New art gallery and studio opens in Ayr's Kyle Street

Gail Roberta Ivanović and husband Aleksander Ivanović - Sine first met in Venice three decades ago, and instantly connected, with Aleksander even asking Gail to marry him after only a few days. 

However, Gail moved back to York and didn't meet Aleksander again for 30 years. But the pair are now married and living in Ayr.

Gail explained: "My husband studied at the Venice art academy and I studied art in York as an older student. 

"My class went to Venice on a visit and my husband was asked to meet some students from my class.

"As soon as we saw each other that was that. We spent the next few days together and he asked me to marry him there and then but I said I had to go back home.

"We wrote for a while making plans but then lost touch. Three years ago I found my now husband on social media and sent him a message asking how he was and he replied instantly saying he had been looking for me for years but my name had changed through marriage.

"It turned out we were both divorced and we were instantly back together and texted while I waited for my passport so I could go and visit him.

"I went to Slovenia after a few months and he asked me to marry him. I took my kids to meet him. We married two years ago in Slovenia and now we all live here in Ayr.

"So that’s how we met, through art, and are now working together as artists here in South Ayrshire."

The husband and wife duo have now opened their studio gallery Febbraio in Kyle Street, and say they hope to bring artists from across the world to the town.

Gail said: "We started off just looking for a studio to work from but couldn’t find anything suitable and the landlord who showed us one place said he had a shop that we might like.

"It’s in Kyle Street in Ayr and is such a lovely bright space. We have turned it into a gallery/studio and we work in it but also have space to display our work.

"My husband has shown and sold internationally and knows many artists over the world. We thought it would be a good idea to have exhibitions of our own work and also the work of foreign artists which would bring people from all over to the town."

The pair are looking to run workshops every week, and are encouraging anyone interested to pop in to their Kyle Street premises. 

Gail added: "Our work is abstract and I am planning to run abstract workshops with a strong therapeutic aspect and make them a very special evening for people who want to put their emotions and personality into their work.

"It will be very personal. I just want to have something for people to come and feel special - freshly ground coffee, really nice cakes from local producers, nibbles etc.

"We don’t have set opening hours because it’s our studio but we’re mostly in from 12pm until 5pm and people can make an appointment if they wish.

"It’s very much a working artist studio. Workshops will be evenings to begin with but I’ll see what people want most."