05/08/2026
We are a gallery that celebrates the Cairngorms landscape and recent scenes just a few miles away have stung our community hard.
But we are also hopeful that recovery and regeneration is possible, and we know that we will always love our home.
In that spirit, we welcome one of our favourite local artists to the gallery this month with an exhibition that takes us to a “Happy Place”.
Artist Cathy Haworth Art is based in Nethy Bridge and she and husband Jon were among those evacuated because of the wildfires. She said it was a scary and surreal time for them - reflected in the fact that Cathy grabbed the paintings for this exhibition plus a favourite mug when they left at midnight, rather than essentials such as a toothbrush and contact lenses.
They were grateful to get back home so soon and like all of us, appreciate the huge efforts being made to get the fire under control and save as much of the forest as possible.
Happy Place is her homage to “a beautifully magical part of the world”, one that she has made home. She says that she wants her paintings to make people smile.
Cathy said: “It makes me happy and grateful that I get to call a teeny tiny corner of it home. It’s easy here, even amongst the day-to-day harrumphs and grumbles, to find things to be happy about, to be inspired and throw around some colourful happy-coloured paints and see what happens.”
Cathy’s paintings are always colourful, full of life and texture. She splatters the paint and takes us to a world of mountains, bothies and, often, sheep. These are scenes that feel familiar.
And we also love her titles, which are among the longest we’ve had in the gallery. Cathy’s paintings start a little story in your head – when you take her work home, you continue the tale.
Exhibition starts August 21.
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