Imagine Gallery

Without pictures the words mean nothing, so in the absence of images I have as usual posted nothing.

But, now I have some images so I have no excuse for not writing.

As usual I have photographs because we have an impending exhibition, when we will be showing sculptures by two totally different artists, working in different mediums but

whose work has strong links.

There names are Stephen Henderson and Sam MacDonald.

I am still awaiting the arrival of Stephen's art so for the moment I will just show sculptures created by Sam.

I have admired and coveted his work for a very long time and it is with a mixture of pleasure and disappointment that I have watched his career go from strength to strength.

The only reason that I felt disappointment was because the galleries that he was showing at were getting more and more prestigious and I could see that soon he would be someone far out of our reach,

perhaps working to commission only, which is what seems to happen.

But as usual it became a case of the 'bigger' the artist the 'nicer' and more approachable the person.

One thing for sure Sam is very nice and very grounded artist with no hint of an ego,

success and fame is not going to change him

I suppose this should be expected from a lad who comes from Orkney Islands, way up above Scotland

surrounded by the Atlantic.

A wild, remote and beautiful location, a strange beginning for a man now shown in some of

London's most prestigious galleries.

The Orkney's is of course where his love of the sea and its creatures comes from.

Even though he now lives on mainland Scotland his work still very much represents this environment,

but now his sculptures also depict a less dramatic but equally beautiful landscape.

Before the move his sculptures portrayed the Ocean and the culture of the men who worked there, now he is just as likely to be sculpting a pair of trout or Salmon as his work has changed and become more gentle along with his surroundings.

Myself I still love his sculptures that depict the sea, in particular those that show what seems like portions of sunken ships with fish swimming past the empty portholes.

They make me feel that although I will never experience such a thing I have actually witnessed it.

I had long put off contacting him as I could see his career really taking off and taking him

to many grand locations.

But like on many occasions I thought "you don't ask you don't get",

and like many times in the past I "did get" plus I got to know a very nice man as a bonus.

He called me the other day and during the conversation I was thinking

"I wonder what he has called about".

The answer was simple, he had just called to have a chat and to get to know me a little better.

How much nicer this is than it just being a relationship about selling his art.

He also gave me advice when I told him of a young artist whose work I loved and wanted to show,

but who I was unsure about contacting fearing a rebuff because of her rising reputation.

"John, you have got to ask her. You must always ask, sometimes people would like that,

so ask her you might be surprised".

Of course he was right.

After all Sam said "yes," and now I have the immense pleasure of exhibiting and selling his art.

Tomorrow I will show the equally beautiful, but different sculptures by Stephen Henderson.