Thursday 18 December 2008

The Artery Gallery Guide to Pearls - Testing, Buying and All You Need to Know!

Here at Artery Gallery, we have a huge selection of genuine pearl jewellery with earrings, necklaces, tiaras, bracelets and even pearl hair slides available.

Buying pearls takes careful consideration, as they are a piece of precious jewellery, which will last a lifetime, seeing you through every trend and fashion imaginable. This is why Artery Gallery have decided to give you a helping hand with our pearl buying guide.

You need to learn how to know when a pearl is genuine, or simulated. A genuine pearl – freshwater, cultured, or otherwise, can be identified by rubbing it against one’s tooth. A real pearl will feel rough, gritty or sandy against a tooth, whereas a false, simulated pearl with feel smooth and silky. This will not damage a genuine pearl, but I wouldn’t imagine it would be particularly good for teeth, to do this on a regular basis!

Growing a Pearl

Pearls are formed in different ways, depending on what type of pearl has been developed. Saltwater pearls tend to come from oysters, whereas freshwater pearls tend to come from mussels – however, pearls can occur naturally in any shell, though a naturally produced pearl is very rare.

Cultured saltwater pearls are generally formed by injecting a tiny bead made from shell, along with a piece of oyster tissue, into a live oyster. The soft tissue helps form a ‘pearl sac’ and the bead irritates the inside layer of the oyster. As this occurs, the oyster starts to produce nacre, which is the mother of pearl coating found on the inside of any shell. By coating the tiny bead layer upon layer in nacre, it stops it irritating the inside of the oyster and this produces a pearl.

Cultured freshwater pearls are produced more or less the same way, but instead inserting a small piece of soft mantle tissue into a mussel, rather than a shell bead. This pearl growing technique for cultured freshwater pearls creates a pearl that is formed entirely from nacre without the tiny shell bead centre.

Names and Shapes

‘Potato’, ‘Rice’ and ‘Seed’ named due to their resemblance.
‘Baroque’ pearls are irregular shaped.
‘Button’ pearls are often flat one side and rounded on the other.
‘Coin’ pearls are grown flat like a coin.
‘Stick’ pearls (or ‘Biwa’) are long twig-like irregular shaped pearls.

Modern pearl culturing techniques now allow us to grow pearls in all different shapes, and can be seen in shaped such as stars or diamonds. Of course they would never grow like this naturally, but it makes a great alternative to more traditional styles.

Many people associate pearls with weddings, as pearls are traditionally white, however due to modern pearl growing methods, pearls now come in myriad colours, from emerald green, to deep red. Paler colours on the other hand are generally naturally occurring – pale pinks, peach, lavender, silver, gold, cream and white tend to be naturally coloured. The pearls take on their colour from the inside of the shell they are growing in.

Colours such as turquoise blue and fuchsia pearls tend to be dyed this way. Pearl dying techniques have changed massively over the decades, and now the colours look as real and even, as if it had occurred that way naturally.

Quality and Value

There are five points that measure a pearls quality – size, shape, colour, lustre and surface and the pearls are graded according to these points.

Pearls can vary greatly in size, but needless to say, the larger the pearl, the more rare it is, therefore more valuable, and worth a higher grade. The closer to a perfect round shape, will also improve value of a pearl, though a perfect round pearl is nearly impossible to find.

It really comes down to personal taste though, as many designers now make jewellery specifically from different shaped pearls particularly stick pearls.

The natural colour of a pearl also affects It’s grading or value, but obviously nowadays with new dying techniques, this isn’t as important as it once was. A colour is judged by basic tone, evenness and luminosity. Pearls from certain areas only ever achieve certain colours naturally – Tahitian pearls tend to be varying shades of blacks and greys (and are usually quite large) and South Sea pearls are found in shades of rich cream and gold.

The Lustre of a pearl is one of the most important things to grade a pearl. Lustre is graded from B – AAA. The lustre is the luminous shiny surface created by layer upon layer of nacre forming. Some pearls can appear chalky or cloudy on the surface, which is not as desirable. The best lustre for a pearl is AAA – a tip is to look in the surface of a pearl for your reflection. The clearer you see your reflection, the better the pearl. To reach perfection, the surface of a pearl would need to be flawless – no indentations, ridges or rings. This sort of pearl is extremely rare and valuable, as most pearls have naturally occurring surface indentations and ripples. This only adds to their unique quality though.

