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the harbour gallery
n demand Argyll artist Stuart Herd has opened a brand new gallery in Inveraray. The new venture at 1 Main Street West, joins his premises in Tarbert, where he also has a working studio, and his well-established business in Argyle Street, Ullapool. Despite the pandemic, demand for Stuart’s works and interest in his galleries soared last summer as lockdown relaxed and visitors returned. He is delighted to have created two new jobs with the appointment of local art graduate Lynsey as manager, supported part-time by Ruth, who has a long history in the art world. Incredibly, the new gallery was turned
around in the first four months of the year with Scotland still in lockdown and the devoted national rugby fan unable to attend any Six Nation games to cheer on Gregor Townsend’s men. Instead, Stuart created two large original paintings to mark the Calcutta Cup triumph over England at Twickenham, and then a second following Scotland’s Six Nations away victory against Les Bleus. The works, which have also been made into limited edition prints, have gone down a storm, gathering traction among fans, players and Scottish Rugby Union officials. Scotland scrum half Ali Price, who features prominently in the work ‘The Last Scrum Before The Try’ is among
those to snap one up, while Lions winger Jonny May has signed one which will be auctioned in aid of charity. A professional painter now for 16 years and famed for his beautiful acrylics on canvas, Stuart also needed to populate the new gallery with works local to the area to go sit alongside his signature treatments of Scottish Highland scenes and beaches
Stuart, aged 50, said: ‘It was a gamble and four months was really pushing it to open but I had always wanted a place in Inveraray and you have to look ahead to the ensuing summer. It looks really good, we have opened up the ceiling and I’m really proud of it.’ For more information go to https://www. theharbourgallery.com/
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