NEW LOCATIONS: Meeting Lady in Red Galeria de Arte

Today I headed down to Lady in Red Galeria de Arte in the city where I am situated, to take a look at a selection of my newly housed paintings. As the space is an extremely dynamic, industrial, concrete-contemporary style, I was especially looking forward to seeing the art on a new textured wall, rather than the slick white ones they’d been used to.

Lady in Red is a great spot to meet with friends and spend a couple of hours browsing the huge array of diverse artworks. With a café bar at the entrance, a solo exhibition space in the foyer leading onto the vast warehouse full of carefully considered art. From the gallery’s exterior you simply couldn’t imagine what treasures are hidden inside this rabbit hole.

When I entered the main gallery space, I peered to the right and spotted my paintings, hung on the stone backdrop. When my work had been selected, I wasn’t sure of the exact location in the space, and it was of great joy to me that they were situated in the premier spot for visitors to explore first. The layout of the 5 paintings was carefully considered and worked perfectly. Before submitting my pieces, I was a little unsure of whether they worked harmoniously together as a collection, but the gallery’s use of small sculptures to act as breaks really helped to bridge this, and made me consider creating smaller pieces that could act in the same way for a solo exhibition.

On this particular visit I brought some friends along to see my works and for them, experience the gallery for the first time. I think whether you’re an ‘artsy’ person or not, you simply cannot be underwhelmed by this impressive location. There truly is something for everyone to connect with, whether that’s a glass sculpture or a print of superman rescuing a renaissance muse.

One reflection of this experience for me as an artist would be the opportunity to consider my use of colour and lighting. Previously my work has been located in very bright, naturally light spaces, whereas Lady in Red bodes a dark, harshly lit atmosphere. This cold lightening somewhat affected the vibrancy of my paintings, almost dulling them a little. Going forward I would love to experiment with the effects of light on colour tones, and how it can enhance certain areas of my work.

So, if you’re ever near Lagoa and find yourself craving a little culture or you find yourself in the middle of a rare rainy day, Lady in Red is the perfect place to take shelter and experience a whole different side to The Algarve.