The worlds largest pearl was a 14.1lb pearl found in a giant clam in 1934, valued at 60 million dollars, and the most expensive pearls ever sold was in 2004 at Christie’s Auction. Reaching 3.1 million dollars. Although Artery Gallery doesn’t have any pearls worth a million dollars, we have many pieces of pearl jewellery to make you feel that way.

www.arteryuk.com

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Handmade Silver Jewellery

(Christine Forsyth - Silver Cuff Bangle)

Most of the jewellery you'll find on the high street has been mass produced, but at Artery Gallery, all the jewellers exhibiting design and create their own jewellery by hand.

Using pure Silver together with Semi-precious stones, pearls or Swarovski crystals, sourced from all over the world, the top quality artists you find at Artery Gallery create truly unique pieces of beautifully handcrafted jewellery.

Buying handmade jewellery means that you have a unique or limited edition item, not to be seen on anyone else. Choose the jewellery you like and make a statement that reflects your personality and style!

We have Scottish artists such as Christine Forsyth creating wonderfully designed contemporary silver jewellery and Angela Learoyd using a vast array of unique stones and beads. Together with Angel Neal, famed for her wedding jewellery and often featured in many high class magazines.

Jewellers from across the UK can also be found at Artery Gallery, with the lampworking style of Rachel Dawes. Lampworking is the process of making glass beads using rods of different coloured glass and an extremely hot specialist torch. Decorations on the individual beads can be added with different coloured glass to create elaborate and complex designs.

Birmingham based Lora Leedham’s jewellery has a very feminine, fresh and romantic style to it and the designs portray an emphasis on texture. Inspiration is taken from a hobby of photographing nature and looking at its textures and forms. The jewellery, as featured in magazines, has also made TV appearances, one of which was worn by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

One of Artery Gallery’s more renowned jewellers is Brazilian Patricia Gurgel-Segrillo. Following on from continued success exhibiting with Artery Gallery, her hand woven silver and gold jewellery has hit the spotlight in recent times thanks to one of her more famous collectors, British actor Orlando Bloom wearing her woven bands in publicity shots. Subsequently, links with the Orlando Bloom Files website have been set up exclusively with www.arteryuk.com to help promote her highly stylish jewellery, with Artery Gallery acting as distributors to Scotland for her work.

Buying and wearing handcrafted jewellery is a personal and special experience. All our jewellers are specifically chosen because of their innovative design, their high quality and real value for money.

Whether you are looking for earrings, necklaces or rings, with the jewellers we have assembled at Artery Gallery, we are sure that you will find the ideal romantic gift or a truly inspirational jewellery piece to enhance your image.

www.arteryuk.com

Friday 28 November 2008

New Glass Artist at Artery Gallery - Mike Hunter

Multi-award winning glass artist Mike Hunter of Selkirk, on the Scottish Borders, is the latest exhibitor at Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff. Mikes work really is of the finest quality, each beautiful piece is hand crafted and intricately designed with great care and attention to detail. He has a real passion for working with glass, which shows in the quality and defines his years of experience gained from working with some of the finest glassmakers.

He began his love affair with glass as a small boy, gazing with fascination at the colourful, magical twists contained in the marbles he played with. Later, as a 17-year-old apprentice with Wedgwood Glass of Kings Lynn, Norfolk, he remembers asking the master glassblowers how the intricately designed glasses he had seen at the museums were made. None of them could tell him.

It struck him then just how many skills of the 18th century were being lost as more and more machines were introduced to glassmaking, and he determined right then to figure out how they were made and to see if he could learn the techniques himself. On many trips to the museum, without being able to pick up the glasses, he peered into the display cabinets and took notes. After seven years of trial and error at the factory during his lunch breaks, he succeeded in perfecting a technique of embedding coloured glass canes and air into the stems of glassware – a technique not used commercially since Victorian times.

Mike went on to spend 11 years with Wedgwood, training under master glassblowers from the UK, Italy, Austria, Germany and Scandinavia, and attaining the position of master glass blower and coloured animal maker.

At his studio in Selkirk, Mike produces designs with cane-working techniques, creating traditional contemporary glassware styles based on the designs of 16th and 17th century Venice and 18th century England. He created his flagship technique of “vetro”, the Italian for glass, which demonstrates the combination of his natural talent for design with the highest level of technical skill. The result is a vast array of colour in design that speaks of his unique relationship with glass; the glass on the blowing iron becomes one with Mike as, with a sense of ease and speed, the molten glass is commanded into form – his “vetro”.

Mike has received high recognition and exhibited his work throughout Scotland and England. As well as a commission for Lord and Lady Milburn of Paxton House, Berwick-on-Tweed, he was invited to provide reproduction glasses for the Hornblower series on ITV, and he designed the trophies for the Scottish Businesswomen’s Association Awards in 1998 and 1999. His beautiful creations are stocked at the most exclusive outlets: Asprey and Garrards, New York and London, Harrods of Knightsbridge, The Room in Chelsea, Wing On Hong Kong, and Cameo in Paris.

www.arteryuk.com

Tuesday 18 November 2008

Buying and Investing in Art


Any time is really a good time to consider buying and even investing in good quality original fine art, and you don’t need to be an Oil Tycoon to do so!

