The Quay Gallery, 31-33 High Street, Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0SH.
www.thequaygallery.co.uk
Exhibition runs: 29 May – 23 July 2015
An exhibition by artists Katharine Aarrestad SSA, Bryony Knox & Sophie McKay Knight is opening on May 29 in the newly refurbished Quay Gallery, Aberdour. After initially meeting at Edinburgh’s WASPS studios in 2007, these 3 exciting female artists have maintained a professional connection in their approach, despite working in different media.
Alan Dawson reopened The Quay Gallery in new premises in October 2014. After eight years in a stunning, but tiny building by Aberdour’s historic harbour, the gallery has relocated half a mile up the road to a handsome listed property at the corner of High Street and Shore Road. The gallery has an inviting domestic atmosphere, whilst retaining many original features from its earlier incarnation as a butcher’s shop.
“A playful collaboration between three intriguing and complementary artists and a gallery with a distinctive style..”
Professional SSA Member Katharine Aarrestad studied for her postgraduate in Barcelona and has an MA degree in Fine Art from the University of Edinburgh. Her work garnered critical acclaim at her solo show in Edinburgh’s distinguished Bourne Fine Art Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy.
‘ ..her work is indeed a beguilement, a trick, a disturbing and uncanny charm‘ Mary Paulson-Ellis
This multi -award winning visual artist recently achieved the prestigious Tony and Maureen Tofts Prize at the 117th Scottish Society of Artists Annual Open Exhibition 2014, the Society of Scottish Artists Printmakers Award 2012, the Royal Scottish Academy Maude Gemmell Hutchison Award 2011, Nairn Open Art Exhibition 2010 and Aberdeen Artists Society Shell Purchase Prize in 2008.
Bryony Knox designs sculptures and silverware with a twist, which on closer inspection or handling reveal an additional function. From elegant decanters to boxes with secrets, each individual piece is fashioned and embellished using the techniques of repousse and chasing. Interaction and discovery of unexpected movement, or flashes of colour and texture, inspire Bryony, bringing to life the wonderful characters and creatures of myth, nursery rhyme and fable. Bryony’s studio is based at Coburg House in Leith. She has been in business for over 15 years and has work in private and public collections, from J.K Rowling to Winchester Cathedral.
Sophie McKay Knight has been working as a professional artist since graduating with an MA (Hons) in Fine Art from Edinburgh University & College of Art in 1997. She has won awards for her paintings and has work in public and private collections throughout the UK and abroad. Her work has always been based on the human figure, but is inspired by the things that make up a whole person, and what/where their sense of self comes from. She recently collaborated with St Andrews University chemistry department on a project exploring the Nature vs Nurture debate. Sophie incorporates many things into her paintings -‘collecting’ images of people from everywhere; often remembering a scene she has witnessed, sometimes responding to a fictional or historical character. She is interested in storytelling, everyday magic, memory and reflections.
Sophie works out of her studio in Burntisland, Fife.