Culture
In the frame: How advice from her dying dad led Alison McWhirter to become one of UK’s leading artists
Alison McWhirter’s paintings have achieved global recognition, attracting a devoted following of private collectors. But a decade ago, things were very different for the Dumfriesshire-born Scottish painter. Alison had a secure career in teaching and publishing when her terminally ill father told her: ‘Look you’re a painter, you’ve always wanted to be a painter. So…
Read MoreVal McDermid confessed she wishes popular character drank whisky instead of gin
Scottish crime writer Val McDermid has confessed she wishes she’d made her popular character Karen Pirie drink whisky instead of gin. The whisky-loving writer behind the globally successful Karen Pirie book series revealed she regularly receives bottles of gin as a gift from well-meaning fans. But on The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Whisky Talks podcast…
Read MoreIncredible artwork of iconic Scottish brands created using biro pens
These incredible pieces of colourful artwork featuring the Beano, Oor Wullie, Irn-Bru and Tunnocks Teacakes were created using Bic biro pens. Artist Nicola McBride used her passion for growing up in Dundee to capture depictions of all the things she loved as a youngster in the 1980s. Raised in Ardler, her parents worked in public…
Read MoreMonarch of the Glen moved to new home
One of the most celebrated paintings in the world – the iconic The Monarch of the Glen by Sir Edwin Landseer – is on the move to its new home. With only one month to go until the opening of the new Scottish galleries at the National in Edinburgh, The Monarch of the Glen is one of over…
Read MoreLatest exhibition at Scottish Ornithologists’ Club
The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) has announced a new exhibition. Flight Paths, linocuts and sculptures inspired by wildlife, will be held at Waterston House in Aberlady from 27 September – 12 November. The joint exhibition presents linocuts by Babs Pease and John Hatton alongside sculptures by Helen Denerley. All three artists take their inspiration from…
Read MoreSTORIES: THE ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO 2023
As the curtain closes on another successful Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Rosie Morton reflects on this year’s Show. THE skirl of the Lone Piper reverberated around the Esplanade, taking 2023’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to a poignant close. The haunting drone echoed through the 8,800-strong audience and beyond. All eyes gazed up at the piper’s…
Read MoreCollection of European Cup football shirts set to fetch £100k
One of the finest collections of European Cup football shirts ever to come to auction is set to fetch £100,000 when it goes under the hammer. The Bertie Auld Collection, which is being sold by the family of the Celtic great, includes jerseys the midfielder swapped with some of Europe’s top players during the Parkhead…
Read MoreFestival Review: Bluebeard’s Castle
Megan Amato reviews Bluebeard’s Castle. When I was first given the program for the upcoming International Festival, I immediately clicked yes for Bluebeard’s Castle without much thought. As a lover of classic fairy tales reimagined through different mediums, I assumed I was in for Bela Bartok’s classic operatic tale of a woman forcing open doors…
Read MoreHighland Echoes: Scottish heritage celebrated in America
Scotland’s history and heritage has been celebrated in America through music and dance production Highland Echoes. The two-hour show took place at the Appalachian Theatre in Boone, North Carolina, in July, and tried to capture the “essence of Scotland” through dance and music. The music of Highland Echoes tells a tale that stretches across continents,…
Read MoreTattoo performers head for ball pit
FOUR of the performers from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have taken time out to enjoy the capital’s biggest ball pit. The perforners have been playing in the Electro Pipes section of the tattoo, which “fuses together traditional bagpipe melodies with contemporary electronic beats to craft a lively and vibrant experience”. “The tattoo performers taking…
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