wonderful place that is the art world today. Even with all of its challenges and contradictions - and perhaps because of them - it is Joe’s world, the place he has inhabited creatively for decades and the source of his inspiration. Joe’s ‘wee pictures’ give us an insight into the art world’s bigger picture. The ‘Sniffy’ paintings can be enjoyed on their own, but it is in the context of a solo show like this that we can really ap - preciate them as part of the larger narrative of Joe’s life and work. The solo exhibition is also an opportunity to show the breadth of Joe’s creative output, and in particular, some of his larger figurative paintings, which reveal his life-long study of Western art and culture and his ability to see and make connections between its past, present and future. In his early 70s now, Joe’s unshakeable energy and commitment to the arts is admirable and the future will undoubtedly remember his contributions as an individual artist and for the work he has done to promote visual art in the West of Scotland and Scotland more generally. For now though, we are able to delight in his paintings, and to treat ourselves to a full exhibition of work by one of Scotland’s most accomplished painters. From the largest gestural abstracts to the wee pictures, Joe’s brushwork is irresistible and feels like painting at its most fluent. Finally, both Joe and I would like to dedicate this exhibition to the unforgettable Dr Andrew Flapan, who passed away earlier this year. It is safe to say that Andrew was the biggest collector and supporter of Joe’s work over the last few decades. A regular visitor to the gallery and keen follower of Joe’s work, he knew about each and every Sniffy painting, which gallery it was at, and perhaps to the panic of his very patient wife, where he might find a space for it on his walls. Sniffy paintings were hidden at work before he would attempt to sneak new purchases into the house, a plan that never quite went unnoticed. A true collector - and self acknowledged obsessive about Joe’s work - Andrew never stopped finding joy and delight in the paintings, and perhaps experienced more than a few moments where life seemed to imitate art! Always interested in the quirks of life and people (including himself), Andrew’s genuine warmth, kindness, and presence will be remembered by all of us here at the gallery, Joe and Anne-Louise, and of course Sniffy himself!
Eileadh Swan Gallery Director
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