases some of Scotland’s leading landscape artists. If you’re interested in any of these paintings, please contact Limetree Gallery on their website:

http://www.limetreegallery.com/

In this series I’m trying to capture the mood of changing light at dawn and early sunset. The term ‘gloaming’ – used to describe a particular pre-twilight Highland light, sounds romantic and it is quite magical. It’s a light that makes things slightly difficult to see;  a sort of subdued glow. I think I’ve maybe captured it in ‘Early Evening, Ardban’. Dawn on the west coast, looking out to sea, usually appears misty with suffused light since it’s coming from the east – colours are softened and low contrast – very tranquil.

These three paintings are worked up from sketches I made this year while at Ardban in Applecross, Sanna bay and Ardtoe beaches in Ardnamurchan – beautiful, remote places on the west coast of Scotland. I couldn’t resist a hint of chimney smoke from Ardban cottage, we had great times around the fire! Here are a few photos from my stay there in August …

Cottage. Rose Strang

Euan, Adam and Donald (playing guitar) outside the cottage. Rose Strang

 

 

‘Ardban’ – exhibition launch

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My new series for a solo exhibition – ‘Ardban’ – launches on Friday 18th October at the Limetree Gallery in Fortwilliam (not to be confused with Limetree Gallery Bristol for whom I’m creating new works for their Christmas exhibition this year!).

A few photos to show framed painting and to show scale …

 

I look forward to traveling up to Fortwilliam for the exhibition launch – all welcome to attend, it’s open to the public and starts at 7pm, 18th October (exhibtion continues to 30th November).

The address is Lime Tree An Ealdhain Gallery, The Old Manse, Achintore Road, Fort William, PH33 6RQ.

Map of the area ..

 

 

 

If you’d like to reserve a painting, please contact the gallery at info@limetreefortwilliam.co.uk

All paintings from the series …

 

Ardban Series completed!

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‘Stormy Sky. Ardban’. Mixed media on 31×22″ paper. Rose Strang 2019

‘Sea Pools. Ardban’. Mixed media on 31×22″ paper. Rose Strang 2019

‘Morning. Ardban’. Mixed media on 31×22″ paper. Rose Strang 2019

The three paintings above complete the series for an upcoming exhibition at Limetree An Ealhain Gallery, in Fortwilliam, opening on the 18th October.

The full series can be viewed Here. If you’d like to reserve a painting, please contact the Limetree Gallery Fortwilliam at info@limetreefortwilliam.co.uk

I’ve been fighting off a cold as well as painting all week so I’m too puggled (old Scots word for tired) to write more today, but here are two more videos (by Adam Brewster, thanks Adam!) of painting on the beautiful beach of Ardban (one showing that it can be sunny, the other showing that sometimes you can dispense with brushes). Thanks again to Donald Ferguson for arranging this amazing holiday – I look forward to going back there again!

Launch of ‘Planets. The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis’

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Michael Ward, Rose Strang. Demarco Gallery at Summerhall (photo Fernanda Zei)

Richard Demarco. Michael Ward. Main Hall, Summerhall (photo Adam Brewster)

The launch of ‘The Planets. The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis’ was a great success and very enjoyable indeed!

The exhibition continues until Sunday the 22nd September and is open daily from 1 to 6pm at the Demarco Galleries, Summerhall.

Associated Events:

On Saturday 21st, from 3 to 5pm, there will be an associated event in the gallery space, featuring an animation by Adam Brewster, which very poetically captures the idea of changing planetary influence according to the Medieval cosmos and the imagination of C.S. Lewis. This will be followed by a moving excerpt from ‘The Last Battle’ by C.S. Lewis: ‘Night falls on Narnia’, read by Dr Charles Stephens. The event will round off with a cello performance in response to this excerpt from ‘The Last Battle’, by cellist/composer Atzi Muramatsu, with whom I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate since 2013.

It was a pleasure to finally meet Dr Michael Ward, author of Planet Narnia. The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis.

It’s always interesting to meet someone whose work you admire;  a bonus if you enjoy their company too! Michael really added towards making the event relaxed and good-humoured –  friends and family and all there including myself enjoyed meeting him.

