| "Paul Ritchie's etchings are an essay in the
versatility of colour and tone that can only be achieved by complete
control and the most sensitive use of all the engravers tools and
techniques. This includes the high art of wiping the completed plate,
which will result in the most subtle effects that are not, per se,
inherent in the engraved and etched lines on the copper." - Detlef
Doerrbecker "After decades-long neglect of
etching there are distinct signs of a welcome revival. Paul Ritchie's
superb sea-studies are a part of that renaissance. They quietly steal
the show with their sense of heroic scale achieved within a small area;
the union of sky, land and sea in one turbulent, meteorological
wholeness." - John Fineran, Manchester Evening News
"Many artists are content to work on a familiar vein.
Others prefer to live more dangerously, constantly seeking to explore
the boundaries of their art. Paul Ritchie- one of Britain's leading
etchers- is one of the latter" - John Doran, Leopard Magazine
“Traditionally this is the time of
the year that the Tolquhon Gallery near Tarves would hold an exhibition
based around the theme of the sea, but this year it has been broadened
very successfully to Scotland – The Artist’s View.
More that 25 painters and the
sculptor Illona Morrice make this a dynamic show full of life, colour
and, of course, familiar scenes…
There is so much colour in this show
that Paul Ritchie’s dark, hugely textured works like Sutherland Falls
act like cool shadowy retreats.
Ritchie trained and make his name as
a printmaker and he has recently moved back to the north-east. His works
have a vigorous surface tension and a sense of place that you can almost
smell.
They also possess a grandeur and a
gravity that is difficult to balance but Ritchie pulls it off with
masterly displays of intense technique. His thrilling works make a
welcome and fascinating addition to this exhibition.”
Roddy
Phillips – Press and Journal 02/06/2008 |
