Violin Trail
The Banchory Violin Trail
Explore our vibrant new Art Trail from 8th May to 27th Sept 2021
The Banchory Violin Trail, an exciting new discovery Art Trail, will take you on a journey around our beautiful town where you will encounter twelve individual pieces of art created by local artists.
The violins represent Banchory’s musical heritage, being the birth place of James Scott Skinner born in Banchory in 1843. Known as ‘The Strathspey King’ he is recognised as one of the greatest violinists and composers of Scottish traditional music, composing many tunes which are still played worldwide.
Inspired by themes relating to local heritage, landscape, wildlife and folklore each violin is a unique work of art. As you discover each part of the trail, our artists information will give you an insight into the inspiration behind each violin on the trail.
We hope you enjoy exploring The Banchory Violin Trail, all artworks will be offered for sale in Autumn 2021. To be kept informed of details of the auction event or to express an interest in purchasing one of the pieces please contact sssqevents@gmail.com
See update on the Facebook Page
MEET THE ARTISTS
CRATHES CASTLE APIARY BY CHRISTOPHER SHARP
Venue : Copper & Grey, 16 High Street, Banchory AB31 5SR
I have worked as a professional artist since 1983 producing work that reflects the beautiful Scottish landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits it. My work provides a snapshot of a very private, fleeting moment between nature and landscape. Much of my work is based upon keen personal interests and the inspiration for the violin came from a visit I had to Crathes Castle apiary. As I now keep bees myself, the bees, the hives and flowers were an opportunity to run riot with colour. The Crathes clock and the hexagonal shape of comb cells were laid down first to produce a more subtle geometric background and followed by the explosion of colour to capture the beauty of the apiary.
For more information about my work visit www.chrissharpart.com
BANCHORY SHOW BY ISOBEL AND RACHEL TAME
Venue : Taylor’s on the High Street, 45-55 High Street, Banchory AB31 5TJ
We are Rachel and Isobel Tame, two sisters who live on a farm in Banchory. The last 12 months have been very strange for us. Lockdown has had a big impact on Rachel’s final year of study at RGU and on Isobel’s final year at Banchory Academy. In the first lockdown we started painting broken roof slates which we placed at the bottom of our drive. Passing walkers and cyclists asked if they were for sale so we set up a donation box and donated the money to NHS charities. We were overwhelmed by people’s generosity and raised over £1000 for the NHS and a further £600 for Aberdeenshire South food bank. We were so excited when Banchory District Initiative contacted us asking if we would be interested in painting a violin for the Banchory Violin Trail. We enjoy painting animals and have grown up looking forward to the Banchory Show each summer, so we decided to use this as inspiration for the theme of our violin. We wanted to capture the lively, colourful atmosphere of Banchory show, as it is such an iconic part of a Banchory summer.
Find out more about our slates and other work
Etsy - TameArts - https://etsy.me/3w8Ww2x
Facebook page - Tame Arts - https://www.facebook.com/TameArtss/
Instagram - @tame_arts
CRATHES CASTLE THROUGH THE SEASONS BY BEVERLEY BLACK
Venue : J.G. Ross Bakery, 58 High Street, Banchory AB31 5SS
I’ve been living in Scotland and painting its landscapes in watercolour, acrylic and mixed media since 1982, and settled here permanently with my family in1994. As a keen walker, geographer, botanist and landscape architect I developed a deep appreciation of all aspects of landscape and how to create a sense of place. My violin reflects the local beauty spot of Crathes Castle, with its warm colours, which is irresistible to an artist. I have painted it many times in all seasons- in deep snow where the topiary shapes are really picked out and in summer when the herbaceous border is so colourful. The changes through the season are depicted in the paintings on the violin.
