Willow artwork exhibition to tour the Highlands

The Highland Council is delighted to present Spirit of Air, a body of work by leading willow artist Lizzie Farey which opens at the Iona Gallery in Kingussie on Saturday (7 May) before touring the Highlands.

Spirit of Air presents a new body of expressive willow works by Lizzie Farey including a series of large scale wall-based and suspended works. This solo exhibition celebrates the new creative direction of one of Scotland’s highest profile practitioners.

Willow has truly captured Lizzie’s fascination, an attraction sustained by her continuous exploration of the qualities of this and other natural materials of choice. Her dexterous manipulation of willow, hazel and ash is evident in these pieces that have evolved from the baskets and sculptures readily identifiable as hers.

Lizzie has been able to spend time in her studio developing new work thanks to the receipt of a prestigious Scottish Arts Council Creative Development Award. The award marks, and adds to, the success and accomplishments of her practice and international profile achieved through exhibitions, events, private and public commissions and purchases for collections.

Lizzie Farey says of her work: “I have a fascination with living things and natural form. For me, willow has become a medium for an interaction with nature that is deeply personal. Using willow, birch, heather, bog myrtle and many other locally grown woods, my work ranges form traditional to organic sculptural forms.”

The exhibition was recently shown at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh and is a collaborative project with the Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries, funded by Creative Scotland.  It will run at the Iona Gallery until 4 June before travelling to St Fergus Gallery in Wick (11 June - 16 July); Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (17 September - 5 October); Swanson Gallery, Thurso (12 November - 10 December).