As the nights draw in across Courier Country, and folk retreat to their homes for cosy evenings indoors, the appetite for some new art to adorn those same four walls or occupy the eyeballs is starting to rumble.
Luckily, the local visual arts scene is back and thriving after the upset of Covid, so connoisseurs and casual collectors alike can get their fix. Here’s a taste of what’s on, from high-end to mechanical vend:
Love and Light – Joe McIntyre at Gallery Q
Avid collectors will be keen to know that Dundee’s Queen’s Hotel gallery, Gallery Q, is currently hosting an exhibition of paintings by popular local artist Joe McIntyre.
Born in Dundee in 1940 and taught at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art by the likes of James McIntosh Patrick and Alberto Morocco, McIntyre’s latest offering includes his trademark, instantly-recognisable local scenes, as well as studies of Paris, New York, Milan and more.
Alongside McIntyre’s work will be pieces by Fiona Sturrock, Pauline Patrick, Babs Pease and new addition to the gallery Catriona Campbell.
Price indicator: £350 – £4,000.
Exhibition ends November 13 2021. All works can also be viewed online.
Surf to Summit – Ron Lawson at Strathearn Gallery
In another highlight for Scottish landscape enthusiasts, Perthshire-born artist Ron Lawson’s largest solo exhibition to date launches at Crieff’s Strathearn Gallery this weekend on October 30.
The highly-sought-after watercolour painter has celebrated a long-awaited return to the Highlands and Islands by showing a new perspective on his favourite places in Scotland.
Alongside his trademark shorelines and croftscapes, Lawson has found a love for Scotland’s rugged mountain terrain in his recent work, including Am Basteir and Bla Bheinn on Skye.
Influenced by artists like Sir James Guthrie and Edward Seago, Lawson has garnered a reputation as one of the finest living landscape painters in Scotland over the course of his 40-year career; 34 years of which took place in the art production department of the Courier’s own publishers, DC Thomson.
Exhibiting in small local galleries around Angus since the late 1970s, Lawson left full-time work in 2010 to pursue his vocation full-time. He now regularly sells out gallery shows, and it’s hoped that Surf To Summit will follow suit.
Price indicator: Paintings to be released online on October 29 2021.
Exhibition ends November 21 2021.
Artistic Adventures – John Stoa at Original Art (Charity fundraiser)
Another student of James McIntosh Patrick, well-known Dundonian painter and gardener John Stoa is launching a charity art exhibition at his Menzieshill Road studio this weekend to help raise funds for a cause close to his heart.
Artistic Adventures In All Seasons will offer an impressive variety of original paintings on canvases, with subjects ranging from local landscapes around Dundee and Rait, to a full snow-scene room and even an erotic room for figurative work.
In response to John’s own cancer diagnosis three years ago and subsequent treatment, half of the profits from the show will go directly to Cancer Research UK.
Price indicator: £300-£1,500
Exhibition ends November 7 2021. Works can also be viewed online.
Total Access – Abertay graduates at Kathryn Rattray Gallery
For those more minded towards the queer and quirky, Meadowmill gallery owner Kathryn Rattray has you covered.
The versatile Kathryn Rattray Gallery has been transformed into Miama-esque party lounge, The Pink Flamingo, for the Total Access exhibition, which will run right through to Christmas Eve.
The project showcases the work of selected Abertay University graduates, who were recognised by city-based NeoN Digital Arts Festival for their work to address issues relating gender, identity or accessibility.
Pink Flamingo: Total Access places NeoN’s overall winning artist Majsko Sekula at the centre. Majsko’s zine, Do It For Yourself, comprises striking, comic-influenced imagery and focuses on reclaiming punk as a queer-feminist subculture.
Also featured are fellow graduate artists Amy Conlon, Rebecca Walters, Nicole Thomson and Filippo Casola.
Price indicator: Zines £15 each, prints £8-£15, postcard £2.
Exhibition ends December 24 2021. Pop down to Kathryn Rattray Gallery, opening hours available on Facebook.
Look What I Found – Sarah Gillespie at Volk Gallery
Believe it or not, Dundee’s best-kept secret for art-lovers on a budget lives in the city’s Keiller Centre.
Opened just this summer in the shopping centre’s main hallway, Volk Gallery is converted nappy vending machine, where pocket-sized art from local artists is on sale for a flat rate of £3 a pop.
The exhibits rotate regularly – either once a month, or when the featured art runs out, whichever comes first. And this month, until November 4 2021, patrons can crank the lever and receive a hand-crafted wooden book by Dundee artist Sarah Gillespie.
Each book in Sarah’s popular Look What I Found series depicts a visit to Cromarty Beach through found objects, making this a great indie arts stop-off for nature lovers.
Price: £3 per dispense.
Exhibition ends November 4 2021. More information available on Volk Gallery’s Instagram.