on the spring tide

Sarah Knox

on the spring tide Esther Donaldson SSA

DOUBTFIRE gallery 6 March – 6 April 2024

“a meditation on a place of beauty which achieves the feeling of a lost world and a story that resonates and glows” Sarah Knox

“In my practice I seek to give a sense

of history and place of the coastline of Scotland as it constantly changes and alters by nature and man.”

Esther Donaldson

on the spring tide As the season changes and the light stays with us for longer, we present a joyful mix of colour and form by two award winning artists. Sarah Knox and Esther Donaldson explore the theme of sea, coast and land which runs through this beautiful collection of paintings.

Sarah’s oils convey a fluid and blended feel to her observations of sea and land, while Esther uses geometric forms to explore the natural coastline and its changing moods.

Sarah Knox grew up watching the dramatic tidal seascape of the North Norfolk coast.

Her recent paintings are symphonies of colour and reflect the seascapes and landscapes of the wild coastlines of Scotland and Northumberland. She manages to capture those fleeting sensations as winds roll in, the wrath of the sea and the atmosphere.

She says, “ese paintings observe changing atmosphere, human presence, light and colour.

My paintings occupy a liminal and abstract realm more than an observed encounter.”

Sarah trained in Fine Art and English at University of Exeter and gained post-grad Distinction at the University of London. Sarah has lived and worked in Edinburgh for over 30 years and exhibited at SSA, VAS and RSW. Awarded bursaries from the VACMA scheme 2023/24, she has also been honoured to be one of a select group of artists representing Scotland at the international Fabriano in Acquarello watercolour exhibition and convention in Bologna 2021-23.

Esther Donaldson’s work focuses on the natural forms of the coastline and their relationship to the manmade structures along the way.

“I utilise such structures as the harbour, footpaths and buildings, creating divisions of colour and geometric forms against the natural flow of the land as it meanders along the coast.”

Esther Donaldson graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1993 and has exhibited at the RSA, SSA, RSW and the Royal Academy summer exhibition, where her work was selected to be in the Academicians’ favourites list. In 2019, she was elected as a professional member of SSA. She was awarded the ‘House for an Art Lover Award’ in the RSW at the RSA in 2018.

Meet the Artist Saturday 9 March, between 2pm and 4pm.

images: front, top: Sarah Knox Hills fall behind an emerald sea, 92 x 61cm bottom: Esther Donaldson SSA Swell, 26 x 20cm

A Light exists in Spring, Not present on the Year

images: top: Esther Donaldson SSA The Bay, 20 x 20cm bottom: Esther Donaldson SSA Coastal Path, 20 x 20cm

At any other period – When March is scarcely here Emily Dickinson

images: above: Sarah Knox Corryvreckan, untouchable sphere, 91 x 61cm overleaf: Esther Donaldson SSA Pond Life, 100 x 100cm

image: Sarah Knox Slipping down to the sea, white wrath of waves, 90 x 60cm

image: Esther Donaldson SSA The Cove II, 20 x 20cm

image: Esther Donaldson SSA The Cove, 26 x 20cm

image: Sarah Knox Angel, 40 x 30cm

framecreative edinburgh image: Sarah Knox What worlds live within, 40 x 30cm

Works are for sale on receipt of this brochure.

NB. The images in the brochure are representative only, for display and marketing purposes.

The full content of the exhibition can be viewed on our website, along with prices and dimensions.

DOUBTFIRE contemporary art 28 North West Circus Place, Edinburgh EH3 6TP Tel 07902 307147 email art@doubtfiregallery.com www.doubtfiregallery.com Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday 12 – 4pm We are happy to make an appointment outwith these hours.

Please email: art@doubtfiregallery.com