Imagine a loved painting hanging in your office where you can enjoy the pleasure of ownership throughout your working day, or a wonderful artwork that greets you when you come home. These are good reasons to buy fine art, but the reasons to buy do not have to be limited to just this.

Investing in quality fine art has consistently kept pace with the stock market over the last few decades now and recently, due to the rise in the international art market and the much-coveted decline of stock market shares, begun to out pace it considerably. That not only includes works by the blue chip artists both living and deceased, but also works by lesser-known artists. Paintings by artists who are selling in the best galleries, emerging artists with new art theories and even those by well known artists of the past can be very affordable.

Investing in fine art does not need to cost the thousands to millions of pounds that we read about in the news. These are usually only over inflated prices anyway specially targeted for Russian and Arab businessmen with over inflated bank accounts!

Anyone can purchase a good quality piece of art at an affordable price if they know what they want and where to find it. The Internet is a great place to do research on the styles you like and on the artists themselves and is certainly less time consuming and more feasible than visiting the numerous art galleries. If you can visit your local and national galleries to help get inspired, this all helps, and it has to be said that seeing art exhibited in an actual gallery does help you connect with the work.

The common outlook and probably best advice is to just ‘buy what you like’ first and buy as an investment second, but it is very possible to do both, to have a painting you love and also something that you know you will not lose anything on. A painting wont break down or need upgrading, and if it is a piece you love, it will never get old and tired. So unlike pretty much anything else you spend money on, it wont mean you will be out of pocket on it. This means it can certainly be seen as an investment, especially if you have done that little bit of research and obtained an artwork by an artist that does establish him or herself. Or you may even just get lucky and have a billionaire bidding war on works by the same artist, and this sort of profile boosting is something money cant buy!



For business owners, Investing in art can be an affordable way for any size of business to increase and maintain customers and client bases.

Many small business owners, especially professionals such as doctors, lawyers, dentists and financial advisors, have experienced the benefits of displaying good investment quality art in their offices and reception areas.

Recent studies have shown that products benefit with increased sales when marketed with fine art. Professionals who display good fine art in their places of business experience that their clients and customers view them as having more authenticity, authority and professionalism. Restaurant owners have also come to find that art helps bring in customers, not just prints for decoration but good quality fine art.

A business purchasing original art can also reap the benefit of an investment that increases in value over time. There can even be a tax advantage as the art, or part of the purchase price can be deducted, just like any other office furnishing. Depending on the work and its value there are other possible tax advantages to be had from loaning work to shows or even local museums.

The overall important factor remains however, that investment in art is the visual pleasure received and if it has the potential to increase in value, even better.

A good place to start looking for original, contemporary art is at Artery Gallery of course!

Wednesday 5 November 2008

Christmas Shopping Ideas - Art Gifts


Artery Gallery is a Four Star Arts Venue attraction with VisitScotland and has become a leader amongst Scottish contemporary art galleries.

Here at Artery Gallery we have gathered a wonderfully eclectic range of contemporary art and handmade craft from local, national and international artists.

With galleries in both St Andrews and Crieff, as well as an extensive and secure website, buying original art has never been more accessible and affordable.

Our range of paintings, sculpture, jewellery and useful art has never been stronger. All original, everything unique!

Paintings by popular abstract artist Derek Collins with his 'Flaming Art' and the stunning work by the renowned painter Steve Johnston.


Stunning handmade silver jewellery from Brazil by Patricia Gurgel-Segrillo and from a little closer to home in Scotland, contemporary silver jewellery by Christine Forsyth

The ever popular handmade steel clocks from Tim Fowler and Whittle Design

Beautiful vases by Daniel Kavanagh and useful sculpture and clocks by John McPhail

Click on the links provided to view these selected works or visit our main page at www.arteryuk.com where you can navigate around the Artery Gallery website and shop for your unique Christmas art gifts with confidence.
Or you can visit either of our galleries at;
43 South Street, St Andrews (01334 478221)
and
22 King Street, Crieff (01764 655722)



Wednesday 29 October 2008

Buy British Made!

Since the economic downtown, everyone has become more wary of their own spending, and rightly so. It’s not just Britain’s economy that has seen a slide, but the world economy as a whole has slumped.


This does not mean though that no one has any money anymore, because employment is still high and people are still earning. What Britain needs to do now is simply look after itself.

