At this time of the year we are expecting the arrival of three wise men from the east. This year as a precursor the gallery has invited two wise men from the west. As Davy Brown said “two out of three’s not bad – I’m still waiting for wisdom”.

Both these artists graduated from Glasgow School of Art more years ago than they would care to admit. Exhibiting with them with a solo exhibition of sculpture, is Michael McManus.

Davy Brown lives and works in Galloway. He exhibits widely throughout the UK and his work is rapidly becoming recognised in the USA. Brown was born in Kilmarnock in 1950 and studied at Glasgow School of Art between 1968-72. He had his first solo exhibition in Glasgow in 1971 at the Citizen’s Theatre. From 1972-73, he studied at Moray House College, Edinburgh. In 1975, he won a scholarship from the Institute of Cultural Affairs, Chicago. When he returned from his travels he taught in Kilmarnock and had exhibitions in various galleries in Scotland and in Belgium. In 1988, Brown became the principal teacher of art at Douglas-Ewart High School in Newton Stewart until 2002 and continued to have solo shows across Scotland and England. In 2002, he gave up teaching to paint full time.

Alastair W Thomson is a regular exhibitor at The Royal Glasgow Institute and has exhibited internationally for many years. A very senior Scottish artist, Thomson spent most of his career either teaching or painting landscapes. In recent times, he has turned his hand to interiors of residences, bars and restaurants. Thomsons’ interiors are ‘intimate moments in time’ captured on canvas. His work is held in corporate collections in the UK and in private collections throughout the world.

Michael McManus was born and brought up in Dalkeith and has lived and worked in the Lothians all his life. He left school to immediately begin work in a craft that had been his calling from a very early age, simply loving the creative satisfaction that he derived from carving, shaping and finishing natural wood. He has been a professional woodcarver sculptor for over 20 years.

Sourcing his wood mostly locally, McManus has taken his woodcarving beyond standard craftsmanship and focuses on sculpting his pieces to the extent that they are truly considered works of art. His range of product is wide and covers large outdoor sculptures that feature in landscape gardens as well as smaller more intricate ornamental works suitable for indoor display. He never finishes his pieces with paintwork, instead bringing out as an entirely unique feature, the natural grain of the wood selected. Special oils are used throughout the finishing process, with hand polishing as appropriate. Each piece is entirely original highlighting the unique and individual grain pattern of the piece of wood being worked on. Michael selects his wood carefully and with the design of the sculpture very much in mind – Elm, Sycamore, Cherry, Cedar, Oak, Beech, Yew and Lime are used as is Elm burr. McManus has exhibited across Scotland and the UK.