William Gear (1915 – 1997)
William Gear was the son of a coal miner from Methil in Fife, where he grew up. He attended Edinburgh College of Art, 1932 – 1936. A travelling scholarship took him the Paris where he studied with Ferdinand Leger. He won a Festival of Britain purchase prize in 1951 and
Loch Earn from the East, McNeil MacLeay, (1806 – 1883)
The painting featured here is a recent purchase made possible by the Stirling Common Good Fund and the National Fund for Acquisitions. It is by the eminent artist and Stirling resident McNeil MacLeay (1806 – 1883) and was painted in 1868. The title, in the artist’s hand, is inscribed on
Poppies by William MacTaggart
At present, the Stirling Smith mounts between 14 and 20 temporary exhibitions each year to attract return visits and maintain interest. The painting by the eminent Scottish artist Sir William MacTaggart (1903-1981) was purchased from a very brief exhibition on contemporary Scottish art in the Smith in the summer of
Portrait by Alasdair Gray
The great Scottish artist and writer Alasdair Gray has a dramatization of his ground – breaking novel Lanark at the Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre this month. After an accident in June, the artist is still critically ill in hospital, and as we wish him a good recovery, we feature one of
Cards from the Front – World War 1
The exhibition ‘A Stirling 100’ remembering the impact World War one had on Stirling, opens at the Stirling Smith on Friday at 11am,2015, and all are welcome to attend. The exhibition from the University of Stirling, with the support of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, features photographs of the parish
Ronald A Muirhead, Sculptor by James Wallace Robert Orr
Ronald A Muirhead (1930 – 1989) was an artist and gallery owner who enriched the lives of the people of Stirlingshire, and his portrait by James Robert Wallace Orr, in the Stirling Smith collections, reflects his artistic interests. The sculpture on the table is his own, and the view into
The Glorious 12th, John Bucknell Russell (1819 – 1893)
To mark ‘the Glorious 12th’, the traditional start of the shooting season in Scotland, today’s painting from the Smith collections is a still life by artist John Bucknell Russell (1819 – 1893). It was gifted to the Smith by Mr Watt of Stirling in 1932. At one time, such paintings
Hamish, the Publicity Coo
A new full colour book on the story of Hamish McKye Denovan (1993 – 2014) is published this week by Tatterdemalion Blue, a publisher now based in Stirling. It is the work of Stirling – based authors Angela and Craig Mair and is a tribute to the now legendary beast
Dr. Griffiths’s Gift to Stirling – Barnwell Model
A new treasure, added to the current Treasures of the Smith exhibition, is a 1/16th scale model of the famous plane built by Frank and Harold Barnwell, whose family home was Elco House, Balfron. Both brothers were educated at Fettes Academy, Edinburgh and their father was managing director of Fairfields
Suffragette Stitches, Marion Wallace Dunlop
The Treasures of the Smith exhibition, which runs until 4 October has a new acquisition of some significance. It is an embroidered fire screen by the famous suffragette activist and artist, Marion Wallace Dunlop (1864-1942). The subject is Spring and features a woman in long purple robes surrounded by blue