Featured Artist of the Month - Ian Elliot

Ian Elliot was born in Glasgow in 1946. Elliot's talent as a young Scottish artist the Glasgow School of Art in 1964, the young Ian Elliot had already won several medals for modern art Scottish paintings.

Like a many of today’s successful Scottish contemporary artists, Ian Elliot, left the Glasgow School of Art and took up a career teaching modern art.

Elliot eventually became Head of Modern Art at a large Glasgow school. Then after some years Ian decided to focus full time on painting contemporary art.

Since becoming a full time artist Ian Elliot has quickly established a reputation as a popular modern Scottish artist. Ian's contemporary paintings are now collected by British and Scottish art enthusiasts and by collectors in Eire, Germany, Spain, Canada and the USA.

In 2003 Ian Elliot was a finalist of International Artist magazine for his Landscape painting. Ian Elliot paintings are frequently inspired by visits to the Scottish farmlands, Tuscany and Mallorca. Ian Elliot is quoted as saying “Traveling extensively throughout the Scottish farmlands, an endless fascination for the Tuscan countryside and frequent visits to me pied a terre on the Island of Mallorca have provided me with an endless land and seascape material creating a fusion of shimmering colours, distinctive buildings of the land, and abstract expressionistic vistas.”

In addition to Liquid Amber Art Gallery, Ian Elliot’s art work has been exhibited at other leading UK Art Galleries. Each painting is sourced from the Ian Elliot artist studio and like all our art it can be shipped worldwide.

Featured Artist of the Month - Mike Bernard

Mike Bernard trained at the West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham followed by post graduate studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Since then he has exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Mall Galleries, Royal Festival Hall and many other galleries in London and the provinces. Among the prizes and awards he has gained for his paintings are: The Stowells Trophy, The Elizabeth Greenshield Fellowship, The Silver Longboat Award and The Laing Award. Mike was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour (RI) in 1997.

At the 1999 RI Exhibition at the Mall Galleries he was awarded The Kingsmead Gallery Award. Mike enjoys experimenting with different media and techniques, often using mixed media incorporating collages and acrylics. He also uses oil and watercolour. Within his paintings he tries to develop exciting textures and light combining these qualities into original semi-abstract images of landscapes. seascapes, street scenes. still life and figurative compositions.

"We have a collection of Mike's work, from £1200 to £3250 all of which are mixed media. My favourite is his picture of Staithes, bright and cheerful creating powerful memories of visits to this Yorkshire Coastal town" said Jill Rhatigan

Featured Artist of the Month - Bridget Lansley

Born in 1950, Bridget Lansley has drawn and painted since childhood. It has only been in the last five years, however, that she has taken up painting professionally having had careers in publishing and fashion whilst bring up her two children. Although she has had no formal training in the early years she has for the past three years attended art courses with the prestigious art teacher, Robin Child. Her paintings include Still Life, landscapes and life drawings.

Her love of colour, brush strokes and texture give her paintings a strong focus. She paints at her home in Ham, and in Europe and her success has lead to her work being exhibited at many prestigious galleries in London and the Home Counties.

This is the first time Bridget has shown her work at Liquid Amber Art Gallery. Bridget’s paintings are usually exhibited in the South of England so we are very lucky to display her wonderful paintings in Helmsley.

Featured Artist of the Month - Melanie Wright

Growing up in the Dales in North Yorkshire, Melanie enjoyed both riding and handling horses. She rode out with the Bedale and Zetland hunts and frequently visited the moor gallops at Middleham, to watch the racehorses against the stunning backdrop of Wensleydale.

During her years in London, Melanie enjoyed nothing better than to sketch at rac

e meetings, particularly at Windsor and Epsom. Never has there been a happier day than at stables, sketching and observing the day to day activities and dynamics of the yard, as at race meetings,

three day events or point to points, where action, movement and spectacle are the main inspiration.

Key elements of her equestrian work are the personality and movement of horses and the dynamic between horse and rider/handler. Capturing the specific atmosphere of their environment is also important to her. Melanie possesses the ability and craftsmanship to paint both open landscape and vibrant crowded racing scenes, but is also able to use her trained portrait painter’s eye to focus on the unique character of a horse or rider for specific commissions.

When Melanie visited Liquid Amber Art Galleries in February 2010, she visited her family and friends near Richmond, her family have all been painters at some stage, her great grandfather James Faed RA a member of the Royal Academy, and his two brothers, again members Thomas Faed RA and John Faed RA.

Featured Artist of the Month - David Barrow

David Barrow approaches his 30th anniversary as a professional artist with plenty of achievements to talk about. Commissioned twice by Ocean Colour Scene to provide the artwork for their album covers, David is no stranger to stage and screen. His artwork will soon feature in a major new movie Northern Soul.

He has also exhibited many times at The Royal Academy of Art, The Manchester Academy, The Royal Scottish Academy, The Newcastle City Gallery and the Turnpike Gallery.

David’s unique talent means he can adopt many different styles into his work. His visit to Doncaster Racecourse last year prompted a whole list of new ideas. We are honoured that David has decided to choose Liquid Amber Gallery to launch his new collection of “racing” oils on black canvas backed with hessian, giving a unique uneven textured quality to his collection.

The pieces are all highly collectable as David paints using a narrow palette to keep a recognisable theme running throughout the whole series of paintings.

Featured Artist of the Month - Nel Whatmore

Nel Whatmore is married to the writer Mark Morris and they have two children David and Polly. Mark writes in the mornings and Nel paints in the afternoons, the rest of their time is divided looking after their children.

Music and colour form an integral part of her work. The former focuses her mind, the latter is her main inspiration.

Although she uses pastels predominantly she has recently introduced watercolour into her work. "I feel as though my work has developed greater fluidity and vibrancy through the use of watercolour."

"Each painting is a puzzle. There are many ways you can try to fit the pieces together but only one way they really look right. Sometimes you find what you are looking for, other times it remains elusive."

Nel has this year taken over a sparkling new Yorkshire Studio, later this year her well loved paintings will be on show at the Queen of flower shows, Chelsea where she is flying the flag for her native Yorkshire.

Nel Whatmore the brand is moving upwards internationally too. From the beginning of the new decade Nel will be represented in the North America.

Each painting at Liquid Amber is sourced from the Nel Whatmore artist studio direct.

Featured Artist of the Month - Damian Callan

Damian Callan was born in London in 1960 and initially trained as a scientist! In 1995 he achieved a BA Honours degree in Drawing & Painting from Edinburgh College of Art. He later returned to Edinburgh as a part-time tutor at Leith School of Art and The National Galleries of Scotland.

During his career as an artist Damian Callan has won scholarships to Prague, Toulouse and Tuscany and was artist-in-residence at Liberton Hospital, Edinburgh.
Damian Callan is particularly interested in the moving figure, athletes, swimmers and gymnasts. He often uses his children as models for his paintings. His loose style and the free brushstrokes of his drawings and finished oils capture the life and exuberance of children on holiday.

We are very proud to be showing Damian’s work, his mellow nature and positive outlook on life itself it’s no wonder that he has enjoyed success at many solo and group shows at galleries all over the UK but most of all his work has been recognised with shows at The National Portrait Gallery, London; Christies and his paintings are in many private art collections.