Past Art Exhibitions 07
New Works by
Charles MacQueen, Christine Woodside and Sian MacQueen
Christine Woodside RSW RGI
Since graduating from Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, in the early 1960’s Christine has exhibited widely at the public institutions, winning many major awards. The Teacher’s Whiskey Travel Scholarship Prize in 1995 allowed her the luxury of foreign travel for the sole purpose of artistic inspiration. A subsequent series of journeys to Morocco, Tunisia and Italy have left a lasting impression on her painting style. She has been elected a member of both the Royal Glasgow Institute and The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. Her paintings hang n many corporate collections, notably a major group at the Royal bank of Scotland and a commission for P & O’s latest cruise ship the Arcadia.
Christine Woodside
Charles MacQueen RSW RGI
Charles MacQueen was born in Glasgow in 1940, educated at St. Aloysius College and the attended Glasgow School of Art. He is an elected member of the Royal Glasgow Institute and The Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour.
In 1994 he was elected vice-president of the RSW. He has exhibited widely – most recently at The Open Eye Gallery in Glasgow and The Adam Gallery, Bath. Charles has won numerous awards including in 1997 the Council Award of the RSW. By using textured levels of paint and gesso Charles depicts the sensation or experience of a place. Charles wrote recently…..”The forms I use are forms remembered or dreamt about. The stark visual contrasts of moving between strong blinding sunlight and dark bazaars full of rich reds, golds and turquoise inhabit my paintings. This is like being put down to sleep ina darkened room with strong sunlight streaming through the shutters. This is not representation but an evocation”
Charles MacQueen
Sian MacQueen BA (Hons.)
Sian was a student at Glasgow School of Art. She was a sculptor but has concentrated on painting for the past 3 years. She has exhibited in Scotland and London. She lives and works in Kilmartin, Argyll.
“Nothing sits still in the ever-shifting weather fronts and tides of the west coast, so I paint with acrylic and gesso and using layers of paint. I scrape, sand, rub and score until I find what I am searchin for”
Mull Headland by Sian MacQueen
Northerly Connections
Although not resident in Sutherland the artists share a connection to the area as Christine Woodside’s father Gordon Rutherford was born and brought up in Helmsdale. Christine has maintained the family connection to the village over the years by visiting with her family in the summer months.
Charles and Christine are established artists with an international reputation both being elected members of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour.
Sian MacQueen graduated in sculpture from Glasgow School of Art in 1994.
Three years ago she switched media and began to paint. “The landscape of Argyll with its changing light and coastal textures has been my source of inspiration. Nothing sits still in the ever shifting weather fronts and tides of the Scottish West Coast – I try to capture a fraction of that movement. I paint with acrylic on gesso and use many layers of paint which I scrape, sand, rub and score until I find what I’m looking for.” When you see Sian’s work you will realise how successfully she has achieved this.
The works by each of the exhibiting artists are full of vibrant colours, textures and memories of places lived in and visited at home and abroad.
Many of Christine’s works have a strong sense of Sutherland with patterns and shapes evoking the many different aspects of the landscape. Charles’s depictions are recalled through the snapshots, sights and symbols gathered on travels. ‘Harbour at Helmsdale’ with creels, herring and the associated paraphernalia creates an image familiar to coastal life.
We are also taken on a journey farther afield to Italy, Morocco, Tunisia.
Charles MacQueen’s paintings from these sundrenched countries are full of stark visual contrasts – moving between strong blinding sunlight and the dark of bazaars full of rich reds, golds and turquoise. They are full of colour, texture, we can almost smell the exotic locations.
Christine Woodside responds more gently to her sources.
“Christine’s work is beautiful……it is beautiful because she is unreserved in inviting us to share her personal vision. It is beautiful because it is beautiful.” (Robin Wilson).
A highlight of the busy opening on Saturday 4th August was the number of grandchildren and their friends, who spent most of the evening happily sitting on the floor with a large pile of paper and crayons creating their own masterpieces. Will we see their work in future exhibitions?