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…

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The Art of Beasts: Life Drawing Class at the Cauldron Edinburgh

Megan Amato checks out a life drawing class at the Cauldron, Edinburgh. Edinburgh’s festivals may bring a host of exciting and novel acts, and while the Cauldron Pub has never needed an excuse to introduce intriguing and magical entertainment, they have upped the ante with enough month-long worth to fill your wizard boots. One alluring…

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Incredible pictures from Aberdeen’s street art festival Nuart

Take a look those these incredible pictures from Aberdeen’s street art festival Nuart. The internationally renowned festival saw 13 acclaimed artists create stunning new artwork in the city – including some huge new murals. It has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the city since it first took place in 2017 and continues to…

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Glasgow Print Studio marks National Poetry Day

TO MARK National Poetry Day, Glasgow Print Studio is holding a preview tonight of a exhibition inspired in part by Scottish poet Sorley MacLean. Artist Ken Currie took inspiration for “Chunnacas na mairbh beò” – “The Dead Have Been Seen Alive” – from MacLean’s poem “Hallaig”, about the clearances on the Isle of Raasay. The…

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Scottish Portrait Awards winners named

THE winners of the Scottish Portrait Awards have been unveiled. Sam Dalby from Moffat won the Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art and £5,000 for his painting “Meeting Daniel”, a posthumous portrait of the artist’s mother, meeting her grandson, Daniel, for the first time. Gordon Mitchell, director of the Scottish Portrait Awards and chair of…

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Pioneering Frames Gallery goes up for sale

AFTER 43 years promoting Scottish artists, Frames Gallery in Perth is looking for its own buyer. Hugh and Julie Goring opened their gallery in 1979 after her father offered them cash for a formal wedding or to start their own business. “We weren’t the first gallery in Perth showing contemporary Scottish art as acclaimed Scottish…

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Retro beats with a futuristic touch in new song

December Morning Remix is the nostalgic debut single from futuristic artist Chuck Destiny. The synth-pop track, which features Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Iain Wilson, will be released on Friday, 22 April. Chuck Destiny is the project by an unnamed artist creating retro beats with a futuristic garnish. The track features vocals from Iain Wilson, who infuses current…

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Diva and Icons for this year’s Knockengorroch Festival

Knockengorroch Festival has revealed its 2022 theme – Diva and Icons. This has been revealed through a photo series with rap artist and singer Nova AKA Nova Scotia The Truth. Pictured in an open mussel shell at the Deugh river, Nova presents this year’s theme in a homage to the endangered freshwater mussel of Scottish…

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Breaking the News exhibition to look at the media

A Scots library is playing host from today (Thursday 24 February) to a pop-up British Library exhibition about the role news plays in our society. Aberdeen City Library is one of 30 venues across the UK featuring the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network displays up until Saturday 20 August which are complemented by online and…

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Last chance to see Turner in January

Time’s running out to see an exhibition of the work of JMW Turner at the National Galleries of Scotland. The Galleries has presented a display of Turner’s work every January for more than a century, and is on now until Monday 31 January 2022. This year’s exhibition showcases all of the 38 watercolours by Turner…

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