The Whitehouse Gallery is preparing for its next exhibition 'Country Pursuits VI'.  Doors open on Saturday 11th September and runs through to Saturday 6th November.  Please join us for our preview opening on Saturday 11th September from 11am.

Into its sixth year, the popular exhibition features an impressive display of Fine Art and Applied Art & Craft, with the focus upon 'feathers, paws, teeth, fur & claws'!

New to the gallery, Georgina McMaster is an extremely talented and well respected Scottish artist who chooses to feature animals – particularly Scottish wildlife – as her subject matter.  Her paintings depict the animal on a blank background so that the finest detail can be observed, and so that you are instantly drawn to the eyes as this is where the soul is captured brilliantly.

Local artist Richard Inman is another painter who captures the souls of the animals perfectly, from the innocence of a lamb to the slyness of a fox.  Richard has taken a few of his animal portraits and given them a contemporary edge by painting blocks of colours behind each creature.  Like Georgina, Richard prefers not to paint the animal in its natural habitat, but instead likes to take them out of it entirely.  This approach is also adopted by Marjorie Lanham who loves pigs, and has painted us a selection of piggies which are full of colour and mischief.

Gallery favourite Ingebjorg Smith will be showing at The Whitehouse Gallery again, with her quirky, abstract interpretation of animals in their natural habitat.  They have been described as “stunning collage landscapes of birds and animals beautifully, evocative, tactile and thoroughly magical. They have a sense of place and time that is beyond their subject, and a spirit that renders them magnetic”.

Local artist Ailsa Blacks’ work is based on the landscape, animals and birds that surround her.  She takes these core influences and merges them with her imagination to convey a light-hearted, quirky and whimsical take on rural life.

Malcolm Davies has visited Mull, Sutherland and Shetland this year, so the work in this exhibition reflects the wildlife and landscapes of these very different areas of Scotland.  His etchings are done by hand on to hand-made paper, in short editions, and then coloured individually with watercolours, making each print unique.

Other artists on show include Lisa Hooper, who uses a wide variety of techniques to capture pattern, light and texture in landscape and animals.   In the past she has won national  prizes for pieces of bird art at the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art.   Kirkcudbright-based artist Linda Mallet has a selection of seabird etchings which are also created using a series of techniques.  Her seabirds are influenced by various visits to the Shetlands and long walks around the coasts of Galloway.

Richard Prime is inspired to paint British birds and animals by watching them in their natural habitat, taking notes, sketches and photos and then going back to the studio to paint what he has observed.  Richard likes to paint in a looser style, rather than in a photo-realistic fashion.

Moira McTague regularly shows her etchings with the Whitehouse Gallery, but this exhibition is a chance to see her original paintings.  Working from life, her work is an intimate response to her immediate surroundings.  Keith Brown is another regular exhibitor, whose acrylic paintings capture his keen interest in natural history.  Keith is particularly drawn to the sandbanks, the ebb and flow of the tide and the wild duck and geese that migrate to the shores of the Solway Firth and other parts of the British Isles.

Valerie Sadler will be exhibiting some of her animal pieces, finding them satisfying if not challenging subjects.  Valerie tries to capture them either in motion, or in a relaxed mood when they are unaware of the camera or pencil.  These are translated in the studio in chalk or gouache, or whatever medium seems appropriate.  John Fowler is exhibiting some of his paintings which depict cattle in moments of tenderness, an emotion which is in contrast to their size and power.

Taking a more decorative and graphic approach to animals is David Hall.  He prefers this as the perfect medium for reflecting the detail and complexity of shape and form in the natural world. David will be exhibiting some of his work in this exhibition.

To complement the fine art, there will be a rich selection of applied art and craft on show, including exquisite animal jewellery designs by Anna De Ville.