More of my work can be seen on my website www.beverleyblack.co.uk
NURTURE BY BEATRICE CHARNLEY
Venue : Butterfly Effect 13 Scott Skinner Square, Banchory, AB31 5SE
I am an artist, cook and community activity facilitator. I like to plant seeds together with others. I instigated a growing herb planter project in Scott Skinner Square and together with a team of volunteers we cultivate the Bellfield Rose Garden. The garden is a local and well loved social space in which to give one’s senses little moments of happiness and peace. We have celebrated our small harvests and shared meals. Fork to fork, we nurture our communality and explore how to live well together. These past few months wool has become my medium of choice. I have been exploring crochet, weaving and rug hooking. French knitting appealed for its simplicity, it is also very soothing, and I quickly found myself with multiple lengths of colourful yarns, as seen in this piece. The invitation to participate in the Banchory Violin Trail came at a serendipitous time to create this playful piece in hopeful anticipation and celebration of the coming summer.
Let there soon be a riot of colour, shape, sound, sight, wildlife, people enjoying being back together, music and art!
MAPPING BANCHORY STATION BY IRIS WALKER-REID
Venue : Yeadon’s of Banchory, 20 Dee Street, Banchory AB315ST
I am used to connecting objects and places in my work in ways of drawings and sculptures. I tend to be drawn to everyday objects as they fade into our backgrounds of everyday life. And in places or spaces, I look for strong historical past connections and exciting details of ghostly impressions which tell a story of the raw emotions eroded by time. In the violin, I experimented with old photographs and maps of Banchory Railway Station and The Deeside Line. Using the pattern from the wood of the violin as contour lines of old maps and decorating the neck with train lines to connect the strings to the railway lines then reflecting the ornate station canopy around the sides of the violin.
For more information on my work visit www.iriswalkerreid.com
ENTER HERE TONIGHT BY LUCY BRYDON
Venue : Wee Shoe Shop, Unit 2, 77 High Street, Banchory AB31 5TJ
I am an artist and art teacher living in the beautiful north east of Scotland. I love to create art using layers and textures and work mainly in watercolour and gouache. I am inspired by folklore, animals and fauna, old crumbly buildings with doors and gates, nature and plant forms, trees and forests… I love the woods. My violin was inspired by the wildlife and surrounding area of Banchory. The hare, pheasant and squirrel sit amongst the stone circle at Glassel Dam Wood and in the landscape surrounding Scolty Hill. I often paint in a whimsical or illustrative style and like the idea of hidden layers that have meaning to the final piece, lyrics from one of James Scott Skinners tunes “The Cradle Song” feature around my violin ‘Sprites that guard young children, Enter here tonight; O’er my fevered darling, Watch til morning light’.
If you are interested in Scottish folklore, myths and legends check out my podcast with my friend Karen called “1 scot 1 not” (found on all the usual podcast providers)
You can also find more information about my work and online art classes and tutorials at www.Facebook.com/Art.By.LucyBrydon including my monthly subscription based club lucysartlab.com
WEE BIRDIES BY ELSPETH WINRAM
Venue : Riah Hair and Beauty, 16 Bridge Street, Banchory AB31 5SX
My creative practice begins with sketching on location and recently I have been inspired by the nature, woodlands and landscape in Aberdeenshire. These sketches are then developed into prints, painting or glass work. The theme for my design evolved from the fascinating birdlife I have been able to observe more closely over the last year. The constant visits from a wide range of garden birds have been a source of great enjoyment; goldfinches, siskins, bullfinches, blue tits and longtail tits to name just a few. Their bright colours, aerobatics, daily dramas and territorial jostlings has brought pleasure and a connection to the natural world around.
I am a graduate of Grays School of Art and have worked in participatory arts for many years, believing in the wellbeing and community regeneration that this brings. You can see more of my work on Facebook through Elspeth Winram Art.
SALIRE ‘TO LEAP’ ; FEUGHSIDE REEL BY KEVIN ANDREW MORRIS
Venue : Banchory Lodge Hotel, Dee Street, Banchory AB31 5HS
The physical and cultural landscape and environment I find myself in is hugely important to my current work and development. Initially motivated by an investigation of my own family heritage (my grandfather was a Ghillie as part of Ballogie Estate, a keen violin player, and knew Scott Skinner!) and material culture, my recent work engages with concepts of craft, material and place. Making narrative work that considers traditional and contemporary practice as well our collective connections to heritage and tradition.Opportunities to work locally are perfectly situated for the development of my practice and the themes present in my work drawing upon the local natural feature of the Falls of Feugh, the leaping Salmon as well as fishing culture in the area more broadly in my design. My approach was to develop collages using imagery from old photos, postcards, illustrations and maps and to imprint the images onto the surface of the violin embracing the opportunity to continue to explore themes of local heritage landscape and folklore through my work.
