Friday 17 June 2011

Douglas Davies


Think of a summer afternoon in an English garden with the heady smell of old roses, a Jazz band and sculpture on the lawn. Combine that with a great new exhibition of paintings inside in the gallery. Provided the sun shines, I can't think of anything much better than that so I am keeping fingers crossed for good weather. The gallery is open 12.00 - 5.00 and the jazz begins at 3.00.

Douglas Davies was once head of ceramics at Glasgow School of Art - a prestigious post which he gave up to pot and paint full time. He had a few exhibitions here at Castlegate House in the past but he is now just painting and loving it.

In the true Scottish tradition he revels in colour. He travels extensively in Europe so in this solo show, his first here for some years, he is showing Scottish landscapes combined with Paris, Brittany and Spain. Have a look on the exhibitions page of our web site www.castlegatehouse.co.uk. you'll see what I mean.

Having hung the show we are off to Liverpool to soak up more culture. The primary incentive is an exhibition of photographs by Don McPhee, a guardian photographer who died in 2007. His marvellous collection of specially selected highlights of his work has been gifted to Liverpool Hope University and we are off to the opening which gives us the excuse to see what else is on offer in this city of exceptional tallent and imagination. It's not all football and Beatles!