Apr 29, 2021

The Annual Exhibition Awards

The Annual Art Club Exhibition Awards celebrate the exceptional talents and creative achievements of our club members. This year's exhibition featured a diverse array of artworks, each showcasing unique styles and techniques that reflect the vibrant artistic spirit of our club.

Among the notable pieces, the award-winning painting 'Red Sky in the Morning Kirkcudbright' by Lola Christie stands out for its masterful use of oil on board to capture a serene coastal scene.  The Hamish Montgomery Award for Best in Show, given to Christie's piece, recognises her skillful handling of colour and tone, which conveys a poignant sense of calm and reflection.

These awards not only honour individual excellence but also inspire all members to continue exploring and expressing their artistic visions.

 

The Gregor Ian Smith Award

The winner of this year's Gregor Ian Smith Award, on the theme of 'Weather', is Gillian Kingslake with 'Wind-spun Surf'.

This painting captures the fluid and dynamic essence of the sea through a combination of soft brushstrokes and a harmonious colour palette. Gillian's skillful blending of various shades of blue, from deep indigo to light azure creates an ocean scene that evokes the movement and the energy of the sea with white highlights accentuating the foam and crests of the waves.  The wave's fluid motion is captured with delicate, sweeping strokes, giving it a dynamic appearance. The use of light and shadow on the rocks and water enhances the painting's realism while maintaining an impressionistic touch. Overall, the painting is a wonderful representation of nature's power and beauty.

The Hamish Montgomery Award

This year's Hamish Montgomery Award was presented to Lola Christie for 'Red Sky in the Morning, Kirkcudbright'.

The painting is an evocative depiction of a serene coastal village, well-known for its artistic community. Executed in oil on board, the piece employs a delicate balance of light and shade to convey the quiet beauty of early morning. The muted pastel tones of the sky suggest the soft light of dawn and create a calm and tranquil scene. The buildings reflect perfectly in the water and enhance the sense of stillness and reflection. The artist's handling of colour with cool blues and warm earth tones blend well to create depth and realism. The small details, such as the boats and distant sails add to the narrative of the scene. Overall, the painting's composition and technique capture the quiet elegance of a coastal morning making it a deserving recipient of the Hamish Montgomery Award. 

The Millennium Bowl

This prize is awarded to the student who is deemed to have made the most progress in the art classes during the year.

This year's winner is Jeanette Mumford

Jeanette's delightful watercolour 'Waterside Home Lerwick' is characterised by its soft, translucent washes and delicate brushwork. The artist has skilfully used a limited colour palette of mainly cool blues and greys to evoke a serene coastal scene. Her precise brushstrokes capture the texture of the stone buildings and the subtle ripples in the water. The play of light and shadow is handled with finesse, creating a sense of depth and three dimensionality.

The composition is well balanced, with the solid structures of the buildings contrasting against the fluid expanse of the sea and the inclusion of small details such as the boat and distant shore add to the charm of the scene.

The People's Exhibition Favourite

Every year we ask visitors to the Exhibition to vote on their favourite painting or work of art.  This year it was Leo Macham with his oil painting of Near Gairloch who carried off the accolade of the People's Choice.

The artist has used a palette of natural colours to depict the rocky coast, calm water and lush greenery of this wonderful Scottish scene.  The painting of the reflection in the water and the texture of the rocks and foliage has been accomplished with incredible precision and attention to detail. The sky with its muted tones and subtle gradients contrasts with the more vivid colours of the foreground, adding depth and dimension to the picture.

The feeling of tranquillity created by this serene painting obviously resonated with our visitors and Leo Macham is a worthy winner of Exhibition Favourite.