Two excellent but short exhibitions at the John Moores Art building at 2a Myrtle Street over the past two weeks.
First was Hamish McLain with an exhibition of work produced during the past year for The Norman Moores Fellowship in Drawing and Painting.
Hamish graduated from JMU last year and his submission won the fellowship award. The result is a good body of work which filled the small gallery space here and spilled out into the entrance area.
They are very abstract, some layered and textured others more free-flowing. He obviously puts a lot of thought into the work and is exploring the art of painting and drawing with enthusiasm.
Then, last week there was Barry Gunderson, professor of three-dimensional design and sculpture at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, who joined Liverpool John Moores University as its artist in residence last August.
Barry normally produces sculpture with ‘whimsy’ and these are no exception though its the first time he has produced such architectural pieces.
Liverpool’s terraced housing inspired the exhibition entitled ‘A Door of One’s Own’
“It’s fascinating how despite living so close together different owners will stamp their own identity on a property – you’ll even have situations where the handrails will be painted differently split straight down the middle,” said Prof Gunderson who has created 12 wooden sculptures of what Americans call town houses and each of which he claimed told a different story.
They are beautifully made from wood, the bases are secured to the wall so that the viewer can see all sides and the roof of the buildings but you need to be careful not to walk into them.