ABOUT US
The McGill Duncan Gallery is very much a family business owned and run by the Blamires. Mother and daughter team Jill and Zoe Blamire curate and direct the gallery. Jill's husband Roger Blamire runs the very busy and successful Gelston Pictures Frames just round the corner in St Andrew Street, Castle Douglas. Zoe's brothers, Leo and Joss Blamire, live in Glasgow and enjoy trips back to the Gallery on a regular basis. Leo enjoys drawing and printmaking and can be heard in his bands 'Wilson Tan' and 'Schnapps'. Joss currently works for the Government Department of Renewable Energy.
Jill Blamire
Jill moved to Scotland in the 1970s to work as Assistant Director of Theatre Workshop Edinburgh. There she met her husband Roger and eventually moved to Dumfries and Galloway where they brought up their three children. She was a Primary Teacher for nearly 20 years specialising in teaching children with learning difficulties. She left teaching to renovate and then open the gallery when the previous gallery owner retired in 2006. She says, 'Every day of life in the gallery is eventful and stimulating. I've always been inspired by the visual arts and as a child I spent many happy hours in the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull. Whenever I visit a new place I always look for the art galleries. With those experiences in mind I hope we have created a lively but traditional exhibition space that is friendly and relaxed.'
Jill uses her keen eye to arrange the displays in the gallery and takes great pride in the aesthetics of the space. Having previously developed her own artistic skills, she is able to talk knowledgeably about many different mediums and techniques. Away from the art world, Jill has two gardens to look after, both here at the gallery and at home. She particularly loves flowers that can be cut and brought into the house or galllery. She also finds her dog Beano essential company for relaxing and reading in the evening.
Zoë Blamire
Zoë spends a lot of time sourcing work for the gallery. This combines well with her passion for traveling. She designed the gallery logo and rebranded the image of the gallery when the family launched the business. A particular favourite with customers is her McGill Duncan Gallery jute shopping bag. She masterminds the look of the Private View invitations using Adobe InDesign and is responsible for organising the popular Preview events for new exhibitions in the gallery. She is enjoying the challenge of managing the web site. During 2010, with the help of a Scottish Arts Council Digital Development award, Zoë will be expanding the web site further.
After many years of being unable to work because of chronic illness, Zoë’s subsequent recovery came at a time when she was able to combine her knowledge of the arts with her new found energy to develop the gallery with an ambitious vision. Zoë explains, 'Both Jill and I look for a truthfulness in the art we choose for the gallery. This means a piece should be enduring and life enhancing whether it is a tiny porcelain jug or a large oil painting. I curated a large Printmakers' exhibition in 2009 with work from some of the best Printmakers in the UK. I am fascinated by Printmaking and the huge variety of techniques involved. Visiting printmaking studios in the run up to the show was enlightening. I enjoyed learning some basic etching techniques on a course at Glasgow Print Studios this year'
As well as a passion for the visual arts, Zoë enjoys live music and has organised some unconventional live music events. Zoë lives part of the week in Glasgow, which gives her a chance to practice Iyengar yoga – daily if possible! She loves walking her Parson Russell Terrier Beano and spending time with her Shetland Pony, Hamish, in the beautiful Galloway countryside. She also enjoys writing and keeps customers up to date with regular gallery Blog entries.