Past Exhibitions

Galloway and Dumfries, November, 2004

Artists exhibit at the launch of GLARE and raise funds for protest group

The GLARE Launch -

The Art Exhibition

In addition to scale models, computer presentations, and displays, there was an exhibition of work by local artists who generously gave the commission from the sale of their work to support GLARE.

The exhibition was hung by Stan Wormald who exhibited two landscape pictures himself, accompanied by Frances Godfrey, Gene Pick, Derek Pelly, Peter Jeevar, Patricia McCrow, Pam Roper-Caldbeck, Roy Hooker (who also drove the Community Bus) and Alison Chapman.

All the artists were concerned to preserve the natural beauty of the local and national landscape which had given them such inspiration over many years. (see some of their paintings on the pinboard)

The "Hands Across Scotland" campaign was announced following the successful launch meeting of new campaign group GLARE (Galloway Landscape and Renewable Energy) in a packed village hall at Corsock, twenty miles west of Dumfries.
Wind-farm campaigners at the launch of the "Hands Across Scotland" scheme in Galloway	Picture on left: L to R: Jerry Mulders (Dalmellington), Brendan Hamill (Scottish Wind Watch), John Patterson (Dalmellington), Sylvia Thorne (Bridge of Cally), Alistair Emery, Alison Chapman and John Chapman (GLARE).	Links to websites: www.glare.org.uk www.scottishwindwatch.org	John Paterson of Dalmellington

Past Exhibition

2003

Mid Wales

Exhibition "Where the Land Meets the Sky"

(From the Press Release)

Artist David Bellamy takes up the sword in the campaign to bring common sense to the issue of ‘windfarm’ development in a two-month exhibition at Erwood Station Craft Centre & Gallery, situated six miles South of Builth Wells, in Mid-Wales. The centre is a few miles from the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The exhibition called ‘ Where the Land meets the sky’ is presented by a number of well-known artists with supporting factual material from eminent economists, scientists and engineers.

Carn Ingli, a watercolour by David Bellamy

John Oliver, the Bishop of Hereford, Environmental spokesperson for the Church of England, who is an outspoken critic of commercial developments that despoil the countryside, graciously agreed to come along on the Saturday evening private view to open the exhibition.

In a previously published quote he said -“ I am resolutely opposed to the myopic, cynical, short-term reliance on the so-called proven technology of on-shore wind, with its hideous despoliation of the landscape, its invasion by monstrous turbines of a totally alien industrial character, with their maddening noise and relentlessly disturbing movements”

David Bellamy and the Rt. Rev. John Oliver at the opening of the Exhibition at Erwood Craft Centre

David Bellamy is no stranger to the fight to protect the stunning landscape of Wales. (Recently he has fought long and hard to preserve the beauty of Clydach Gorge). He strongly believes that artists must voice their opinion against commercially motivated developers who wish to ruin the landscape and wild open spaces for a highly questionable return, especially in this case, where enormous subsidies and spurious financial incentives are the driving force, not the need for electricity.	The Bishop of Hereford had many pertinent and encouraging things to say on the topic of preserving the wild open spaces; the inappropriate concentration of such developments in Wales, and the need to address the fact that the very nature of wind makes the reliance on such devices unable to replace any conventional power production, only adding to the production of harmful pollution. He was very supportive of the exhibition, designed to put forward the artist’s perspective on the preservation of the landscape as well presenting the evidence of world experts on climate-change, energy resources, engineering and environmental matters.	Angela Kelly, artist, and chairman of the ‘Country Guardian, believes that “such gigantic structures psychologically upset our view of the natural world - changing proportions - reducing a majestic oak tree to a mere bush. Our dreams of restorative wild open spaces are replaced with visions of ancient skylines dominated by mechanical monsters, which deaden the landscape and imprison the human spirit, with their robotic movement and repetitive clone-like structures.” The ‘green issue’ of wind-power generation is unfortunately also tied up with politics. What more visible statement could a government hope to signify that they are addressing the question of saving the planet from CO2 emissions?
Erwood Craft Centre and Gallery Erwood Station Craft Centre and Gallery is to be found six miles South of Builth Wells, on the B4567. Read more	There have been some very telling comments by visitors to the exhibition: Visitors Comments	Back