Doll’s Houses: The Art of the Miniaturist by Tom Hickman
Main Gallery
Exhibition Run: 6 Dec – 14 Feb
An extraordinary installation of masterful dolls houses created by Tom Hickman.
In 2022 Tom’s little croft house in New Tolsta won BBC Scotland’s Home of the Year. During their visit the judges were equally captivated by his Harper Dolls house, finding within a minute dolls house. A house within a house, a home within a home. Like a Russian Matryoshka doll.
He says, ‘The human eye is fascinated by this miniature world and intrigued by the not quite perfect small scale; the teapot that in reality would hold a large watering-can full of tea. Peering in through the windows is irresistible. Strange that in order to get people to look closely at something one must make it smaller. I think of it as the Alice in Wonderland effect.’
The exhibition also features a ten meter long 80 room miniature hotel the rooms of which were lovingly created by individuals and groups from the community, including school groups.
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Art of Graphite: Mary MacLean
Cafè Bar Gallery
Exhibition Run: 20 Aug – Oct
Mary Maclean is a teenage artist based in Point. Growing up Mary always enjoyed using pencil to depict animals and celebrities, though it was after a trip to Paris and an enlightening visit to the Louvre, Mary’s pencil work began to exclusively focus on sculptures and other architectural subjects, while occasionally exploring portraiture and more organic subjects.
She first gained attention at the age of 16, when her mother shared a picture of her graphite study which depicted the door of Milan Cathedral. The Scottish Field magazine, who featured her work, described her as a “Lewis prodigy”. Her drawing was also featured in the Events newspaper, as well as the Press and Journal newspaper. She has since exhibited her work locally, including a show at “Grinneas nan Eilean” where five of her pieces were displayed.
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