With the Highland Year of Culture now having fizzled out, residents and visitors to the Highlands and Islands can rest assured in the knowledge that art and artists remain alive and well in the Highlands and Islands.

One such assurance is evident at Inchmore - on the western outskirts of Inverness - where the Inchmore Gallery continues to grow in popularity, while adhering to a remit of promoting and supporting progressive art and artists in the area.

The latest opportunity for the public to view and visiting artists to exhibit, begins on Friday the 8th of February – where you can enjoy an exhibition of new work by Black Isle artist Caroline Hewat and Morayshire artist Linda Smith. (The opening is supported and accompanied by one of Scotland’s highest regarded pianists – David Milligan).

Both artists are Fine Art graduates of Elgin’s Moray College, they share many artistic likes and dislikes and are great friends – but any further similarity in their interpretation and art styles would be purely coincidental.

Caroline Hewat chooses from the use of paint, print, photography and drawing in arriving at a texture and design suited to the subject matter – usually cityscape or rural architecture.

Working in mainly acrylic or oils, Linda Smiths work often contains singular domestic (and very personal) objects, from prams to jackets - but positioned to challenge your perception of “exposed familiarity” versus “safe isolation”.

The exhibition runs until the 9th of March and offers the largest body of work produced by either artist since graduating.
With this combination of commitment, enthusiasm and vision - from both gallery and artist – there is no doubt that public awareness will be raised as to the wealth of emerging and established talent which is accessible within the Highlands.