FINE ART AT COLOURS GALLERY

REVIEWED BY JOHN ROSS MACLEAN 

This exhilarating oil painting of ‘Fishing Nets’ by Joan Eardley is a highlight of the current exhibition of significant mid to late twentieth-century Scottish artists at Glenn Ross’s Colours Gallery on Dundas Street. 

It has a wonderful tang of the open sea, yet the rough netting, incised with the palette knife(?), has a delicacy as of gossamer.

It is indisputably a major work by the artist, and the brightest jewel among many fine gems on show here. 

These include: a very early and decidedly unflowery Elizabeth Backadder; two delightful watercolours of 'Ceres' in a pointilist style by Leslie Hunter (below); Alan Davies’ joyous ‘Scilly Sailor’s Dream’, bravura pieces by Philipson and Earl Haig; a fine brace of Barbara Rae and John Houston (the ‘Istan Road’ and ‘Lily’ conjoined); and this reviewer’s favoured esoteric ‘Figure’ in oil and acrylic (right) by the much underrated R.T.H. Smith – clearly haunted by and in thrall to Paul Klee, yet still a rare Smith to be coveted.

Highly recommended, the current exhibition has been extended until mid-October.