I’m getting really excited for my upcoming exhibition at Osgood’s Cafe, Inverewe Gardens and feeling very blessed that I have the opportunity to exhibit my work in such a wonderful space. As readers of this blog might remember, I’ve been going up there regularly for the past couple of years.
This is thanks to the stirling work of the Inverewe staff and the very supportive Lynn Bennett-Mackenzie. Lynn was the artist in residence at Inverewe a couple of years ago and it was she who set up a very informal artist group, who meet and sketch in the garden regularly. After Lynn’s residency the gardens have launched a series of wonderful exhibitions and creative events and have even launched a great new website, which showcases:
“Exhibiting artists (which) include emerging and established artists working in the Highlands, whose works are inspired by the nature, environment, people or culture of the Highlands, or alternatively of Inverewe itself.
Our mission is to inspire viewers and artists alike; viewers by informing and exposing them to quality artworks of all genre, exhibitors by stimulating and stretching their artistic practice, as well as facilitating collaborative working with other artists on residency programmes.”
It really is a fabulous opportunity, which is why I have worked so hard to try and live up to the amazingly high standards and huge creativity of the other artists who are involoved.
It’s amazing how much getting ready for an exhibition concentrates the mind. I have (and still am) working to a number of deadlines. I wanted to have at least 10 – 12 paintings done for the exhibition, even if I don’t hang them all (It is quite a large space) and I’ve managed that.
I wanted to have some good images to use for the flyers that I had done and for the adverts that I’m putting in the An Carranach and The Gairloch and District Times and I’ve managed that too. I also needed to get my two largest paintings ready to take to the wonderful Emma Noble to be framed (I’m picking them up next Tuesday and I’m very excited to see them!)
It’s been a real learning curve and quite a challenge, but I’ve really enjoyed being able to create a series of work, which has continuity and (I hope) cohesion. The art that I have produced for this exhibition will also form a core of the collection that I’ll be exhibiting in October at Gallery An Talla Dearg at Eilean Iarmain on Skye, with fellow artists Aileen Grant and Steven Proudfoot at Oakbank Studio, Lochcarron.
However, it’s just over a week to go now to Inverewe and I’ll be in the gardens sketching and painting at for at least a couple of days in July.
More information about the exhibition and a selection of images are below:
Cindie Reiter Fine Art 