The Seal Killer

Our spirit lives in our communities, our love for the land and the pride we take in being part of the landscape.

This piece was inspired by the wealth of traditional folk stories that have their origins in the Highlands and the oral tradition of handing them down through families and communities. We find out who we are through examining our history, with every generation comes a retelling of our stories and a better understanding of who we have become.

This painting is a depiction of the tale of ‘The Seal Killer’, it is one of the first stories I remember being told as a small child. My father sat me on his knee, his words revealing that things are not always what they appear and wherever we live; mountains, woodlands and our coastlines, magic lingers.

Our spirit lives in our communities, our love for the land and the pride we take in being part of the landscape. We are a resilient, joyful people, full of stories and an undeniable need to share them. Whether it be the epic battles of our history, a Celtic love story full of magic and faeries, a good tall tale or passing village gossip back and forth in the queue for the fish van, it is our desire to connect with each other and our surroundings that defines the spirit of the Highlands

Duncansby Stacks

I don’t know if I’m surprised so much a fascinated. Duncansby Head is a wild place at the edge of the world, you stand on the cliffs and stare out at an endless horizon. Yet instead of turning inwards and burrowing back into the familiar, people embraced their surroundings and tried to explain the unknown by weaving themselves into its folklore and origins. Understanding the world by creating a mythology that included their community and ancestors.