John Kingsley: Chansons d'été

Fraser Gallery, St Andrews until January 9, 2017

www.frasergallery.co.uk

JOHN Kingsley is another artist whose 'pictorial view' has been ripening over many decades. Kingsley, also a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, not only has a passion for painting, but a passion for capturing the essence of the South of France.

In this new exhibition, which opened yesterday at The Fraser Gallery in St Andrews, the space gallery is awash with sun-dappled Mediterranean colour.

Blue Shutters, St Rémy de Provence depicts a typical ramshackle home with weathered aquamarine shutters. With the sun beating down on this silent scene, it is clearly a hot, balmy day with the only respite from the sun coming from the dappled light from the tree in the foreground of the painting.

This is a typical scene for Kingsley; one that allows him to indulge his love of the contrast between the strong light and the dark shadows.

At the opposite extreme is Rocky Coastline, Turnberry. In this painting, with little or no light for the artist to play with, the cool blue of the sea contrasts with the menacing rocks. An understated sky captures the fleeting nature of the scene; tiny glimpses of light indicating that the storm is passing and calm will soon be restored.

There are almost 70 paintings in this show, of which, more than 60 are new works.