Cafe Gallery exhibition at Gracefield: Ailsa Black and Val Macadam
Written by author on October 4, 2010
The October Café Gallery exhibition of prints by illustrators Ailsa Black and Val Macadam at Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries is guaranteed to make you smile.
Ailsa and Val have lots in common – they live a stone’s throw apart on the Solway coast, both are inspired by their natural surroundings and both express a great sense of humour in their work. That said, they have very distinct artistic styles. Val works mainly using soft coloured pencils which allow her to include subtle and sometimes hidden details to her pictures (honour goes to those who can find the distinctive figures of Chuckie and Pip the cats in her pictures). Ailsa paints in acrylics and her pictures are characterised by bold colours and compositions.
Val Macadam has become well known locally for her quirky take on some of our best loved local landmarks and landscapes. As Val herself puts it: “My eye seems to be drawn to the unusual aspects in my environment as well as the distinctive local architecture. I enjoy putting my own ‘slant’ on it all, from the grandest historic buildings and the smallest but ‘n’ bens; to the hills, hedges and trees. By distorting and adding movement to my subjects I aim to create lively images full of detail that I hope will make you smile!”
Much of Ailsa’s work depicts local wildlife and farm animals, beltie coos being a favourite. Ailsa describes her work as: “Based on the interaction of landscape, animals, birds and people that surround me. These influences merge with my imagination as I aim to convey a light-hearted, quirky and whimsical narrative on aspects of rural life.”
The exhibition can be viewed in Gracefield Arts Centre Café in the Gallery 2 building, 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday. The exhibition runs until Saturday 6 November.
