THE FORCE IS WITH ARIE

 

Perthshire Advertiser: Weekend Arts
15 Feb 2008
 

Arie Vardi opens a major solo exhibition at The Ruthven Gallery this weekend.

'The Forces of Nature' is a collection of new paintings by Perthshire-based Arie, who is developing a reputation as an emerging artist. Arie's subjects are captured on canvas by his bold use of acrylic paint. He explained how, inspired by Perthshire's landscape, he reproduces the bright colour and movement which he sees around him: "The view I have from my Methven studio, looking west across Strathearn to the hills behind Crieff, inspires me a lot. "My work is spontaneous and influenced by nature."
Following in the traditions of the Scottish Colourists Cadell, Fergusson and Peploe, Arie tries to capture the spirit of a place when painting. "I'm drawn to nature's colours and the meeting of water and land," he said.
Born in Chile in 1956, Vardi moved to Jerusalem where he graduated in Graphic Design, specialising in jewellery design and painting. Arie moved to Scotland in 1991 and continued designing unique jewellery which, in 1994, was given royal approval when he was commissioned to design a brooch for the late Princess Margaret. "It was a big honour for me as I had to compete against a number of other artists," Arie commented. "After submitting a number of sketches my design was chosen. I was then asked to present the piece to Princess Margaret at Edinburgh Castle later that year,"
The opening of this solo exhibition comes as reward for several months of hard work by the artist. "The work is expressive and it's exciting for me," he said, "I'm looking forward to seeing the reactions from the show." Like all good artists, Arie is always looking to develop. "My style is always changing and evolving," he added.
'The Forces of Nature' opens tomorrow at The Ruthven Gallery and runs until April 2. Read the article on the Perthshire Advertiser website.
© Scottish and Universal Newspapers in Perthshire, Perthshire Advertiser
 
 

 

 

© The Ruthven Gallery 2008.