Stories of the landscape
Outside my window the Suie hills run from Bennachie out towards Tap o Noth like a link between two giants. At the foot, there is a little mound called Hill of Johnston that catches in the low spring and autumn light and glows a vivid lime.
Folklore tells of Jock the Giant of Bennachie flinging muckle stanes at a love rival, the Giant of Tap o Noth, as they fight for the heart of Lady Anne. Sometimes in that glowing light, I can imagine that the glow of Hill of Johnston is the radiant Lady Anne! Needless to say, the story ends in tragedy.
Our landscape holds so many stories quietly in the shadows and contrasts. Millenia of history captured there for us to read, remember, imagine if we just pause…
Yesterday was the opening of a beautifully curated collection of art works by Visual Arts Scotland for the Future “Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling” exhibition, MacLaurin Art Gallery, Ayr. I’m very proud to have had a painting “Light Reminder Spreads” accepted to be part of the exhibition.
“Future Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling brings together artists and makers who use material practice as a way of preserving and inventing stories. Through clay, textile, wood, paper, sound, and performance, they reimagine myths while creating new narratives that speak to contemporary life.
The exhibition seeks to ask: What do ancient tales mean in the present? What new folklore might emerge in response to migration, climate change, or digital culture? And how can craft with its roots in skill, touch, and tradition become a language for storytelling in the future? How does art reflect the stories of the past?
Celebrating the imaginative threads between past and present, this exhibition explores the enduring power of art and craft to shape how communities remember, imagine, and connect.” Visual Arts Scotland
Opening times:
Monday - Saturday 10-5, and Sundays 12-5
28th March - 30th May 2026
Rozelle Estate, Ayr, KA7 4NQ