Sir Alan Sugar was recently quoted as saying “Buy British to support the British economy”. This is not just a throw away comment to grab a headline, this is something that we should all think about doing.

There may well be some items that are unavoidable of course. For example, kids this Christmas will inevitably be after the usual computer consoles and electronics, and if you end up buying a British “Wii”, the chances are you have got the wrong thing!!

Unfortunately of course, so much stuff is made in China these days that it is very hard to find a British product, particularly in such areas as electronics and clothing.

The arts and crafts market however is a good example of where to find good quality British made products. Buying an artwork as a gift is ideal primarily because of its individuality coupled with the knowledge it has been handmade by a skilled craftsperson or artist. The receiver of such an art gift will also notice and appreciate the work and thought that has gone into finding and selecting the piece.

It’s not just a case of supporting the craftsperson as an individual business and helping to keep them in employment, but can also go someway in supporting the supplier of the artists materials, the framers, delivery and courier companies and of course the shop or gallery where you purchased it from. It’s a large circle of activity that gains the support with every purchase of a British made product.


So not only are you buying into an artwork that you can enjoy, or give to someone else to enjoy and treasure, but in your small way you are helping employment and the British economy stay as healthy as possible and regain it’s strength.


www.arteryuk.com

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Prince's Trust Enterprise Award 2008

Here at Artery Gallery, we wish to congratulate Lora Leedham, one of our extremely talented jewellery designers, in winning the Prince's Trust Enterprise Award 2008 for the West Midlands.


(Lora Leedham accepting her award)

The Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards West Midlands honoured the achievements of disadvantaged young people supported by The Trust who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their local community.

The award ceremony took place at the Birmingham ICC and was hosted by ITV Central presenter Joanne Malin. All the finalists were selected from the 3,800 young people supported by The Trust in the West Midlands over the past year.

Birmingham based jeweller Lora Leedham had a tough start in life, growing up in an area where underachieving at school and lack of opportunities were the norm. But Lora went in search of something more and was determined to make something of herself against such difficulties.

She took a huge gamble by starting up her own jewellery company with the help of The Prince’s Trust. The gamble paid off and her business is now booming with nearly forty stockists across the UK and Europe, including both branches of Artery Gallery.




Lora has been selling her work succesfully here at Artery Gallery for the last two years, with her Venitian Glass Heart Pendants in particular proving a massive hit with our customers.

Well done Lora and may your success continue.


www.arteryuk.com

Friday 17 October 2008

Original Art for the Workplace

Well-chosen, good quality original art displayed in the workplace should be considered as being part of the welcome package of any company. It can provide a subtler and more innovative way of sending messages about the organisation, the approach and their people, and goes beyond the recognised company logo and corporate image identity.

In the increasingly competitive business environment, quality art is playing a key role in strengthening and communicating the image, ethos and values of a growing number of restaurants, hotel chains, companies and organisations. There are also other real benefits. Art has been shown to improve the staff environment and research has revealed that employees find art in the workplace extremely motivating. It makes people feel that their workplace is a creative and stimulating one. Staff often mention that they feel more inspired and motivated, when their stark and anonymous corporate walls are hung with uplifting art. As well as energising the working environment, artwork in the office has also been proven to have a subliminal effect in helping reduce stress among employees! What a great return from simply hanging a few well-chosen paintings!

Investing in original art can also show the companies involvement in supporting the arts community, whether local or national. Purchasing art can also be considered an investment for the business. Many world class businesses already buy original works year after year for this purpose and claiming them as investments and assets. Another plus is that the purchase of original artworks is treated similarly to that of office furnishings and is usually allowable against tax!
Visit the Artery Gallery website, pop into the galleries or call on St Andrews 01334 478221 or Crieff 01764 655722 to recieve any assistance you may need in purchasing the right artwork for your workplace.

Saturday 20 September 2008

Perthshire Open Studios - 27th Sept to 5th Oct


Artery Gallery in King Street, Crieff will be taking part in the first Perthshire Open Studios between September 27th and October 5th. During the Open Studios week, there will be three of Artery Gallery’s exhibiting artist performing demonstrations and talking about their ideas and inspirations behind their work.


On the opening day of Saturday 27th September, renowned Scottish artist Derek Collins will be giving a fascinating insight into his unique style of ‘Flaming Art’ paintings. Using various mediums and materials in his paintings, Derek creates wonderful impact paintings full of colour and texture. What really brings his paintings to life though is when he sets them on fire! That will definitely be something worth seeing!


Comrie based artist Peter Davenport will be giving talks and demonstrations on his abstract landscape oil paintings on Tuesday 30 September from 12pm.


