&Gallery Edinburgh: Summer Exhibition

Until 29th Jul, 11am – 4pm Thu, Fri and Sat; by appointment outwith these times.

If you are unable to get away to your favourite destination just now, take a trip to see richly imagined land and seascapes from a creatively-curated group of international abstract artists who regularly show at the &Gallery in Edinburgh.  

Elfyn Lewis likes to experiment and challenge his approach and technique which can be observed in four boldly expressive works to portray a sense of place with fractured, fragmented structure. Amdiffyn with its fluid streaks of colour is akin to viewing fabric fibres through a microscope. This is such inventive crafted artwork, deconstructing a natural landscape down to its elements with swirling movement and shimmering light.

A more realistic view in a stunning diptych, Syrthio Mewn Caariad, which appears to be a craggy mountain in the whiteout of winter with its sharp cracks of freezing ice. The same view is then apparently observed in calm, clear green days of summer.

With a passion for the outdoors, Anna Somerville captures the coastline where the land meets the sea and the sea touches the sky using mixed media – spray paint, ink, graphite, oil pastel – on paper, linen or canvas.  

Aqua Coast Scape focuses on the distant horizon, the expanse of blue ocean beneath a cloudy sky, with a slither of sand dune and rock. A brilliant blend of colourful hues create a marvellous mishmash of turquoise, emerald, orange, coral, pink, plum and damson, with mesmerising effect. With a wild sweep of brushstrokes, drips of paint add texture and dramatic atmosphere. 

Around the Gallery, there are also Somerville’s gloriously vivid visions of dawn to dusk with the swiftly changing light as the sun slowly rises or quietly fades away.

Based in Cornwall, David Mankin takes daily walks along the coast which inspires his almost pure abstract land and seascapes. The natural world presents an ever-changing palette when expressing the sea-tide, clouds, sand, rocks, grass. Like a patchwork quilt, Timeless Land reflects farm field, woodland and cloudy sky in blocks with a series of what could be tractor marks, animal tracks and foot prints, the remnants of life and nature.

With a swirling flourish of soft tones – ochre, aqua, buttermilk, tangerine, Idle Hill evokes sunshine and movement in its expressionist pattern. David is like a geologist in his manner of depicting the basic spatial outline of rural terrain and shoreline. 

Anke Roder lives and works near Groningen, northern Holland, where the environment of the coastal landscape and the flowers in her garden are the subject of her work. Her technique is the combination Encaustic, an ancient wax and pigment with oils, to capture the changing patterns of light and weather in seascapes. Sunrise, Sundown is composed of two Rothko-esque blocks of candy floss pink and muted grey-green of sea and sky. The wax effect gives a glossy, illuminating glow to this abstract scene, a painterly style which Anke calls “austere simplicity”. To my eye, this is simply magical.  

Jeffrey Cortland Jones studied Fine Art in Cincinnati and is Professor of Art at the University of Dayton, and now lives on a farm in Southwestern Ohio. It is therefore especially exciting to have the opportunity to view his distinctive and masterly artwork at the &Gallery.   

The medium which he has perfected is enamel on a slender sheet of acrylic panel and on display here is a luminous sheen of lime green/lemon yellow, entitled Souvenir. On first inspection, it appears to be a simple block, but the intertwined geometric pattern of parallel lines, oblong and squares, with a subtle blend of tonal light and shade, is meticulously handled.

Having first worked as an architect, Susan Laughton then studied fine art and specialises in compositions to reflect buildings and man made structures. Her architectural studies are in minimalist form with a solitary outline, paring down to the basic diagrammatic shape and sense of space. Extraordinary details of texture can be seen in the petrol blue-grey, grid framework in Resonance V like a woven fabric, solid concrete or metal structure.

This is just a brief tour around a selection of highlights – do visit the gallery to see this summer showcase of paintings: vibrant colour and vivacious energy to inspire the senses, as well as cool, crafted compositions with a mood of tranquility and contemplation. 

3 Dundas Street,
Edinburgh EH3 4QG

With grateful thanks to Vivien Devlin for this review.