Bespoke Bridal Jewellery

Thousands of couples will be walking down the isle in Britain this Summer and with all eyes on the bride,  the right accessories are a must! This year we have a gorgeous collection of bespoke jewellery for both the traditional and the contemporary bride. There are matching earrings or bracelets to compliment each of the necklaces below. To see the full collection by each designer, please click on the image to be taken directly to our website.

Sarah Anderson- Byzantine Sterling Silver Chainmail Necklace with Heart

Angie Young- Sterling Silver Triple Chain Necklace with Hearts and Black Pearls

Lianne McCurrach- 'Something Blue' Sterling Silver and Handmixed Resin Botanical Necklet

Karen Thomas- Freshwater Pearls and Sterling Silver Shells Necklace with Shell Back Pendant

Aldona Juska- Sterling Silver Thistle Pendant with Swarovski Crystals

Let them bring gifts….

We also have a Wedding Gift Registration Service available, where we will set up your own section on our website for your family and friends to purchase the gifts through Paypal. You can ask your guests to jointly pay towards a painting to celebrate your marriage, or even select a number of items you would like bought individually. There is a large range artwork is available through this service, including glassware, handmade clocks, original paintings, ceramics and much more. 

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Beautiful Tealights by Joia Glass

Joia Glass are a husband and wife team who are developing their own unique style of glass art influenced by their love of natural forms. This month they have created some beautiful new tea lights, full of vibrant colours and textures.

 

Joy and Peter Cole try to use as much recycled glass as possible and they create these surprisingly sturdy glass sculptures from their workshop using precision and care. Their aim is to make beautifully hand crafted products, which will be cherished forever. 

The name Joia Glass comes from Joy’s nickname from her country of birth, Brazil. Joia is the Portuguese name for jewel, and for Joy and Peter, it represents the glass they enjoy making – colourful, light catching, many facetted and precious.

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Life is a Game We Play by Scott Carruthers

Here at Artery Gallery we are very pleased to hear that Scott is currently working on a new series of paintings entitled ‘Life is a Game We Play’. This new work features board games such as chess and scrabble, along with metaphors for life paths and choices.

 

This latest edition is bright, bold and contemporary. In these paintings Scott uses scrabble letters to spell and shape out quotes and phrases based around everyday life.

Scott’s paintings have always been a subject of intrigue and nostalgia. His paintings evoke fond memories of childhood with his naïve, cartoonlike characters. Scott takes his inspiration from observing his own children playing which then conjure up memories of his own youth.

  

Scott is a self-taught artist and has been painting full time since 2009. Both his style and subject matter is refreshingly unique and he has been incredibly successful because of this. His new series offers collectors of his work something new and fun.

Coming soon…..

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Paintings Of Your Dreams

This is my favourite style of art, I love paintings that draw you into the scene and Matthew James and David Renshaw are great examples of artists who inspire your imagination.

David Renshaw has enjoyed great success with his Northern Romance series, illustrating the relationship between his two characters Ted and Doris.

With each new addition to the collection the story of this couple turns a new page and I think it’s fantastic that people can buy a painting that means something to them.

The artwork of Matthew James again takes you on a path, following the adventures of Bear, Hare and Duck.

With each painting he gives a clue to begin the story and the viewer can fill in the rest.

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Saint Valentine's Day

Valentines Day is just around the corner and whether you are a brand new couple, or have been together for decades, it’s always a day to remember.

We all secretly love that little spark of romance, a walk along the beach, a candlelit dinner, an unexpected gift and a thoughtful card.

Here at Artery Gallery we have a beautiful collection of gift ideas ranging from bespoke pieces of jewellery to heart shaped photo frames that you can both treasure for years.

Treat your Valentine to something special this year. Why buy mass produced?

To see our full range of artworks visit www.arteryuk.com

Preparing For The Year Ahead

Happy New Year!

New Year is the time when we take the Christmas decorations down, begin our spring-cleaning and make a fresh start, preparing for the year ahead.

