Victoria Crowe: Touching the Surface - the Orkney Paintings

Victoria Crowe: Touching the Surface—the Orkney Paintings will be on display 31 August-9 November 2024.

In 2022 Crowe made two trips to Orkney as part of her Royal Scottish Academy Residencies for Scotland award, hosted by the Pier Arts Centre and based at Linkshouse – Orkney Arts Residency in Birsay. The exhibition in Stromness will showcase some of the work Crowe made during her residency, as well as works created in response to her time spent in Orkney.

Looking at the contrasting light around the summer and winter solstice, the two most extreme periods of the celestial cycle, Crowe’s intention was to “explore the light on the land and its margins during the long twilights of the Orkney summer solstice, then return to experience the short days, long darkness and luminous skies of winter”.

Crowe commented “On June 23rd 2022 I began my residency at Linkshouse, Birsay and returned later in November. Those six contrasting weeks began a huge train of thought through drawing, painting, printmaking, collaboration and poetry .

The resulting exhibition I have called 'Touching the Surface' because I know that is all I could hope to do with elemental, unfathomable and deep-time Orkney.”

A recent collaboration with Dovecote Tapestry Studios, Edinburgh in the form of a large gun-tufted wall hanging based on Victoria Crowe's Orkney paintings will also be included in the exhibition.

Orcadian Series: Solstice Moon was tufted by Dovecot Master Weaver Louise Trotter over several months in early 2023, resulting in a unique large scale interpretation of Victoria’s painting.

Crowe added “It’s a real privilege to be exhibiting at the beautiful Pier Arts Centre. I look forward to showing the work produced, together with the resulting developments, back in the land where it all began.”

Known for her evocative landscapes and portraits of subjects including scientist Professor Peter Higgs, psychiatrist R.D. Laing and composer Thea Musgrave, Victoria Crowe has works in several collections including the National Galleries of Scotland, the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Royal Scottish Academy.

The Pier Arts Centre is collaborating with Orkney Arts Society to host a talk at the gallery by Victoria Crowe on Saturday 31 August, 6:30pm. Tickets available through the Orkney Arts Society website.

The Pier Arts Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am-5pm. Admission is free.