Artists Anne Barron and Gillian Ramsay are looking forward to a joint exhibition of new work at the Old Haa Gallery in Yell in July-August this year. This will be an exhibition quite different to anything they have undertaken before. Instead of painting their own favourite places, they will be painting yours! That is, if you'd like to be a part of the exhibition called "My Favourite Place In Shetland". You will be interviewed, and recorded, or possibly even filmed, telling which is your own special place in Shetland and why. If you have stories about the place from your childhood, myths shrouded in the mists of time that you connect with a place, or it simply inspires you with its beauty or wildness, these recordings will be edited together by a professional journalist and film-maker (Biggerthanthebag Productions) and then run as an audio or video background to the exhibition itself. It may even end up as part of The Shetland Film festival.... In the meantime, either Anne or Gillian will have researched and painted the scenes, so there will be an exhibition of paintings opened with a Preview party to which you'll be invited to come along with your friends and family, and you will be encouraged to write down your honest feelings about "your" painting when you see it for the first time. Each painting will be accompanied by a small title page with a photograph of yourself and a quote from your thoughts about that scene. The paintings will be made in the style and medium the artist feels suits the scene best, which again means no-one will have any idea of what the exhibition will look like until the Preview.
Anne has been drawing all her life and has been a professional artist, working mainly on portrait and animal commissions, for over 15 years. Her friend for over 30 years, Gillian, has been a "natural" artist all her life with an ability to turn her hand to any craft or skill, with painting being one of her more recent achievements - one of the few things she was physically able to do during a long spell of recovery after a stroke some years ago. If you'd like to be involved, please contact Anne or Gillian (details below) who will take your contact details and a few words from you about the proposed scene and what it means to you. Due to the size of the gallery not being very large, but nevertheless a rather beautiful one, the number of people who can be involved will be limited, so don't hesitate to get in touch.
Contact Anne on 01595 859060 or email wildaboutart@yahoo.co.uk. Alternatively you could call and speak to Gillian at the Shetland Fudge Co / Shetland Art Co on Commercial Street, Lerwick. 01595 694324 gillian.ramsay@shetlandfudge.co.uk