Christmas is a wonderful however stressful time for most of us, and the best way to de-stress is to have a clear out. I heard once that a cluttered house makes a cluttered mind, so why not sell your unwanted items at a car boot sale, or on the Internet and then use the money you made to buy some cheerful art to lift your spirits and add colour to your home.

After selling some bits and bobs online I have just treated myself this painting by Monica Paton and I cant wait to find a place for it.

Monica Paton’s lovely mixed media paintings are very affordable and they are perfect for adding warmth and personality to your walls.

Garry Jones’s comical ceramics are a great way to bring some humour to even the dullest of days. His clever play on words with his sheep and cow sculptures cant help but make you laugh.

These glass hearts by Sue Parry are ideal for scattering around the house to add a pop of colour and light. Sue also creates tea light holders in the same style so why not mix and match?

Your home is your own little sanctuary where you wind down and relax at the end of a long day, so why not make it a beautiful, enjoyable place to be?

To view our full range of artworks visit us in store or online.

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Graham McKean Exhibition and Appearance

This Christmas season at Artery Gallery, we will be hosting Graham McKean's new collection of oil paintings from Saturday 3rd December. The exhibition will be opened by the man himself from 2pm to 4pm, so come along to meet one of the most renowned artists of our time.

'An old friend of mine'

Ayrshire artist Graham McKean creates highly collectable figurative oil paintings. His career really took off in 2002 when he was appointed the official artist for Scottish Opera, an honour only ever before bestowed on Peter Howson. He has had commissions from various companies, one of which was William Grant & Sons (to produce a painting to be incorporated onto their bottles of Glenfiddich single malt whisky). In 2007 McKean was commissioned by Celtic Football Club to produce a work for the 40th anniversary of the Lisbon Lions and in 2001 his critically acclaimed homage to Wall Street traders, 'Chasing the Green Backs' was purchased for £20k by a private collector. Graham really shot to fame in 2009 when his Michael Jackson painting 'Thriller' received international recognition and publicity.

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WIN A PAINTING!

Without those who kindly donate either time or money, charities would simply be unable to function. That’s why, over the holiday season, Artery Gallery is running a charity competition to win the fantastic painting ‘Flaming Embers’ which has been donated by the artist Derek Collins.

To enter, all you need to do is drop into Artery Gallery and guess how many matches are in the jar. Entries are £1 and every single penny of your money will go to the charity OUCH UK.

OUCH UK is the Organisation for the Understanding of Cluster Headache. Cluster headache is also known as suicide headache and is the most painful condition known to man.

OUCH UK help to raise awareness and support those who suffer from this debilitating and agonising condition. They are a small charity but the work they do is vast. For more information, please visit the charity website www.ouchuk.org

The winner will be notified on 31 January 2012. Please get involved.

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A Northern Romance By David Renshaw

We’ve recently received work in Artery Gallery from David Renshaw. A new artist to us, the work that we’ve selected represents David’s more whimsical side. Amongst the scenes, a lone man sees the potential for love when he happens across a woman standing under the boughs of a tree in ‘Searching for Love’. Each of his paintings is also beautifully framed to David’s exacting standards.

‘Searching for Love’

It’s at this point that I would normally write a little bit about David but as he has kindly supplied us with a short biography and, frankly no-one knows David better than himself, I’ll let him tell you himself.

“Deep down I always knew what I wanted to do for a living my school years I remember my dad teaching me some basic elements of drawing using light and shade in pencils and I dreamed one day becoming an artist.

Being only interested in art I left school and studied Graphic Design at Southport College after which I found work and started at a local art gallery as a picture framer.

Needing to support my young family I worked in the art and picture framing industry for twelve years but also managed to paint part-time producing mainly private commissions for people at the same time developing new techniques and ideas

Although I enjoyed my job I still knew that this was not the life I really wanted and I eventually decided it was time to follow my dreams and with the support of my wife and two children I took the plunge, leaving my job to concentrate on painting full-time.”

To view David’s full works, please visit this link,

http://www.arteryuk.com/artists/Renshaw,David/

Due to the success we have had with these paintings we may be running low at the moment, however we have requested more and they should be arriving in the Gallery shortly. If you would like to be notified when more of his work arrives, please call us on 01334 478 221 and let us know.

