WORKS by renowned ‘Glasgow Girl’ artist Jessie M King are now on display at Kirkcudbright Galleries.
This exhibition celebrates the 150th anniversary of King’s birth with one of the most comprehensive displays of her work for 50 years.
Over her career King disproved the saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ by mastering many approaches to art and craft.
Throughout her life she intuitively created unique designs where she did not literally translate the real world.
King showed an eagerness to adapt to new styles throughout her lifetime and in book illustration she soon began to temper her experimental style with a more commercial naturalism and romanticism and her myopic pen and ink drawings gave way to looser watercolours and coloured inks.
After World War I Jessie M King, and her husband EA Taylor, became key members of Kirkcudbright’s artistic community. Over half the works on display at Kirkcudbright are held in the nationally recognised collections there, but there are many hidden gems from private collections as well as new acquisitions some of which have not been seen in public for over 100 years.
As one of the first visitors to the exhibition Cllr Maureen Johnstone said: “Visiting the JMK150 exhibition I was overwhelmed by the depth of talent shown by Jessie M King. Such a variety of work! I knew she was an amazing lady, but this exhibition will no doubt engender a new level of respect for her and her work.”
The exhibition is free admission and a must-see for all Jessie M King fans running until 22 June at Kirkcudbright Galleries.
For more information visit the galleries website.