Although Michael Ward’s ideas on the Narniad can be summarised in a few phrases on one level, it’s a complex subject that benefits most from in-depth reading around the ideas. Readers of this blog will have learned some of the concepts expressed in ‘Planet Narnia’ here, but Michael Ward’s talk on Thursday demonstrated how much more effective it is to actually hear Michael talk about it – far more entertaining!

 

 

 

 

The talk was fascinating and sparked a range of interesting questions afterwards. I heard first-hand from several friends how intrigued they were by the subject, and that they’ll be reading more about it, so I hope that leads to more sales of ‘Planet Narnia’.

There was discussion of a potential follow-on exhibition in Oxford, so fingers crossed that will find a way to go ahead next year.

Michael Ward. Fernanda Zei. (Photo Rose Strang)

I was very moved by the attention to detail by exhibition curator Fernanda Zei, who understood the themes and visual aesthetics so intelligently and presented them with great sensitivity.

For me there was no doubt where I wanted to show this exhibition; Richard Demarco’s work across the decades is characterised by a search for truth, meaning and healing in the arts. I knew that Richard, Terry Anne Newman (Deputy Director of the Demarco Archive Trust) and Fernanda Zei (Demarco Trust Curator) would respond to the themes and present the exhibition with intelligence and they surpassed my expectations in that regard.

My warm thanks to Michael Ward, all at the Demarco Galleries, and to loved ones, family and friends who attended. Particular thanks and appreciation to Christine Aldred, who bought ‘Sun’!

I’ll be posting a video of the event here soon …

Demarco Gallery. (photo Adam Brewster)

 

 

Exhibitions and available paintings Jan’ 2019

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Current round-up of current exhibitions and (as yet) unsold paintings  …

 

Limetree Gallery, Bristol. (Contact gallery for enquiries Here)

Paintings available from the Limetree Gallery …

Winter Show. Resipole Gallery, 10th Nov’ to 22nd March. Ardnamurchan, Scotland. (Contact gallery for enquiries Here)

Paintings at the Resipole …

 

Small Paintings. Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh.  (contact gallery for enquiries Here)

Paintings at the Morningside Gallery …

‘Wells of Arthur’s Seat’ exhibition – new venue

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Citadel Bookshop, on Montrose Terrace, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh

Paintings from the ‘Wells of Arthur’s Seat’ series will be on exhibition at the Citadel Bookshop, Edinburgh, from now to mid-August (see map below).

I’m really pleased about this as it’s great to have the paintings viewable ‘in the flesh’ as it were – especially as I’ll be away up north for the whole of July, so they wouldn’t otherwise have been on exhibition.

You can see the paintings online Here

And here’s a map showing the location of the Citadel Bookshop ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Citadel is run by poet Alan Spence and his wife Janani and is open 1pm to 5pm Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays). Drop by for a chat (they’re both very friendly!) and enjoy a peruse of their excellent book collection, which includes many rare or unusual poetry editions among an eclectic selection of general literature.

Alan Spence

 

 

 

 

You’ll likely find several books relating to spirituality, meditation and Zen practice since Alan and Janani ran the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre in Edinburgh a while back. (read an interview with Alan  in the Scottish Review of Books Here )

Alan was named Edinburgh’s Makar in 2018 (Makar is the Scots word for learned poet). His work explores Japanese culture and spirituality, including Zen traditions and Haiku poetry. In recognition of this, Alan was recently awarded the Decoration of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Government of Japan). 

I collaborated with Alan and cellist Atzi Muramatsu on the ‘Wells of Arthur’s Seat’ project these last two months. It was a pleasure to work with Alan for the first time – he and Atzi (with whom I’ve collaborated since 2013) brought much creative sensitivity and invention to the project.

I recommend a watch of the 2-minute video below, which features poetry, cello and painting about a frog in Hunter’s Bog on Arthur’s Seat ..

