In an exciting initiative where art meets nature, paintings and drawings of scenes in the Atlantic oak woodlands of Argyll will be featured in a exhibition opening in Kilmartin on Saturday 23 April 2005.
The works are the product of Aig an Oir (At the Edge), a unique, European Union-backed woodland art project centred on the Atlantic oakwoods - Scotland's own rainforests - at the Kinloch and Kyleakin Hills in Skye and Loch Sunart in Ardnamurchan and Morvern as well as the Taynish and Knapdale woods of Argyll,
The work is the result of residencies and visits to the areas by more than 40 artists over the past year. Local artists were involved, together with members of the Society of Wildlife Artists from across Great Britain and abroad.
The Taynish and Knapdale Woods exhibition is being held at Kilmartin House Museum, Kilmartin from 23rd April to 4th June. It will feature work by local artists Jane Smith and Louise Oppenheimer, together with visiting SWLA artists Carry Akroyd, Katrina Cook, John Davis, Chris Rose, James Williamson-Bell, Nick Pollard, John and Jane Paige, Michael Warren, John Reany, Martin Ridley, Andrew Stock, Carl Ellis, Anna Kirk Smith, Ger Clancy.
The works from all the exhibitions will be brought together in a national exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from September 12th to 31st October 2005.
The residencies and exhibitions have been accompanied by a programme of wildlife art events, including workshops with local schools and art groups.
Aig an Oir is a partnership of Forestry Commission Scotland, the Society of Wildlife Artists, and HI-Arts. It is being funded and supported by the European Community WHELK and North Highland LEADER+ 2000-2006 programmes, Lochaber Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Scottish Natural Heritage.
Welcoming the exhibition, Kilmartin House Museum's Director and Curator of Archaeology, Dr Sharon Webb, said,
"We're very pleased to be able to facilitate the Aig An Oir project. As well as raising awareness of the importance of the area on a national level, it has also afforded a much-needed opportunity for local people to experience diverse exhibitions of work produced by local artists, as well as creativity from outside the area. This is so important in this area, because the lack of suitable venues is often an inhibitor to this kind of activity.
"This exhibition will also assist in bringing people to Mid-Argyll to experience its wonderful and diverse environment. It will have a role in raising awareness of the unique natural heritage of the oak woods in Knapdale and Taynish, as well as the importance of preserving at least a small fraction of what was once there. The Aig An Oir project has engaged with artists of all levels and ability and will be very beneficial to the creative landscape of Mid-Argyll."
Explaining what Aig an Oir is about, project co-ordinator Moira Baptie of Forestry Commission Scotland added,
"The Atlantic seaboard of Scotland is at the edge of Europe, hence the title of the project. It is an area where the people, the language, art, the land and nature have been intertwined, and where the land has shaped the people as much as the people have shaped the land.
"The oakwoods have suffered erosion over the centuries, but are now being restored by woodland owners, Forestry Commission Scotland and local people. The project seeks to describe, in art, a sense of place that is embodied in the woodlands and the local community."
Further information about Aig an Oir is available on its website, www.forestry.gov.uk/aiganoir