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Beautiful Jewellery By Karen Thomas

We are very excited to be working with Yorkshire jewellery designer Karen Thomas. We have two of Karen’s collections in the Gallery including her Pebble Collection and her Silver Shell Collection.

For the Pebble Collection she uses Sterling Silver, pebbles and semi precious stones. With the Silver Shell Collection she uses solid silver castings, using moulds of actual shells, and by doing this, each piece has the perfect shape and detail of that shell.

Karen has been successfully making jewellery for over a decade and has also been teaching her skills at schools and colleges. She draws her inspiration from walking along the North East coastline, which makes her designs the perfect new addition to our St.Andrews Gallery.

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St.Andrews Partnership Jewellery Range By Georgia Rose

We are now supporting Brighter St.Andrews by launching a unique range of jewellery that will help raise funds for the pioneering initiative. We have teamed up with Perthshire jeweller Georgia Rose to create a stunning range of 'pilgrim badges' inspired by the rich history of St.Andrews.

Ten percent of all proceeds from this jewellery range go to Brighter St.Andrews, the first initiative of its kind in our town. The project involves businesses and their customers contributing to enhance the vibrancy and appearance of St.Andrews, creating an even better environment for the local people and heightening the visitor experience.

Throughout the Middle Ages, thousands of people would travel to St.Andrews to venerate the relics of St.Andrew. These mementos were usually sewn onto pilgrims' clothes. The new jewellery, is an elegant souvenir for the modern day pilgrims to the Home of Golf, international visitors retracing the footsteps of their ancestors or students attending Scotland's most ancient university.

The collection includes a lapis lazuli necklace, which evokes the unique rock formations of the fife coast; howlite earrings, which pay tribute to the home of golf; and a lapis lazuli and howlite bracelet, representing the colours of the St.Andrews flag.

Eric Brown, Chairman of the St Andrews Partnership said ''We are delighted at the support we have received from local businesses such as Artery Gallery, who are as determined as we are to help make St Andrews even more attractive for residents and visitors alike.''

Georgia Rose said ''Brighter St Andrews is an excellent cause, which we are all very passionate about. Anything that makes St Andrews better is well worth supporting and we look forward to working closely with the St Andrews Partnership on this pioneering venture.''

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Aldona Juska Thistle Art and Jewellery

Specialising in botanical art and using recycled materials, Yorkshire-born Aldona Juska somehow manages to imbue normally industrial materials such as copper and steel with a sense that they have organically grown into the work that she produces.

Now resident in Edinburgh, Aldona spent many years abroad in the USA and Australia working as a librarian. Ever keen to use to her creative side in her spare time, she jumped at an opportunity to work with talented Mexican blacksmiths in Los Angeles, California and it was here that she discovered her affinity with metal work. This led Aldona to take a creative metal art course upon her return to the UK and begin working out of her own welding studio in 2002.

Since producing her first studio work nearly ten years ago, Aldona has risen both in popularity and confidence, receiving critical acclaim from The Scotsman newspaper, and others, along the way. Initially creating delicate and eye-catching jewellery and sculpture, Aldona has now developed a body of work that includes elegant and unusual candelabras and centrepieces perfect for display in any home.

Artery Gallery is proud to show a range of Aldona’s pieces, including examples of her thistle-inspired work. With these, Aldona has captured the form of this quintessentially Scottish plant in items as diverse as kilt pins, cufflinks and candleholders. An added Scottish twist is that some of her ‘thistle-making’ materials have been reclaimed from North Sea oil platforms – making every one a handcrafted blend of contemporary and traditional Scotland.

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Colin Carruthers

Northern Irish artist Colin Carruthers’ gorgeous seascapes evoke specific memories in non-specific ways. His non-representational, but rather idyllic oil paintings of coastal scenes depict the landscape free from distractions or tell-tale landmarks, leaving the image natural and carefree, as in our memories.

