Highland Art & Artists
'Highland Art & Artists' is a showcase for the best of Highland art. It is a carefully curated selection of contemporary works of art from artists committed to their own personal aesthetic creating artworks that are unique and exceptional [sub text: no hairy coos!].
Contact us for more information or to enquire about purchasing any of these works of art.
Contact us for more information or to enquire about purchasing any of these works of art.
Inverness Castle
The Castle Gallery is an award winning, independent, locally owned art gallery situated just a stone’s throw from the castle and the Inverness Castle Experience. Many of the artworks we exhibit and commission feature the castle itself. With the recent redevelopment of Inverness Castle there was an opportunity to display artworks by two artists who themselves worked on the renovation of this iconic building.
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Michael Logan - The North Gate, sandstone from Inverness Castle, 107(h) x 73(w) x 25(d)cm
‘The North Gate’ is a spectacular piece of ‘floating sculpture’ created from 75kg of sandstone removed from the North Tower when a new lift was installed. Michael Logan was working as a stonemason when he spotted these pieces of abandoned stone and decide to take them home to Argyll on the train to create this work. Within the stone ring there is a darker piece of stone which was taken from the dungeon. This work is a piece of history, never to be repeated.
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This sculpture has been designed to be displayed either indoors or outdoors. Once the location has been decided Michael will install the piece either with new drainage holes to allow it to sit outside or if required, with fixings for indoor lighting. Michael is very happy to work with any purchaser to make sure the sculpture is shown to its best advantage. The asking price, which is inclusive of installation and VAT is £7,500. Read the Press & Journal article by Alberto Lejarraga here. |
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Tyrone Oakley - Inverness Castle Bowl, Douglas fir from Inverness Castle, 9.5(h) x 27(w) x 28(d)cm
‘Inverness Castle Bowl’ represents a legacy of workmanship spanning three centuries. Tyrone Oakley was working as a heritage lead-worker on Inverness Castle when he came across a striking piece of Douglas Fir that had been removed to make way for a lift shaft to the new viewing platform on the South Tower. This end rafter had a distinctive hewn corner and old black square nails and Tyrone knew instinctively that he could give it a new lease of life whilst retaining its historical legacy. This hand carved bowl has the Key to Inverness on the underneath providing an unexpected finishing touch.
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Tyrone Oakley is a heritage lead-worker and a Fellow of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. He says “The rough edge on the bowl is the original carpenters work as they crafted the roof between 1836 and 1848. The black squares are the holes left from the blacksmith’s nails filled with black filler. The rest of the bowl is carved with various chisels and sanding tools, the finish is a mixture of equal parts linseed oil, varnish, and white spirit, applied with a brush then lightly burnished once dry.” To maintain the bowl, avoid large changes in temperature and clean with mild soap and water. To restore the surface use light coats of linseed oil. The asking price, which is inclusive of VAT is £2,200.
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Hilke MacIntyre - Inverness, ceramic relief, 20 x 12.5cm
Hilke MacIntyre was commissioned to create ceramic reliefs and linocuts based on Inverness. A walk along the River Ness gave her a feel for this beautiful part of our city capturing the people strolling passed the local food vendors and the impressive castle. Her work has proved so popular that she has created more scenes of Inverness!
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Hilke MacIntyre - Along the River Ness, linocut, 29 x 40cm
Highland Landscapes
The spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands has been a muse for artists since the 18th century. Our artists have a contemporary, personal approach to this landscape. Some, such as Jonathan Shearer, camp out in remote places and paint expressively and with speed en plein air whilst others paint in a more reflective manner or create handmade prints in their studios.
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Tom Mabon - Rosehaugh, The Land that Lay Between the Hills, oil on linen, 30 x 40cm
Tom Mabon graduated from Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, but has lived and worked on the Black Isle for over 30 years. He has deep connections with this area and his local surroundings have inspired the majority of his recent work, as well as visits to Orkney and Shetland. His paintings, drawings and hand-printed lithographs are a combination of actual views with added details, remembered and drawn over many years. His paintings include evocative renditions of farmland and pasture through the seasons with carefully constructed compositions and a superb mastery of colour and tone. Following on from his near sell-out show at his London gallery in 2021, the Castle Gallery in Inverness is delighted to represent him in the Highlands.
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Shazia Mahmood - Elgol, Skye, oil & mixed media on canvas, 77 x 102cm
Shazia Mahmood completed her M.A. at Winchester School of Art in 1997 and now lives in Sussex, although she has a particular affinity with the landscape of Northwest Scotland. Shazia enjoys being outdoors and making sketches en plein air. She has developed a unique style of painting which combines inks and oil paint on canvas to capture rapidly changing light and weather conditions. She is a dedicated and passionate painter and it is for this reason that her work will stand the test of time.
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Evelyn Pottie - Rowan Trees, oil on board, 32 x 41cm
Evelyn Pottie trained at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen and was involved with the Highland Printmakers for many years before setting up her own home-studio near Inverness where she continues to work in her distinctive style. Her handmade screenprints and paintings demonstrate a strong interest in form, pattern and the tonal qualities of the Highland landscape through the seasons. The Castle Gallery has a superb collection of her screenprints, some of which have been recovered from the depths of her print drawers and date back to earlier years presenting your last chance to purchase these rare images
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A selection of screenprints by Evelyn Pottie
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Jonathan Shearer - Bruach na Frithe, Isle of Skye, oil on canvas, 30 x 60cm
Jonathan Shearer graduated from Gray’s School of Art in 1993 and followed this with post graduate study at Cyprus College of Art. He now lives in the Highlands of Scotland where he is inspired by the rivers, mountains and coastal scenery in all weathers. Jonathan seeks to convey his physical engagement with the landscape; preferring to work en plein air, painting swiftly with thick oil paint using trowels and brushes to capture the fleeting moment and rapidly changing light conditions. His work is instantly recognisable and he is one of the most successful of Highland artists with a huge following.
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Gareth Watson - Lairig Ghru, Cairngorms, watercolour, 14 x 21cm
Gareth Watson lives on the remote Isle of Lewis. His watercolour landscapes evoke the elusive boundaries between air, earth and water. He absorbs the solitude of the environment and the sense of place to conjure paintings that are about feelings, not rationality; about enchantment, not common-sense. These new paintings are musings on trips to some favourite places including South Lewis, Torridon and the Cairngorms.
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