TALENTED artists from across Inverclyde are putting themselves in the frame as their annual art exhibition returns.
Greenock Art Club have taken over a section of the Watt Institution on Kelly Street to display some of the stunning artworks their members have produced for the public.
The event is the first showcase the club has been able to hold at the venue since 2018, due to renovation work and then the pandemic preventing them from accessing the building.
Art club chairperson Robert Marshall told the Tele the exhibition had been sorely missed and that members were pleased to share their work with the public once more.
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The exhibition features a trio of paintings by the 67-year-old depicting some of the west coast’s stunning scenery.
He said: “It’s great displaying our works, it’s been a while since we’ve been in here because of the renovations and the pandemic.
“Now that we’re back in it’s great to be getting a nice big show on.
“I’ve been painting for 47 years, my mother bought me an oil paint set and that started everything.
“I played around with it for years and then joined the local art club about 20 years ago.
“We also display in our own art club, but this is the big one which we called the annual exhibition and it’s been going for hundreds of years.
“This is a great venue the council provide us with.
“The art club is a good place for people who are just starting out and people who are already really good at art, there’s all sorts of different people here.
“There are a lot of people who come along who are new to art or who maybe did it 40 years ago and want to pick it back up now they’re retired.
“This is the big one where we show off new works and it’s great to be back here.”
Club treasurer Maureen Armstrong brought along a selection of watercolours she had produced, with one showing an incredible view of the Clyde that she has from her home in Greenock.
The former teacher says that painting of always a passion of hers, but she found more time to devote to it after retiring.
She added: “I’ve always painted, I’ve been a member of the art club since about 2006, but it’s always been part of my life since I was young.
“In previous years we’ve had this exhibition in here, which we call our annual exhibition, and it really was a showcase of people’s best works.
“They had to put in new paintings, not something which had been shown elsewhere.
“This is the first time we’ve got back in for quite a while and normally our exhibition would have been for two weeks, but this year it’s going to be kept up for two months or so.
“This is our first time having an exhibition for that long and we’re really excited about it, we really hope it’ll work.
“We run several demonstrations a year as part of the art club and also a variety of classes, it’s a really great group to be a part of.
“We’ve got 84 members at the moment but we’re always looking for more.
“We want to say a big thank to Paul at the Watt Institution, he’s done a great job of helping us set up.
“We’re so glad to be in here and holding this, we’ve had exhibitions in our own place but it’s not the same.
“It’s great to have this back now that the last few years are behind us.”
Greenock Art Club’s exhibition runs until May 27 at the Watt Institute, which is open to the public between 10am and 4pm from Wednesday until Saturday.
Anyone who wishes to join the club or find out more should email Maureenarmstrong20@aol.com.
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