And on Saturday 4th October, Christine Forsyth will be demonstrating her techniques in creating beautiful contemporary silver jewellery. She will also be giving talks on her ideas and designs as well as hints and tips on how to look after your silver jewellery. There will also be 5% off all Christine Forsyth jewellery all day.


The Perthshire Open Studios is a great way to see local artists showing their skills first hand and Artery Gallery is proud to be playing a part in promoting artists in Perthshire.


For further information on the demonstrations taking place at Artery Gallery, call 01764 655722.


Gallery opening hours during the event will be;

Saturday 27th Sept 10am - 5pm

Tuesday 30th Sept - Saturday 4th Oct 10 am - 5pm

Thursday 11 September 2008

Andrew Baines - 'Surreal Human Sculpture'


This short clip gives a brief insight into the 'Surreal Human Sculptures' by Australian contemporary artist Andrew Baines. This particular shoot was done at St Kilda beach in Melbourne, Australia.

Andrew has been creating these Human Sculptures for the last couple of years and uses them for his Surreal paintings for which he has become renowned for across Australia as well as here at Artery Gallery in Scotland.

In 2009, Andrew Baines is planning to create one of his Surreal Human Sculptures right here in St Andrews in conjunction with
Artery Gallery.

We will post more information here in due course, so stay tuned and informed with the Artery Gallery News Blog!


www.arteryuk.com

Tuesday 9 September 2008

Bridal Jewellery at Artery Gallery


Artery Gallery has expanded its handmade jewellery collection to include a range of high quality, unique bridal accessories.

Scottish Jeweller Angel Neal specialises in Bridal jewellery, designing and making everything from necklaces and earrings, to tiaras and hair fascinators. Her bridal jewellery designs come in silver, gold, pearl and crystal styles. Her extensive range means there is something to suit every bride, and to match every wedding dress!

Angel started making jewellery at the age of fourteen, following that with her first business creating luxury bridal jewellery, eventually leading her to the position of finalist in the 2007-2008 FMG International jewellery Design Competition in the category of natural pearls. Artery Gallery now stocks a vast range of Angel’s pearl and bridal jewellery, with different designs of tiaras, necklaces, bracelets earrings and hair adornments all available to try on in the gallery. Angel also undertakes bridal consultations and individual commissions.

Lara Baxter specialises in bespoke 18 carat gold and silver wedding jewellery. Her range of designs includes made-to-order kilt pins, necklaces, tiaras and rings. In fact, she designed and made the jewellery for her own wedding in 2007, making her own solid gold and silver tiara, her new husband’s kilt pin, and her bridesmaids jewellery. The simple, organic designs of her pieces are influenced by her surroundings on the west coast of Scotland where she grew up. Lara learned her trade from her mother, a successful jeweller herself, before setting up her own workshop. Lara can undertake commissions to co-ordinate your whole bridal party.

Matching your jewellery to your bridal gown can be difficult, but jeweller Angela Learoyd designs pearl jewellery in rainbow colours to suit all shades of dresses and skin-tones. With beautiful natural pale pinks to baby blues, and gold colours, Angela’s pearls can be used for traditional brides, bridesmaids, or more unusually coloured bridal dresses. Angela is a member of the British Jewellers Association, The Association of Contemporary Jewellers and Visual Arts Scotland.

Check online at Artery Gallery to view the different styles and ranges from our exhibiting jewellers.

Tuesday 2 September 2008

Still Life Oil Paintings by Bing Wang - A Contemporary 'Old Master'


("Strawberry on a White Torrent" by Bing Wang)

We have just taken in 10 brand new outstanding Still Life oil paintings from Artery Gallery regular Bing Wang.

Bing Wang explains his works:

"Recently, I have used the Still Life format as a foil for my ideas. The painting is becoming a vehicle to express a state of mood through the fusion of Minimalism and Realism. Both the process of making and the result suggested an escape from the real and sophisticated daily life.


By depicting the simplest object within the simplest composition but executed in a masterful and astonishing realistic manner, I am trying to engage the viewers into a translucent and peaceful pictorial space.

It is not easy any more to be able to be ‘traditional’ in the contemporary context. But I am still conscious of the meaning of painting tradition and its needfulness in the present to engender resistance to the libidinous flex of media images.

My researches into techniques, media and pigment of the Old Masters and the painstaking working procedure have led my works to a highly finished surface and a sense of timelessness."


With prices for Bing's original oil paintings ranging from £595 to £895, you can have a modern day masterpiece without the price tag of an old one!