Colin earned a BA Honours in Fine Art from the Birmingham Institute of Art. Although based on actual locations, he removes telling landmarks, people and other signs that detract from the emotional memories attached to a place that the viewer may remember from their own travels. In essence, they are physical representations of a memory or idyllic place. Colin aims to create the feeling or sensation of a particular place without overtly stating where the place is, aside from in the title of the painting.

Many of his seascapes are based on the Scottish coast, particularly the Fife coast. Colin regularly travels to Scotland and finds the drama of the Scottish coast to be a source of influence and inspiration for his work. He views his work as a challenge, searching for more than just pure aesthetics. ‘There’s a challenge involved in my art work,’ he says. ‘With every canvas I attempt, I am searching for something. Beyond simply looking at my paintings and gaining an aesthetic pleasure, I do think it’s important that they offer up space for thought. Colin’s paintings, often created in a variety of subtle colours, blues, purples, greens, depict the landscapes at their best, with bright sunset light, or strong clouds, white crests of waves or wildflowers overlooking sandy beach.

While Colin’s paintings are not what a camera might capture of the same location, they evoke more memory and emotion than a snapshot, allowing for the changing nature of the landscape. Many of his paintings, including ‘Cloudburst’ and ‘Cowslips, Buttercups’ are painted as diptychs or triptychs, a single scene covering multiple canvases. Each separate section of a diptych or triptych is a complete composition of its own, depicting a beautiful section of land, made all the more dramatic by its inclusion in a larger composition.

Colin’s style is reflective of the fact that land changes constantly. ‘What adds to the experience of my paintings is the sense of ongoing changes in perception… The coast keeps ‘re-making itself’. I want my canvases to reflect that,’ Colin said.

We have a number of Colin’s dramatic pieces here in Artery in a variety of sizes and styles. Pop into the gallery and see how his work brings back holiday memories for you or to find a souvenir of your travels to Scotland.

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Scott Carruthers Exhibition

Scott Carruthers’ Solo Exhibition

We are pleased to be hosting the first solo exhibition of acrylic painter Scott Carruthers at Artery Gallery, beginning on 18^th May! His exhibition will include a new body of work entitled ‘Paintings of Plastic Men’, the name inspired by Lowry’s ‘Paintings of Matchstick Men’.

Scott is a self-taught artist whose work became so popular that in 2009 he devoted himself to painting full-time. In this short time it is clear that his work has found its niche and resonated with people as his collections regularly sell out.

His signature style features child characters on a clean, white background, allowing the subjects to be the sole focus of the paintings. He says, ‘Painting the characters in a naïve, cartoon-like style helps represent the childhood aspect of the work, taking the seriousness out of the piece and at the same time accentuating the innocence of children. Scott says he is not sure how this particular style came about, but he knew that he wanted them to be simple, yet have something significant happening in them. ‘Keeping the landscape plain and white means there is no outside interference with the essence of the narrative. The focus is then solely on the characters themselves, all the same (as though they could easily just be one person), yet all painted as individuals.’

He calls his work ‘Nostalgic Observations’ as all of the subjects depict childhood and its simplicity. Scott draws inspiration from his own childhood memories and from his children, noting the similarities and differences between the generations.

His work is also largely influenced by the work of Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock, even including tributes to their paintings in some of his work. He pays homage to Warhol in the sense of memories being the foundation for his work and also in depicting modern, iconic subjects such as LEGO people and plastic army men. Scott has created an entire series called ‘Artist Collection’ that pays tribute to some of his inspirations , incorporating aspects of their signature techniques and styles into his work.

Scott’s upcoming exhibition will be comprised of some of his classic work as well as his new ‘Paintings of Plastic Men’ series.

People have said that his figures have a similar look to LEGO people, so in this series, some of his ‘plastic men’ include the iconic children’s LEGO figures as well as other toy figures including plastic soldiers and table football players rather than human figures. His solo exhibition will begin on Wednesday18^th May and the viewer will also have a chance to meet Scott and ask him about his work on Saturday 21^st May from 1pm onwards. Pop into Artery Gallery at 43 South Street, St Andrews to meet Scott, see his exhibition and even bring home your own nostalgic bit of childhood. We look forward to seeing you!


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