Wild Art of Scotland

Seeing Scotland through the eyes of artists inspires us to appreciate its beauty in new ways. The following fabulous artistic experiences help our guests to forge a closer connection with landscape and culture and to create meaningful memories.

1. OPEN-AIR GALLERY

Jupiter Artland is an extraordinary sculpture park set in breathtaking scenery and within easy reach of Edinburgh. Here our guide will take you on a country walk like no other. You will see the giant steel structures, Firmament, by Anthony Gormley. In the artist’s own words his works seek “to materialise the sensation of that inner space of the body… an attempt to realize embodiment, without really worrying too much about mimesis, about representation in a traditional way.”

You will also be introduced to pieces such as Anish Kapoor’s Suck, Andy Goldworthy’s stone house Bonnington, and Shane Waltener’s extraordinary Over Here. The latter is a piece made from knitted fishing line and suspended between two trees, which resembles a spider’s web.

2. CREATIVE CASTAWAYS

Eilean Shona, an island off the coast of Argyll, is owned by Vanessa Branson (sister to Richard), who is an art lover and entrepreneur. At its heart is a striking former hunting lodge, Eilean Shona House, along with several other properties that have all been renovated and which house an extensive collection of artworks by famous artists such as Grayson Perry and Dame Paula Rego. The richly coloured abstract mural in the dining room was painted by the Glaswegian artist Fred Pollock in 1995.

There are ample opportunities to try your hand at painting or to pick up a pen and write under expert guidance. In fact, this beautiful island with its secluded sandy beaches and towering rocky crags is a source of deep inspiration for those who wish to slow down and contemplate in order to create. That is what author J M Barrie did when he visited back in 1920 and it is believed that this island is the inspiration behind the fictional island of Neverland in Peter Pan.

3. PLACE OF MYTH AND MAGIC

Cawdor Castle is situated within easy reach of the Highland capital Inverness and it allows visitors to peruse beautiful art, inside and out and, of course, to immerse themselves in historical tales. Forever associated with Shakespeare’s Scottish play, Macbeth, the castle was not actually built until the late 14th century, long after King Duncan was murdered by Macbeth.

The castle currently belongs to the Dowager Countess Cawdor who inherited it from her husband, the 6th Earl of Cawdor in 1993.

She has done much to enhance it aesthetically. Within Cawdor’s three distinct gardens, there are some fabulous sculptures to gaze at. These include one of Adam and Eve leaving paradise by worldrenowned sculptor, George Jeanlcos.

In the flower garden you can watch birds and red squirrels enjoying the Orchid Tree Feeder created by Danish-born artist Illona Maurice, and if you wander into the slate garden you will come across Cawdor Sphere by Scottish artist James Parker.

4. LIFE IN A LANDSCAPE

Set in the Pentland Hills, near Edinburgh, Little Sparta is a distinct series of plantings and stunning art installations laid out over a seven-acre site. It reflects all the elements that constituted the creative output of Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) and was created in collaboration with his wife, Sue Finlay. His concrete poetry is etched in wood, metal and stone and his sculptural pieces reveal a broad range of interests. There are reflections on the sea, on nature and our relationship with it as well as references to Classical Antiquity, to the French Revolution and to World War II. The privilege of gaining private access to this special garden, and insight into how it evolved, is extended to our guests.

5. BEHIND THE SCENES

Dr Anna Galastro is an architectural and art historian who can take you behind the scenes in art galleries in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

You will gain insight into the buildings themselves and you will also learn how to interpret the meaning behind various creative works of art and the place they occupy in Scotland’s cultural heritage. As an experienced university lecturer who also gives public talks in galleries and museums, Dr Galastro is an expert in passing on her knowledge in an engaging and informative manner. In her company you will deftly navigate the artistic landscape across temporal and geographical distance.

6. FINDING YOUR INNER ARTIST

Nicky Sanderson is a fully accredited tourist guide who has combined her passion for providing excellent guest experiences with her skill as a trained artist.

A graduate of Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen and The Slade School of Fine Art, London, she conducts workshops en plein-air painting using watercolours, ink and mixed media. She can enhance your appreciation of colour and guide you through the experience of making landscape drawings.

Her own work is focused on creating multimedia pieces based on human interaction with the land. She also depicts the action of water on beaches and has a fascination with the geological and human stories of islands and estuaries. An admirer of the work of Edgar Degas, Nicky subscribes to his view that “Art is not what you see, but what you must make others see.”

7. IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY

The Loch Ard Sculpture Trail is sited within The Loch Lomond National Park, a short drive from Glasgow. Embark on a walk of about four and a half miles in length and you will come across chainsaw sculptures and willow weavings by local artist Rob Mullholland.

The sculptures represent a range of animals and birds that make up part of the natural food chain in the forest. This turns into a truly immersive experience when you catch scent of wild plants and discover sound posts featuring the sounds of local animals, such as the toad, deer, stag, great spotted woodpecker, jay and buzzard.

8. HEALING BEAUTY

At Hospitalfield near Arbroath, our private guides can help you travel back in time to the 13th century when an order of Benedictine monks established a hospital here. The hospital became a monastery and was a waypoint for pilgrims but many of the medicinal plants to be found in the grounds here today are the same as those that were grown here for healing purposes 800 years ago.

In 1843 the main building was remodelled into an Arts and Crafts mansion as a private residence for the Allan Frasers. Inside there is an extensive art collection, which includes contemporary work alongside pieces that date back to the 19th century. You can look at a letter that was written by famous Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and soak up the scholarly atmosphere in the wellstocked library.

There is a steady presence of artists-in-residence producing new artwork, and also a beautiful fernery to explore.

9. MIND-EXPANDING EXPERIENCE

Nestled in the Nithsdale Hills of Dumfries and Galloway is a singular example of the power of artistic alchemy. What used to be the site of an open-cast mining operation has been transformed into a key destination for those interested in land art and cosmology.

World-renowned landscape artist, Charles Jencks (1939-2019) worked on behalf of landowner, the Duke of Buccleuch, to bring together aspects of science and astronomy. Using around 2,000 boulders and a network of paths, he mapped out representations of cosmic explosions, spirals of the Milky Way and other cosmic phenomena.

This fifty-acre plot also contains the Sun Amphitheatre, which seats up to 5,000 people and is the perfect venue for open-air events with a dramatic dimension. All this can be experienced under the everchanging, moody skies particular to Scotland and in the company of one of our expert guides.

10. THE ART OF NATURE

The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh is home to a world- famous living collection of plants, which has been established over the course of the last 350 years. Alicia Salazar is a multilingual guide who is also a botanical artist and illustrator. She loves taking guests round the garden and is happy to help them become aware of the tools and skills required to depict flowers accurately. Mainly, her mission is to encourage the art of really looking. She says, “When I look at flowers and I paint, I feel the wonders of nature. I feel an intimate joy of the creation.”

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Rosie Peattie, Head of Guiding “Develop your skills as an artist with Dream Escape – whatever your medium – en plein air, immersed in the breathtaking scenery of Scotland accompanied by a Scottish artist. Whether on the rugged coastline, the shores of a loch or on a mountainside, the lights and colours are exceptional and ever changing and will bring a new dimension to your work.”

⬥ rosie@dreamescape.co.uk

WORDS | JENNY MCBAIN

IMAGES IN THIS FEATURE ARE COURTESY OF AND VISITSCOTLAND / KENNY LAM / /PAUL TOMKINS / VISITBRITAIN BRITAIN ON VIEW / ALISTAIR EDWARDS / IANHAMILTON FINLAY, LITTLE SPARTA / RUTH CLARK AND HOSPITALFIELD