Visit our website to view the new Still Life oil paintings by Bing Wang now exhibiting at Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff.


www.arteryuk.com

Tuesday 26 August 2008

Caroline Slane - Irish Landscape Paintings


("Walking Home" by Caroline Slane)


Often known as Cal, Caroline Slane works out of her studio in Holywood, County Down. She has enjoyed much success in the Irish art community that has now extended to Scotland following a number of successful exhibitions in recent years with Artery Gallery, based in both St Andrews, Fife and Crieff, Perthshire. Her paintings, using the rarely used medium of Gouache, famously depict the small harbours and coastal cottages of Northern Ireland. She has found these landscapes of Ireland and the Western Isles a continuous source of inspiration, which is reflected in her vibrant and contemporary work.


Caroline is a relative of the late Marky Robinson who enjoyed worldwide success and acclaim, and it is to him that she attributes her artistic freedom clearly displayed in her work. He was a self-taught artist, whose artistic career spanned sixty years, although his working life led him from a merchant ship, to welding, even to boxing!


Marky acquainted himself first hand with ‘The School of Paris’, and European modernism - in particular, expressionism and cubism, which influenced his style and take on still life and landscapes. Often his work was met with critical indifference or distaste. In 1942, Marky sold a painting to Ulster Academy of arts for five pounds sterling, and he grew to be one of Ireland’s most popular artists, with his work selling at a value of up to £22,000 at auction today.


Markys influence can be clearly seen in Caroline’s work, as he was her first experience with art. It seems he not only taught her his methods of composition and style, but passed on an inherent talent and artistic ability.


Her original paintings can be found in collections not only throughout Ireland but also in Europe and the USA, and her new exhibiting works at Artery Gallery in Scotland have already gained huge popularity once again.

Log on to the Artery Gallery website at www.arteryuk.com to view more works by Caroline Slane.

Saturday 9 August 2008

Scottish Landscape Paintings


("Northern Skies" by Martin Devine)


Scottish artist Martin Devine has launched his latest exhibition of work at Artery Gallery in both St Andrews and Crieff.


Martin, original from Edinburgh and now based in nearby Linlithgow, employs colour theory, varying the use of tone and differing brush strokes to present a contemporary image of the Scottish landscape, aiming to change the perception of the landscape seen by the viewer.


Martin explains, “I originally discovered an artistic ability in portraiture and wildlife, moving onto landscapes which have now become my recognized field in a distinctive style”.


Inspired by minimalism, spare with detail, encouraging a regard for simplicity, the strengths of his watercolour paintings lie in the boldness of the colours he uses, perfectly outlined with Indian ink.


His paintings have proved a huge success in his short time with Artery Gallery, selling out all of his previous exhibitions.


The work of Martin Devine can be viewed online at www.arteryuk.com or by visiting Artery Gallery in St Andrews and Crieff

www.arteryuk.com

Friday 8 August 2008

Scottish Seascape Paintings


("Machrinhanish" by Colin Carruthers)

Exhibiting at Artery Gallery in Crieff and St Andrews with his new work is internationally selling artist Colin Carruthers Due to the high success Colin has had in exhibiting his work previously through Artery Gallery, he has given the gallery exclusive selling rights, now allowing them to be the only gallery in Scotland to show his works.

Jason of Artery Gallery says “We feel this is a bit of a coup for us, being a Scottish contemporary art gallery and securing unique selling rights to the works of a successful artist. We like to work with our artists and try to help them progress. In his time exhibiting with us, we have seen a fantastic development in Colin’s work and this has been reflected in his success”.


Originally from Northern Ireland, Colin says, “I regularly travel to Scotland, where I find the high drama of the Scottish Coast, a constant source of influence for my paintings. There's a challenge involved in my work. With every canvas I attempt, I am searching for something. Beyond simply looking at my paintings and gaining an aesthetic pleasure, I do think it's important that they offer up space for thought"


The strengths of his canvases lie in their versatile response to nature as he grapples with the relationship between memory, place and emotion. His work challenges our assumptions of landscape and returns us to a new sense of engagement, both spiritual and practical, with our surroundings.

www.arteryuk.com

Wednesday 30 July 2008

Wedding Gift Registration Service at Artery Gallery

You can now register your wedding gift list at Artery Gallery.

Our wedding gift registration service offers you the opportunity to commemorate your wedding day with a list of gift ideas for your friends and family to choose from.

Anything from clocks, to paintings and wall hangings are available, giving you the inspiration and opportunity to build your own collection of unique, original artwork.

When registering your wedding or civil partnership, you receive a catalogue of ideas and suggestions from us, which you can also add your own choices to. When you have chosen all the gifts you hope for, we will complete your registration by adding you and your partner-to-be to our website – with a web-page of your very own. This will include photographs, dimensions and prices of all the items you choose, with a secure, online purchasing function. Your friends and family will be able to browse the pages of your gift list before deciding on their purchase.

