The rural village of Fochabers, in the north east of Scotland, is not the situation one would immediately associate with a successful and increasingly well respected art gallery. Lying close to the river Spey and the Moray Firth, famous for its beauty and the rare bottlenose dolphins, the village is better known for its association with Scots fiddle music and its annual Pan-Celtic music festival.
Yet, as you walk up the High Street towards the village square with its attractive 18th century houses and church, the freshly painted front of Just Art immediately catches your eye, as do the intriguing objects behind the gleaming windows. In May, the gallery will celebrate its tenth anniversary
In 1994 Stewart and Judith Harris gave up the buzz of London to come here to the uncertainty of a new business. Having a relatively comfortable lifestyle, it was a frightening decision to make, even though they had some knowledge of art, through their own collection, and from the fact that Judith’s father was a sculptor in Cornwall.
Their experience meant that they began the task with certain principles in mind. Firstly, to bring together some of the best art in Scotland, and indeed most of the work exhibited is still from artists working north of the border. Dealing ethically with the artists was also extremely important. In particular, prompt payment, as they knew from Judith’s father’s experience this was not the case with many galleries. In addition they have always tried to provide an opportunity for new artists to show their work
The decision to come to Morayshire was based on their knowledge of the area gained during visits to relatives, when they had noticed that there was nowhere to see or buy art. Other galleries were opening up at the time, but none in rural northern Scotland. Few people at the time felt that it was a wise move, and local people might have been said to be sceptical.
They were told by others in the art world that it would be ten years before they began to make a profit. And so it has proved. Yet the experience has been an amazingly positive one, despite moments when their original vision was very much put to the test. Stewart comments, “Many people give up in these situations because they expect too much, too quickly. There have been no Mercedes or BMWs for us, but we have had the rewarding experience of working with and building up relationships with many excellent artists.”
On entering the gallery you are at once struck by the lack of pretentiousness. You feel at ease with the air of comfortable, organised, untidiness, including children’s drawing materials. Judith and Stewart’s young son Patrick and his friends are familiar figures at exhibition openings, busy drawing and chatting as their parents enjoy the newest works.
In addition to the exhibits on the wall, occasional canvasses lean casually against cupboards, tempting the buyers to linger and it soon occurs to the browser that here is a gallery which is about the Artists, not the owners. The work can be surprisingly varied, names which are internationally known, others who are not yet established, producing an excitement mixed with a sense of artistic values which Stewart achieves through a conviction that he will not show work that he himself does not like.
“How can I honestly sell pieces that I have no feeling for?” He asks, with his smile which is more that of a shy friend than of a salesman. And this is probably the heart of the Harris’s success. They believe in forging relationships with many of the artists who exhibit in the gallery, so that after ten years, most of the original group of artists who were represented at the opening show, are still exhibiting with Just Art. They began with twelve artists on the books, but now have contact with 300 artists, from the relatively unknown to the widely acclaimed.
Perhaps this indicates much about the success of Just Art. It is most certainly not a local art gallery, although many of its artists live close by. However, as Stewart points out, “Most of our customers live elsewhere, not only in the cities of Scotland, but as far away as Australia and the USA. We have to look outwards, as the North East does not have the population to support the very high number of artists who live and work here.”
Although many happily travel to visit the gallery, as it is close to good transport links, being on the main road between Inverness and Aberdeen and only about 40 minutes from Inverness airport, some clients from other areas often begin by using the website – www.justart.co.uk This new aspect of the gallery, which has been running for about three years, is becoming increasingly important, and a number of clients regularly use it to buy work. Stewart maintains the site himself, having learned the skills needed.
The Tenth Anniversary Show will include ten of the original artists, working in ceramics, glass, painting, textiles and sculpture. They have each agreed to show one piece of work from 1994 alongside the new work produced for the exhibition.
Prominent among the artists exhibiting will be Jennifer Wilson, whose wall hangings and framed pieces in Felt and embroidery, are now known internationally. Her work, ‘Nimbus’, was the first item sold by the gallery. Since then she has continued to sell here, and has work in many countries around the world.
Jennifer is strongly influenced by the landscape of the north east. Many of her works hold the feeling of the closeness of the natural world to our lives here, the sea, the fields, the hills and woods, but simultaneously reflect the detail of life, the intimacy of her garden and plants, of the animal life which surrounds us.
There is also sometimes a sense of awe and mystery, as in some recent works, based on the Caithness coast, with its cliffs, geos and crashing waves. Yet this is achieved in work which is small in scale, but full of sensitive detail, lustre and subtle colours. Jennifer dyes all her materials by hand, from the wool and silk fibres that she uses to make her felt, to the silk threads for the embroidered detail which provides the intriguing brilliance and depth of texture.
At the start of the venture, Stewart often travelled long distances to collect work from artists. But now, although the work for this exhibition will come from as far afield as John o’ Groats, the west coast, and Edinburgh, the artists will be happy to deliver the work, a clear indication of the close relationship that now exists with the gallery, and the value of that relationship.
Stewart and Judith now feel confident that they can look forward to the next decade as a period when they can build on their success. Standing beside his recently upgraded computer terminal, Stewart indicated that the website will probably play an increasingly significant role. “We have clients in other parts of Britain, and in European counties who buy over the internet. This gives me another sort of excitement, different from that of the opening of each new exhibition, when artists and public have the chance to meet and talk. It is the sense of helping to open up the world even more to the work of creative people who are important to me.”
The Harris’s hard work and faith in the artists in the north of Scotland seems to have been rewarded. It certainly seems to be appreciated by the customers who spend surprisingly long periods browsing in the gallery’s bright, homely atmosphere.
Just Arts' 10th Anniversary show is from 15th May to 13th June 2004.
