New exhibition at Gracefield Arts Centre

Locally based artist Gary Craig is fascinated by the uniqueness of people – their personalities, what they do, their mannerisms and how they see themselves. Gary’s perception shows in the quality of his work – his portraits seem full of energy and convey the characters of his subjects. This new exhibition in Gracefield Café Gallery is open until 12 November.

 

 

In preparation for creating a portrait Gary meets with his subjects and spends time talking to them before he starts drawing and painting. Describing his interaction with his sitter Gary says:

“To make the painting or drawing true to the subject I need to capture the idiosyncrasies or essence of the subject. Sometimes this can be portrayed quite easily but in other cases many studies are needed to achieve it. Honing in on that certain characteristic or mannerism can sometimes allow the subject to be shown accurately in a few well placed strokes of the brush or pencil.

“However the world is perceived, we are always making a statement as to who and what we are by the way that we present ourselves to the community. It is these various statements that people are making that I want to capture with my art, allowing each piece of work to tell its own story and letting the subject speak.”

Originally from Newcastle Gary and his wife Jenny now live in a cottage on the slopes of Cairnsmore of Fleet near Wigtown where Gary can spend time in his studio concentrating on his art.

Gary’s exhibition continues until 12 November 2011 for full opening times and directions please see www.dumgal.gov.uk/gracefield.