Sketching in our Kilmartin garden
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George John Stewart of Dalbuie
Born in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1953, I have been painting and drawing for as long as I can remember. My father, who went under the name of Mackean Stewart, produced many excellent artworks until his death in 2010. His Kintyre paintings were particularly popular and prints & cards of his work are still available.
At Edinburgh College of Art under the guidance of Hugh Buchanan (as well as Paul Furneaux and Joan Smith) my desire to pursue a career in art was confirmed. Gill and I had already opened The Oystercatcher Gallery in Campbeltown, Kintyre - winning a Business of the Year Award in 1994. We sold the business in 2011 and Gill is now continuing her floral work for weddings and events as Love Dove Cottage. Currently, we jointly operate at Love Dove Studio, with a gallery in Lochgilphead. (The gallery is closed for the foreseeable future owing to the coronavirus pandemic.) Painting, drawing and illustration remain my principal passion, with watercolour and gouache my preferred media for painting; but I also work in acrylic and pastels when the occasion demands it. |
EXHIBITIONS
details to follow shortly ...
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I have created illustrations for books and magazines (and am currently working on some illustrations for book projects of my own, the first of which 'A Shrew Danced On My Paintbox' is now available), and been involved in a number of public artworks and projects. Additionally, I had a brief unexpected and hugely enjoyable career as a wedding photographer, photographing over 100 weddings.
As a member of Artmap Argyll, the artist's open studios network, I have taken part in a number of exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations in association with other Artmap Artists. I was Chairman from 2009 to 2012, and Vice-Chairman in 2013. Our workshops at 'The Best of The West Festival' (BOWFest) at Inveraray Castle, were a big hit. My work is represented in many private collections in Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States. |
Gill at work in our studio in Ireland
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GILL MACLEAN STEWART
Gill has always had a great love of flowers, and her understanding of plants and blooms is the essence of her life.
As a gardener, she is frequently seen tending to the Dove Cottage garden in Kilmartin, and has created a beautiful and restorative space, the centre of which is her studio space. As a floral stylist, Gill is sought after to create flower displays for weddings and events, working at venues such as Inveraray Castle in Argyll to Powerscourt in Ireland - with an impressive list of locations in between. As an artist, Gill has been selling her work - mostly completed in oils and acrylics - through our galleries in South Kintyre and Mid Argyll. Influenced by the coastal landscape of Argyll, her work now frequently references the moods and volatile temperament of the sea. |
For more details of Gill's wedding and event floral styling see Love Dove Cottage
