Forged thousands of years ago from ice and fire, the dramatic and romantic landscape of the Highlands has provided inspiration and fired imaginations.
And from the pencils, brushes and hands of artists have emerged misty scenes of snow-capped mountains, proud stags and leaping mountain hares, glassy lochs and soaring eagles.
Now however, a new exhibition has brought together an alternative view of the Highland landscape as seen through the eyes of contemporary artists.
‘Left at the Mountain, North to the Sea’ features work by artists currently living and working in the Highlands, and others inspired by the shifting colours, majestic beauty and diversity of the rugged northern landscape.
READ MORE: Banksy's Cut & Run opens up for late-night walk-ins
Set to open at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery this weekend, the exhibition dispels the stereotypical image of ‘tartan shortbread tin’ Highland art.
For while many of the exhibits revel in the enchanting glory of an region that merges towering mountains with deep lochs, soggy peat bogs and precious wildflowers, others reflect grittier human stories of displacement and the modern scourge of waste and pollution.
Neil Macpherson, The Way of the Righteous, oil on canvas
Cathy Shankland, High Life Highland’s Visual Arts Curator at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, said: “Art opens channels of communication for the natural environment which can help us to understand and appreciate this wild northern land in all its scarred beauty, fragility, and resilience.
“The work of these inspirational artists and makers communicates so eloquently about how intricately our culture, past and present, has been shaped by our relationship with the land.
“That same land continues to sustain us through new technologies, the mysterious bog is today being recognised as a planet-saving carbon sink, the charmed habitat of seals is polluted with the debris of far-off lives washed up on our shores.
“But this is a fruitful cache of materials to be scavenged, repurposed, and reinterpreted by enterprising, beachcombing artists.”
Among the striking exhibits is a tattered military trunk, its lid prised open to reveal a gleaming gold interior and wooden boat with its cargo of little fish – symbols of faith and hope. Together with a folded map and antique postcard, it creates a commentary on the movement of Highlanders in pursuit of better prospects in foreign lands.
Entitled ‘Stowaway’ it was made by artist Lucy Woodley, as part of a series of works around the theme of immigration.
Stowaway, by Lucy Woodley
While Caithness-based RSA contemporary artist Neil MacPherson’s brightly coloured abstract animals are set against a Highland landscape of rolling, dark mountains – in contrast to the almost hyper-realistic pencil and charcoal close-up drawings by Magi Sinclair of the spongy, plant rich blanket bog near her home.
Many of the works are inspired by nature and entwined with the stories of the region: the bark of artist Pamela Tait’s birch tree is made up of fantastical figures, reminders of Highland folklore tales of faeries and spirits.
While others comment on the scourge of pollution, Grays School of Art graduate Emma Caldow’s cyanotype prints were formed on beaches across the Highlands, and merge the rushing tide, sun and wind.
Alongside modern artists’ work are examples from Barbara Rae, Jon Schueler, Dorothy Stirling, Frances Walker and Sylvia Wishart from the Highland Council’s collections.
READ MORE: Galleries round-up -Celebrating the wonder women of the art world
Cathy continued: “Dispelling traditional romantic concepts of the Highlands, the works in this exhibition are informed by many different perspectives, from topographical studies, ancient myths, folklore and poetry to environmental threat and displaced peoples.
“Ideas are expressed in painting, sculpture, and craft through the symbolism and mystery of trees and mountains, half-seen visions in the play of light, never-ending skies with intimations of infinity, objects crafted from the debris of far-off lives cast up on our shores.
“The unique and fragile environment of the Highlands is the remnants of one of the last great European wildernesses.”
Lar MacGregor, Recycled carrier bags 2
Steve Walsh, High Life Highland’s Chief Executive, said the collection reflected the perspectives and experiences of those living within the Highland area.
He added: “Understanding and looking after the environment is an important means of making life better for all Highland residents. I hope those who visit the exhibition will leave feeling inspired by everything on show.”
The exhibition comes as the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh prepares for the long-awaited opening of new galleries which will showcase the nation’s collection of Scottish art.
The £38.62 million galleries at the Mound are set to open in September, almost £22 million over budget and four years later than had been anticipated due to construction issues.
The ten new galleries will house around 600 works from artists spanning centuries of Scottish and international art.
‘Left at the Mountain, North to the Sea’ at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery runs from Saturday 22nd July to Saturday 26th August.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here