James Greer - A Retrospective Celebrating 70 Years of Art
People are being invited to travel through time by touring a new exhibition which documents the life of much-respected artist James Greer and the places which inspired him.
About James Greer - A Retrospective Celebrating 70 Years of Art
The Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie is currently hosting 'James Greer – A Retrospective Celebrating 70 Years of Art'.
The free exhibition features more than 180 wood engravings, paintings and enamels spanning seven decades – providing a fascinating insight into Mr Greer, Glasgow and a time of profound change.
He was born in Glasgow’s Townhead in 1934, within hailing distance of the School of Art, which he attended between 1954 and 1958.
It was under the tutelage of Phillip Reeves and Lennox Patterson that he first developed his lifelong love of printmaking, in particular the exacting discipline of wood engraving.
Mr Greer's first teaching job was at St Roch’s Secondary School in Royston, where he spent the 1960s and bore witness to the destruction and redevelopment of areas such as Townhead and Springburn, the decline of heavy industry and the end of an old way of life.
His wood engravings from this period document the changes taking place: lone tenements stand like sentinels; old, disused railway carriages no more than scrap metal.
But he did more than lament the past, he celebrated the everyday – two men leaving the pub with only each other for support, girls meeting in the street ‘all dolled up’ for a Saturday night out, kids playing in the local swing park and the birth of his own three children.
Mr Greer then moved across the city to teach in Clydebank, where he held the post of Principal Art Teacher at St Andrew's High School for 22 years, until his retirement in 1992.
It was during that period that he began to experiment with enamel as a medium – applying glass to copper and firing it. The resulting landscapes, subtle and defused, are beautiful objects with a wonderful clarity of colour.
This work with colour progressed into a series of mixed media paintings which, while representative, were very much concerned with shape and texture.
In 1985, Mr Greer again returned to his first love of wood engraving with a series entitled '36 Views of Dumgoyne’ – after Hokusai’s '36 Views of Mount Fuji'. It captured everyday events and family life with the backdrop of Dumgoyne in the Campsie Fells.
Following his early retirement from teaching to concentrate fully on his art, he set up a life drawing group which until recently he helped to organise.
Jim Neill, Chair of East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust – which operates the Lillie Art Gallery, said: “This is a wonderful exhibition which aims to transport visitors through 70 years of inspiration and insight.
"Mr Greer poignantly captures everyday moments now lost in time – documenting years of huge change in Glasgow and surrounding areas. I hope as many people are possible take the chance to enjoy this stunning show.”
The exhibition is on until 28 October 2023 at the Lillie Art Gallery – Station Road, Milngavie, G62 8BZ. It is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-1pm and 2-5pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
For more information, call 0141 956 5536 or visit www.edlc.co.uk
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