They are a gang of 14 who meet every month in a quiet corner of the Black Isle and paint to their heart’s content.
And now, the Redcastle Art Group is sharing the fruits of their annual labour with the public in a new exhibiton.
The Stables Gallery in Cromarty, run by Cromarty Arts Trust, is this year’s impressive venue for Redcastle Art Group’s exhibition of paintings by 14 Highland artists who meet every month on the Black Isle, led by well-known landscape painter Jonathan Shearer. The show includes a huge variety of style and media, all work is for sale, and as an added bonus Fortrose artist William Mather will be sketching on-the-spot portraits in charcoal for a small charitable donation.
“We are excited to be to exhibiting in such a beautifully restored building in lovely surroundings” said Clare Blois, a member of the Group. “Cromarty is a wonderful destination for a day out, and we hope to welcome plenty of visitors.”
Mr Shearer studied at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen in the late 1980s and early 1990s and went on to gain a postgraduate diploma in painting and drawing at Cyprus College of Art.
He won the 2005 Fundacion Valpairiso Residency in Spain and achieved a commendation at Aberdeen Artists Exhibition in 1995. He won the 1993 John Kinross Scholarship to Florence from the Royal Scottish Academy.
William Mather is a retired church minister who paints mainly in oils – although he is an “on-the- spot” expert, so his charcoal sketches should be second nature.