An award-winning Scots artist is to present his first exhibition at an Edinburgh gallery.
John Kingsley delivers an intensity of light, heat and emotion that is almost tangible at the Doubtfire Gallery, running from Saturday, November 4, until November 25.
With an exciting sweep of colour, texture and verve across a range of styles and subjects, John Kingsley’s first exhibition at Doubtfire is also a rare opportunity to see all aspects of this award-winning artist’s output. John is just as comfortable in the creation of free-flowing abstraction as he is with a delicate still life or a lush landscape in the south of France, Corsica or the West Highlands.
His work has won him great acclaim and a series of prestigious awards, the latest being the May Marshall Brown award for his Elemental Landscape triptych, shown at this year’s RSW exhibition in Edinburgh. Added to this, John was awarded the role of tournament artist, commissioned to paint the courses hosting the annual British Women’s Open Golf Championship 2017.
Born in Glasgow, where he still lives and works, John Kingsley studied drawing and painting at Glasgow School of Art under Dr David Donaldson, James D Robertson and Geoffrey Squire. He has exhibited with the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Glasgow Institute and the Royal Scottish Society for Painters in Watercolour, where he was elected a member in 2015.
Still Life with Coffee Pot, Oil on Canvas, by John Kingsley
He has shown widely throughout the UK and his work features in collections of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Tommy Hilfiger and Paisley Museum and Art Gallery among many others at home and abroad.
Like many Scottish artists before him, he has been much inspired by the landscape of France.
John said: ‘I’ve had a long love affair with the landscape of Provence, the light, the earth, the rich greenery of the vines, the villages and shadows.’
John’s latest exhibition reflects impressions of a recent visit to the rugged Mediterranean island of Corsica, along with landscapes from Provence and Scotland. Also included are still lives which play with perspective and create a dynamic balance of shape and colour, proving the format still has tremendous potential and vitality.
John Kingsley’s work Erbalunga, Corsica
A significant addition to this show is the chance to see some stunning examples of his abstract work. These often grow out of his connection with the landscape.
He explained: ‘The abstracts are a mixture of sizes but are largely landscape inspired. I like the free-flowing nature of this approach, which always surprises me with the element of experimentation.’
Whatever the subject matter, John’s expression of colour is instinctive, harnessing it as the principal means of expressing form, light, texture and, above all, creating harmony in the composition.
The Doubtfire Gallery can be found at 3 South East Circus Place.
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