Friends and family can even combine their finances to purchase a larger item such as a painting. Paintings can be reserved for your list by paying a small deposit of 20%.

Create you own unique wedding gift list today here at Artery Gallery.

www.arteryuk.com

Friday 18 July 2008

Portraying Essence and Emotion - Paintings by Steve Johnston

("Rainy Day" by Steve Johnston)

Here at Artery Gallery, we are proud to introduce the paintings from renowned artist Steve Johnston.

Born in Glasgow in 1956, Steve grew up in Dumfries before attending Art College in Carlisle. Whilst in his second year, he opted for a change of medium preferring photography to painting. Upon graduating, he moved to London to work as a freelance photographer working for magazines such as Vogue and I-D. His work was published in various books and magazines and was included in the 'Lives' exhibition at the Haward Gallery, London.

In 1991, when photography no longer became inspirational for him, he started painting seriously again concentrating once again on the medium that he had originally embraced. He says, “It was then that something clicked and I have not looked back since……painting is my life.”


He is always drawn to figures that create a great shape. Details such as ‘how’ someone is standing or ‘what’ they are doing come into play afterwards. It is the graphic shape of the ‘body mass’ that inspires the first ideas. Certain images can unlock powerful emotions which are separate from what the actual content of the picture could create if focused on in more detail.

He adds, "I approach my 'backgrounds' very much as an abstract painter - colours, composition etc are chosen instinctively rather than being pre-planned. Certain images can unlock powerful emotions which can be separate from the actual content of the picture....the aim is to portray and essences and emotion rather than a precise person or specific location.'

Steve always takes the shape of his figures from photographs, generally using side or back views to create a more anonymous character. For this same reason he prefers minimal backgrounds. Using a mixture of oil and acrylic on the same canvas, he likes to experiment and play with colour to draw as much emotional response from the image as possible. The backgrounds are always in acrylic, whilst the figures are always in oil. This is so the oil figure can be worked on in a way that will make it stand out from the background.



www.arteryuk.com

Thursday 26 June 2008

Tom Payne - "The Grunts"

Tom Payne graduated from the Kent Institute of art and design in 2000 and has gone on to become a successful self employed sculptor and model maker. His sculptures are generally figurative based and built using coiling techniques in high-grog crank clay.

He says “I concentrate on poise and character rather than realism but like my figure to be easily recognisable and relatable too. My finishing is normally quite rough as I like to show the surface and making-marks such as fingerprints.” Each ‘Grunt’, as Tom calls them, are one-off pieces, however they exist in themes and groupings.

The clay is first rolled into a sausage, making sure each one is roughly the same standing height, before being chopped and bent into their required seated, crouching or standing position. The details are then sculptured into the clay creating the basic shape of the figure together with the posture and hand gestures before further detailing including trouser folds and muscle tone is added. When the sculpture is complete and firing has taken place, the pieces are then quickly smoke-fired with wood chips to a very low temperature which gives the desired finished result.

A finished Grunt can quite happily stand or sit there on his own, but the best visual effect is experienced when they are placed into a group. This gives a fantastic and sometimes quite comical impression that some kind of conversation or debate is taking place between the Grunts.

Tom’s work has been displayed all over the UK as well as being involved in several high profile public art projects since graduating. Most notable of these projects include Tom helping in the construction of the site for ‘Dino Dig’ at the Natural History Museum in 2006. Tom was commissioned to create lifelike clay dinosaur bones that were to be buried in sand, ready for children to excavate during an exhibition at the Museum.

Prior to that In 2005, Tom was commissioned by a recruitment marketing company to make models for the ultimate 'People Brand' at the AHHRM Awards (Association of Healthcare Human Resource Management). The campaign was to brand Whipps Cross University Hospital in London as a Trust that has an exciting future ahead and recognises that their biggest asset going forward is their people.

Models were created based on real-life employees, one from every department within the hospital. Images of Tom’s sculptures were used for advertising posters that were displayed on London buses and taxis, in brochures and on the web. The campaign was well received both internally and externally including helping to win the 'Best Employer Brand' Award itself.

Tom was also involved in an environmental advertising campaign that was aired on MTV in 2007. He was asked to create a Polar Bear mould to be used as an animation for the television adverts aired on the channel through Spring of that year.

