Aberfeldy exhibition set to rock Watermill
Celebrity fashion guru Gok Wan is set to make a guest appearance at Perth Racecourse’s Ladies’Day.
The celebrity stylist will judge and award this year’s £2000 prize to the Best Dressed Lady competition at the racecourse on Thursday, May 18.
There will also be a competition for Best Dressed Male and wearer of the Best Hat.
As part of his visit to Ladies’Day, Gok Artists Kari de Koenigswarter and Malize McBride have a new exhibition in Aberfeldy celebrating rocks and their cultural meanings.
The new show at the Watermill Gallery opens on March 25 at 2pm with a chance to meet the artists. Each will be giving a short demonstration of some of the techniques they use.
“Rock is fundamental to all our lives”, said Aberfeldy-based Malize, who is primarily interested in the geology of Scotland.”
She continued: “It is our bank of raw materials and our oldest history book.”
Malize uses graphite, watercolour, acrylic and a variety of printing techniques. She also takes rubbings directly from the rocks in the landscape and sometimes incorporates rock dust into the works themselves.
Born in Mexico, Kari de Koenigswarter works in Edinburgh will also set up his Fashion Brunch Club for VIP Experience guests, where he will share industry secrets and his passion for style. He will also put on his very own fashion show with his take on this year’s spring/summer trends.
Perth Racecourse’s chief executive Hazel Peplinski said:“Our Ladies’Day crowd go all out in the style stakes, so I’m sure Gok will find it a really tough choice when it comes to choosing a winner.” but has a home in Glenlyon.
She uses beeswax and raw pigments for her work, allowing her to create images which have a strong physical weight and presence, just like the rocks she is representing.
“The durability of beeswax is legendary,” she added.
Kari went on: “It is impervious to moisture and so will not deteriorate, yellow or darken. There are paintings dating from the first century AD which are as vibrant and colourful as the day they were made.”
The two artists have frequently worked together and since 2004 they have been on annual working expeditions to a variety of locations from Fife to Sutherland, Argyllshire to Banffshire, the isle of Lewis and Tuscany.
Usually spending three weeks outdoors in all weathers, their expeditions involve intensive sketching, painting, researching and sharing new techniques and ideas. Gok Wan
The pieces celebrate rocks and their cultural meanings