The first thing that engages the viewer with these works is the artist's use of line. It is said that line is simply the path made by a moving point but Margaret Woodward doesn't just draw a line, she dances with it. Her line is articulate, it has movement and direction, weight and character, it suggests and describes, it is the primary element of, and the final word in, her art.

Woodward works line with style and grace to provide the viewer with visually intriguing images. All the drawings, from the smallest ink sketch to the largest mixed media work, invite and delight. An example is the tiny Rembrandt's Lesson 2 where a pale shadow of a meandering line made by a brush evolves into the idea of a head and upper torso. Then with a nib dipped in dark ink, a cluster of short straight diagonal lines define the profile of a young woman. This small image has the power to call us from across the room and the closer we get to it's surface the more we see and appreciate the art of drawing.

The artist's employment of unusual compositional structure, often leaving much of the surface empty, is another way of holding the viewer's interest. For example in The Flowering of Memory, an old woman is held securely in a 'busy' pyramidal shape, while much of the surface is bare. The dark eyes are not vacant, they are filled with emotion. The large, peasant hands are strong and still, while the bed on which she reclines is a busy collection of floral shapes drawn with black and white lines. As we investigate the surface of the image we find information that either helps us interpret the mood, or poses questions about the subject. For example, that beautiful small still life of pears on a plate neatly placed under the table, could it be a reference to past 'fruitfulness'?

Then, in the large black and white mixed media drawing Mother and Child, there is a single spot of red set hard against the lower left edge of the frame. It provides a perfect counter balance for the weight of the subjects' faces and the negative space on the right side of the composition.

With her paintings, Woodward employs line to suggest objects, currents or paths made by occupants of the cool water world implied. In the light blue works colour and line is used in such a way that allows us to fall into the image. But my preference leans towards the dark blue works, such as Variations on a Theme from Borrodale: Rainbow on the Surface of the Dark Pond or the Floating Rainbow. It may be a long and articulate title but the painting itself washes away all words as we want to dive deep into the rich hue and try to catch hold of that small scale of singing colour.

I could go on with superlatives about the work or list Woodward's achievements as an artist citing the awards she's won and the prestigious collections that hold her work. However, despite how impressive that may be, it pales in comparison to the truth found in her work. Do make an effort to see this excellent exhibition.