The sculptures by Tom Payne are on show for the first time in Scotland at Artery Gallery in both St Andrews and Crieff, and can also be viewed online at www.arteryuk.com

Saturday 21 June 2008

The Lie of the Land - Aerial Abstract Landscape Paintings by Peter Davenport


("Field Patterns, Holkham" by Peter Davenport)

Peter Davenport was born in England in 1931 to a French mother and Anglo/Scots father. Peter followed his father into the army and just like his father, eventually became a highly ranked officer himself. With the army being a major part of his early life, this meant moving around the country was common practice without settling anywhere for any great length of time. Eventually Peter moved to Perthshire and has been living there now since 1962.

After his time with the Army he studied drawing and painting at the Edinburgh College of Art.

During the 1970`s Peter went on to teach Photography at the Edinburgh College of Art and has worked in various branches of this field since then. With photography always being a huge passion of Peter’s, he bases many of his semi-abstract paintings on his collection of aerial photographs of the landscape below.

Combining the two different viewpoints of the landscape from above and from looking across the horizon, Peter Davenport’s contemporary oil paintings have developed into a very distinctive style unique to himself.

His latest series of works are of the coast line and patchwork-like field patterns of the North Norfolk coast. With this particular area of East Anglia striking a chord with Peter’s consciousness, the outcome of his paintings of Holkham tide line are full of passion and emotion with a vibrant mix of green and brown hues working with, as apposed to conflicting with, the sharp blue tones.

He has held various solo shows including those at the renowned Richard Demarco Gallery in Edinburgh and with the English Speaking Union. His paintings hang in collections across the United Kingdom, in Canada, France, Germany, Denmark and the U.S.A.

Peter Davenport now exhibits exclusively all year round at Artery Gallery in both Crieff and St Andrews where his oil on board paintings of landscapes and geometric abstracts continue to be well received by new, as well as existing collectors of his work.

His works can also be viewed on the Artery Gallery website at www.arteryuk.com

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Artery Gallery Celebrates Two Years in St Andrews

Throughout the end of May, Artery Gallery on South Street are celebrating what has been an exciting and enjoyable second year in the town.

The many locals and overseas visitors to have visited the gallery have showed great excitement and support since the opening in the town in May 2006. The continued growth and variety of local, national and international artists has been the major factor in Artery Gallery’s development from the early beginnings of the Crieff gallery to the expansion of the St Andrews branch.

Together with the addition of popular Scottish landscape painters Martin Devine, Jane Duckfield and John Wetten-Brown, Artery Gallery has also introduced two renowned International artists. Italian painter and cloud appreciation society member Alberto Bertoldi was introduced to exhibiting in Scotland last year with great anticipation. His photo-realistic oil paintings of storm building and sunburst clouds transfix the viewer with their immense beauty. Alberto has arranged over 30 exhibitions of his work across Italy and has also had books published based solely on his cloud paintings.

Following on from Alberto Bertoldi, was the arrival of Alexandros Arabatzoglou, a truly renowned sculptor from Crete and heralded by many in the art world as the Cretian Henry Moore. Alexandros’ sculptures have been sold to private collectors all over the world, and demand for his work has been such that he has not exhibited in a gallery for nearly nine years, despite offers from some of the worlds most prestigious galleries. However, after striking up a relationship with Artery Gallery, Alexandros decided to end his gallery exile by exhibiting one of his hand carved sculptures in their St Andrews branch.

The Director of Artery Gallery explains “After meeting with Alexandros in Crete last year, I was amazed at his drive, passion and enthusiasm for his work and his art. For him, creating his sculpture is like breaking down to the bare bones of his inner soul, using his hands to carve into the stone and creating an extension of himself within each individual sculpture”. He adds “Here at Artery Gallery, we are always looking to expand on the superb catalogue of talent we exhibit, and inviting Alexandros to join us, knowing of the interest he has gained, is exciting for the gallery, for St Andrews, and for world art exhibited in Scotland”.

The collection of seascape paintings by Colin Carruthers have gained popularity with every one of his exhibitions, and during the last year this has seen Colin grant Artery Gallery with exclusive exhibiting rights for Scotland.

Handmade Jewellery has continued to show great popularity in the St Andrews Gallery with Artery exhibiting works from over 10 different jewellers, stretching from Brazil to Israel, as well as those from a little closer to home such as Dunfermline, Crieff, Oban and Stirling! All very different and unique in techniques, materials and style.

Artery Gallery has been a major supporter of contemporary Scottish artists over the past few years from the gallery in King Street, Crieff and their award winning website, and continues to boost artist profiles by introducing them to the busy Scottish town of St Andrews where it’s UK and overseas visitors can see some of the best contemporary artwork first hand.

Artery Gallery at 43 South Street, St Andrews (01334 478221) and 22 King Street, Crieff (01764 655722).

www.arteryuk.com