About the artist

“I am a mother, a wife, a grandmother and a part-time Waitress, and also a spinner, a weaver and a maker of fibre Art. I am living a considered life, working with local fleeces, from within the crofting community I call home.”

“I have recently spent 2 years in Fort William attaining my HND in Textiles and this year I wanted to expand my understanding of drawing and painting and  have an opportunity to explore different media and styles before going forward onto a degree in textiles, I have enjoyed the whole course, had a chance to push my own boundaries, be brave with watercolour and find beauty and joy in the detail.”

About the artist

“I moved to the Isle of Raasay 7 years ago after falling in love with the island with its breath-taking views of the Cuillin, the colours of the bracken in autumn and the wee whitewashed bothies with ginger corrugated iron roofs. The sea birds, deer and Scottish Blackface rams also inspired me to start painting.”

“The theme of my work is ‘Raasay Life’ and incorporates some of my favourite things about island life. I particularly enjoyed investigating other artists’ techniques and look forward to enrolling in more courses and working alongside others who share my passion for art.”

About the artist

“I live in Cruard in Isleornsay, South Skye. Having just retired after working 40 years for NHS Highland it was time to rekindle my art and see if the old spark was still there! I signed up for an NPA at Auchtertyre and this is the story so far.”

“I can’t say I have a style or a particular favourite medium, I am just enjoying experimenting with everything. It has been so long since I picked up a paintbrush. The course has increased my confidence and I have loved learning about the different techniques and mediums available.”

About the artist

“Coming home to live in Sleat, the seasonal colours of moorland are all around; not only a wild landscape, but a functional environment for many aspects of crofting. The old ways onto the moor and old working tools were my starting points.”

“Inspiration came from the poem ‘Sphagnum Moss’ (2013) by Donald S Murray, where the poet, walking across a moor, notices his footsteps remain imprinted - ‘Sphagnum moss remembers’. An old photo of my grandparents, resting on a peat bank after a hard day’s work, evoked this idea of moss storing the footsteps of those who are gone.”

About the artist

“Although trained as a scientist, I have always been interested in art, especially the visual arts and film. It is easier for me to express myself in images than in words. I have a boundless imagination. It was during Covid that I discovered the joys of putting an image on paper. It was such an exciting time and I really wanted to do a lot more of it.”

“In 2022, I joined the NPA Drawing course and started to experiment with all the different ways to draw or make marks. Putting colour to drawings seemed to be the next step. The NPA Painting course showed me how much more there was to learn.”

“I get completely enthralled by a subject and most of the time I am surprised by what actually comes out on the canvas. It’s a joy to paint; it’s a heady time to see the marks appear as if by magic.”

“Living on the West Coast of Scotland, never very far from the sea, seeing fishermen sail past every day, come rain or shine, understanding the difficulties of the fishing industry, the labour of love that puts fish on your table, made me want to tell a story. The story of the sea, the fish and the fisherfolk. This became my theme.”

About the artist

“My name is James Naz and I live in Plockton, having only been doing art for a year now.”

“I enrolled on the NPA Painting skills course as I had initially a fear of painting but now I love it. Portraiture is to me the most interesting and enjoyable way to express my emotions and personality. I suffer from Dyspraxia which means that I have to have a trial by error approach to sketching.”

“I am writing an illustrated children’s book and am looking forward to the next course (NPA Art and Design) to help with this.”

About the artist

“I’ve always wanted to try my hand at art, having not developed this side of me throughout my life. It’s been a steep learning curve, not just in terms of learning about colour and painting. I’ve taken more notice of art, and visited a few exhibitions. It’s made me re-think how I observe our beautiful surroundings here in Lochalsh.”

“My main theme has been pathways, looking at the tracks and byways that cross thread the Highlands. This art business has been a bit of a pathway for me, too, learning new skills and above all, enjoying what I’ve been doing.”