THE Scottish John Lowrie Morrison - known as Jolomo - has been invited to preach at Crathie Kirk on Sunday in the presence of the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

The artist is trained as a Lay Reader in the Church of Scotland and frequently preaches in churches in Argyll.

He has been invited to give the sermon at the parish of Braemar and Crathie on Sunday, the first in a group of invited speakers, while the Queen is in residence at Balmoral.

He said: “I am extremely honoured to accept this invitation.

"I enjoy every opportunity to preach, and every congregation is different, but this engagement is a little bit special.

“My theme will be art, creativity and spirituality, a subject close to my heart.”

He gave The Cunningham Lecture on ‘Christianity & Art’ at Edinburgh University’s New College in 2010.

Morrison and his wife Maureen have been guests of the Royal Family before.

They are Vice Presidents of the charity Carers Trust with The Princess Royal, and the artist was a guest of the Queen at Buckingham Palace in March.

He trained as a painter at Glasgow School of Art and worked in art education for 25 years before taking up painting full-time.

Morrison was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at Clydebank Town Hall Museum & Art Gallery in summer 2013, and a major show in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, in November 2015.

www.jolomo.com

PRIMAL Scream will headline a festival to celebrate the opening of the V&A Dundee.

The group will perform at the 3D Festival in the Slessor Gardens in September.

The band will joined on the bill by singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi and Dundee's Be Charlotte on Friday September 14, the eve of the museum's official opening.

Primal Scream's performance will involve a new collaboration with contemporary visual artist and former Turner Prize nominee Jim Lambie, which has been commissioned for the opening of the visitor attraction.

Lead singer Bobby Gillespie said: "We're looking forward to performing at the V&A Dundee opening and collaborating with our dear friend Jim Lambie again."

A two-week online ballot to register for free Friday evening festival tickets opens on Thursday and can be found on the V&A Dundee website.

Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the £80 million V&A Museum of Design, Dundee opens on Saturday September 15.

The two-day festival will continue on the Saturday with a day dedicated to celebrating creative talent from the Dundee area. The Saturday event is free and not ticketed.

Organisers expect up to 20,000 people to attend the two-day festival, a key event in Scotland's Year of Young People 2018.

Free entry to V&A Dundee will be ticketed over the opening weekend, due to the anticipated high levels of interest.

www.vandadundee.org

CREATIVE Scotland's visual artist and craft maker awards are to return for 2018/19.

The awards (VACMA) are designed to help development of art and craft practice at a local level.

It is now available to artists and craft makers in 21 local authorities across Scotland.

It offers grants from £500 to £1,500, and is returning after an evaluation process.

The scheme is available in Aberdeen; Aberdeenshire; Dumfries and Galloway; Dundee; East Lothian; Edinburgh; Fife; Glasgow; Highland; Moray; Outer Hebrides; Orkney Islands; Scottish Borders; Shetland Islands; North, South and East Ayrshire; Perth and Kinross; Stirling; Clackmannanshire and Falkirk.

Amanda Catto, head of visual arts, said: “The VACMA programme has been extremely important in providing opportunities for the creative and professional development of artists and craft makers across Scotland.

"The evaluation shows the significant value of these relatively small awards in terms of increasing confidence and opportunity; the generation of new ideas and skills; the extension of professional networks and outlooks."

The first deadline for applications is October 2.

www.creativescotland.com/funding