The Maclaurin Art Gallery News
The Making of a Gallery
The Maclaurin Gallery • July 25, 2019
Thursday 1st August
On Thursday 1st August at 6.00pm at the Maclaurin Gallery a special event will be held to celebrate the founding of the Gallery and the Collection thanks to a generous bequest from Mrs Mary Ellen Maclaurin in memory of her husband James Henry Maclaurin.
Come and learn the history behind this unique gallery and its founder in the company of the Friends of the Maclaurin.
Here are a few photos from the recent opening of the Peter Foyle solo exhibition. Peter is well known in the art world here in Ayrshire as well as much further afield, having hailed from Dorset and whose artwork sells internationally. The entire exhibition can be viewed on our website. It’s a beautiful collection of his latest works, heavily influenced by a Spring trip to the north of Scotland on the NC500. Do call in and see it if you can. The exhibition runs until 11 January 2026.
Our winter season is off to a racing start with the launch of the 31st Annual Save the Children exhibition over the weekend. We had very busy galleries and plenty of sales and interest in the huge array of hanging work on display. In addition, there is a wall of miniatures artworks for sale, a raffle prize of a dazzling abstract painting from local artist Sandra Ratcliffe, a children's competition and a silent auction for a chance to bid on a commissioned animal portrait by Lynne Johnstone. The show runs until 2 November and this year the Save the Children Committee have organised an exciting additional treat! We look forward to welcoming Ozzy the barn owl to the courtyard on SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER from noon til 3pm. This is a free family event and also an opportunity for artists to sketch from life! Ozzy will be there with some of his feathered friends and his handler, Gillian Borland of Hoots Owls and Wedding Wings. Look out for the painting of Ozzy in the exhibition!
We are delighted with the feedback from visitors to our current exhibitions and in particular the ‘Celebrating John Byrne’. All down to our special collaboration with The Glasgow Print Studio, The Royal Scottish Academy, The Fine Art Society, Edinburgh and of course, John’s daughter Celie Byrne. All resulting in this unique collection of Byrne’s work, some of which is being displayed in public for the first time. Whilst the exhibition has been running, we have been able to host 2 sessions of print demonstrations relating to Byrne’s work, thanks to Master Printer Ian McNicol, revealing the collaborative process between artist and printer. The audiences were given a fascinating insight into life in the Glasgow Print Studio when Byrne was around. Ian himself, creating many of Byrne’s prints, some of which form part of the exhibition. With etching plates from the Byrne archive, Ian talked us through the preparation and went on to print off a few of the familiar images on an etching press. These hour long sessions were well attended and enjoyed by all. Here are some photos from the sessions. The Byrne exhibition continues until 31 August, there’s still time if you haven’t been in yet!