The Achiltibuie Stone

[The Spirit of the Highlands is] the ceilidh. Not the bigger hall variety, although that is great too, but the more intimate one in a house with friends and neighbours, sharing stories through talking and singing.

For the project I made a painting based on my fictional short story The Achiltibuie Stone. Two children discover a runestone in a dry stone dyke between their crofts, which causes trouble between their families.

I grew up in Lochinver and Inverkirkaig in Sutherland. A runestone was discovered in Inverkirkaig in 1987, but it turned out to be a memorial placed there in 1977.

I set my fictional story in Achiltibuie, as our family spent many holidays there. My uncle Kennth MacKenzie was the headmaster for many years and my auntie Marlene had a herd of Highland cattle. She taught me to paint landscapes when I was a child. I only found out a few months ago that my great-grandmother was originally from Achiltibuie.

artist with commission

David Hutchinson
Image provided by Northport Studio

Achiltibuie & Ullapool
Image provided by Northport Studio

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Photos from Artist

Grandmother
Image provided by Artist Achiltibuie
Image provided by Artist

Artists great grandmother Helen Sutherland
Image provided by Artist

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