 

‘Moonscapes: Isle of Harris’ launch

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Last night’s launch of Moonscapes: Isle of Harris was a great sucess and most enjoyable. There was a good mix of people, familiar faces and new – many interesting conversations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Strang, photo Maria Doherty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atzi Muramatsu’s performance was magical as always. I will be posting the videos here soon. His response to Harris Moon 4 was suitably sombre and dramatic; it’s quite a dark, stormy and mysterious piece, but my favourite was probably the piece he played in response to a series of smaller works, it was evocative of being on Harris, driving along the winding coast roads watching the landscape unfold in shimmering light.

Atzi Muramatsu, photo Sarah Bader

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Edinburgh organisor of Pecha Kucha, Gordon Duffy, enjoyed the combination of music and paintings and has invited us to present our work at the next Pecha Kucha on the 27th of July, which will be a pleasure (all info on the ‘Pecha Kucha’ link above). I’ll post more about that in a few days.

I’ll be in the Whitespace gallery every day from 12 noon to 6:30pm until Thursday, so if you are in Edinburgh drop in for coffee and a chat! (map and directions etc Here)

Many thanks to Catherine Strang for hosting and sales, to Donald Ferguson for helping with set up (and for his excellent company on the trip to Harris earlier this year) and to Atzi for another excellent performance – this is our fifth year of collaboration and friendship and as Atzi said last night ‘it gets better and better’. Also thanks to Leigh Chorlton (artist and manager of Whitespace) for his friendly support, it’s a lovely space and a delight to show there!

Thoughts on people and culture …

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‘Damascus Rose 3’. Mixed media on 36×36″ wood panel

My recent article about creative exploration of the way we view a people and its culture was published on Bella Caledonia today, link – http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2017/03/10/roses-of-the-world/

It’s great to add my voice to the creatives who contribute to Bella Caledonia –  an online publication that was launched in 2007 by Mike Small and Kevin Williamson (now also a supplement as part of The National).

It became hugely popular in the run up to 2014’s Scottish independence referendum, offering an alternative to mainstream media, and an interesting mix of in-depth opinion and culture alongside politics.

They increasingly encourage contributions from a variety of thinkers and creatives –  and my article coincides with a general interest in exploring ideas of identity and nation; a subject that has recently dominated headlines, most recently with Melanie Philips’ controversial (and inexplicable!) Times article which offered up some suspect ideas on what constitutes a nation. (I’d link to it but there’s a Times paywall – you can explore Bella’s response here  http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2017/03/07/authentic-nations/)

I’ve always been resistant to art that coincides with a certain political stance or party, and still am – my recent series was a visceral and emotional response to the situation in Syria, also my attempt at a creative take on the way propaganda influences our view of a nation, or a people and their culture. Ultimately though, the inspiration is landscape for me creatively, and I can’t wait for the upcoming trip to the Isle of Harris in May – peace and inspiration beckon!

Blue series day 5

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'Blue 3'. Mixed media on 20x16" canvas

‘Blue 3’. Mixed media on 20×16″ canvas

'Blue 2'. Mixed media on 20x16" canvas

‘Blue 2’. Mixed media on 20×16″ canvas

'Blue 4'. Mixed media on 20x16" canvas

‘Blue 4’. Mixed media on 20×16″ canvas

These are the latest versions of the blue series (Number 2 is finished). The rest are still in progress and I’m now collaborating with composer/cellist Atzi Muramatsu on the series. We’ll be responding to each other’s creative progress which will feed into the final results of paintings and music. As always I’ll post results of our work here via video and images.

It’s a pleasure as always to work with Atzi, who collaborates across many art forms including dance – we’re buzzing with ideas at the moment! You can view/hear Atzi’s work Here and Here

Also, this video shows our most recent small collaboration..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzMVjho3LXs

 

 

‘North’ cello piece

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As mentioned a few days ago, my friend, the composer/cellist Atzi Muramatsu, offered to create a musical response to his favourite paintings from the Snowscapes series. He emailed his music piece to me a few days ago and I’ve had time today to put together a two-minute video montage (below)

I love the way Atzi’s music draws me into his response to the paintings,  often re-inspiring ideas. In this case I’m inspired to play around with black ink – allowing subtle effects to happen with salt and ink, suggesting space and depth through layers and transparent glazes.

Hope you enjoy the video  – ‘North’…