The first show has now opened in the main gallery of the Smith Museum and Art Gallery. This shows a wide selection of S.S.A. members' works in various media. A few of the works were shown in last November's show at the R.S.A., but many others are new. This allows many of the paintings and sculptures to come together with more breathing space.
Individual artists interpret the theme in different ways.
Also featured are three of Mark Johnston 's photographic multiples - composed panoramic views of coastal locations on the islands off Argyll. The historical experience of many Highland Scots, in particular, was, of course, the loss of their own place when the landlord interests cleared the land of crofters. Any appreciation of the wilderness has to be tempered with awareness of the circumstances in which it was created. Other works in the show move between outer and inner space.