I’ve often asked myself that question, visiting galleries there when staying with family north of the border. We were taken to the Kinblethmont Gallery (located in a rather grand country house, not far from Arbroath). Although my response to the several artists currently on show there was very diverse, in each case I was glad I had made their acquaintance. I was particularly impressed by the paintings of Jean Duncan, and it’s still not out of the question that I might buy one …. yes, that impressed.
I get so bored these days with “paintings about painting”, and installations that “reference” this that or the other. “Reference”, in this context, by the way is shorthand for “has something vaguely to do with x, but I’m not sure what.” Here I found a group of artists who, while evidently engaged with the characteristics of their medium, actually had something to show us about the world and human experience in it.
Sooner or later I’ll find my way back to Kinblethmont.