More information on my work can be found at @kevinandrew.morris and www.facebook.com/Kevin-Andrew-Morris-Ceramics-219623424764971
VIEWS FROM SCOLTY HILL BY JODIE BEWS
Venue : Ride Coffee House, 46 Station Road, Banchory AB31 5YA
I am a self taught artist from Alford in Aberdeenshire. I work predominantly in watercolour with the use of some inks in my paintings. My work reflects mother nature exploring flora and fauna and wildlife in my local surroundings, in a surreal realistic style. Taking inspiration from the famous lavender fields of Banchory and the abundant wildlife around Scolty Hill, I wanted to create a violin which reflected the beautiful wildlife but which also connected with local landmarks and heritage. I own Everlongart Studio & Gift Shop in Alford, selling works on behalf of other super talented, designers, crafters, artists and makers from the Aberdeen and shire area. Most of my work can be seen in person at my shop. More information about my work can be found at www.everlongart.co.uk and www.facebook.com/artistjodiebews
BONNIE BANCHORY BY JAN LEATHAM
Venue : Scott Skinner’s Restaurant & Bar, North Deeside Road, AB31 5YR
I've lived in and around Banchory since 1994 and really love living in my chosen home. From 2012 I worked in community based jobs and have learned so much about the town as a result. In 2014 I took part in the Dolphin Trail in Aberdeen, where my dolphin was decoupaged with extracts from the Leopard magazine - that was such an inspiring project to be part of, so when I was asked to decorate a fiddle for a Banchory Trail I jumped at the chance. At the moment I work at Number One in Scott Skinner Square, so I came up with a plan to honour the square's namesake James Scott Skinner, perhaps the most famous son of Banchory. The tune 'Bonnie Banchory' composed by Scott Skinner, can be seen on the neck and round the sides of the violin.
ELEGY- LAMENT OF THE DEAD BY ASTRID BJORKLUND
Venue : FOLD at The Barn, Burn O’Bennie, Banchory AB31 5QA
The violin is an instrument closely connected to death, a symbol to remind us of our own mortality. In some narratives it is seen as the devil’s instrument, as the seemingly supernatural skill required to play the violin to a virtuosic level led to the concept of having made a deal with the devil. So naturally, the devil finds itself in many Scottish songs as well, including the ones of James Scott Skinner. ‘The Devil’s Dream’ (or the ‘Deil Among the Tailors’) is what sparked the idea of creating a piece connected not necessarily to the devil, but to the idea of death, Danse Macabre, and the history of the Resurrectionists in Banchory and Aberdeenshire. I work with incorporating storytelling into my artwork. Everything becomes more than just an object with a story attached to it, and the violin transformed into a sort of relic that represents these ideas of death; a relic that has no clear date of creation or place of origin, becoming a re-imagination of an object that was found in a grave all those years ago.
Death calls forth the dead from their graves to dance for him as he plays his violin.
For more information on my work visit www.astridbjorklund.com and @astridbjorklund (www.instagram.com/astridbjorklund)
EUTERPE, CALLIOPE & TREPICHER by ROSELYNE O’NEILL
Venue : Milton Art Gallery, Milton of Crathes, Banchory AB31 5QH
I am an Aberdeenshire artist inspired by local heritage, history and lore. Crathes Castle is an important part of Banchory’s history. Within the castle, the Muses Room houses the painted ceilings of the Nine Muses. They are the inspirational Greek goddesses of Classical Entertainment, bringers of inspiration to artists, musicians and writers. At Crathes the Muses are depicted with musical instruments which is unusual. I chose to incorporate Euterpe – Muse of Music, Calliope – Muse of Epic Poetry and Trepicher - Muse of Dance into my violin design. The front of the violin shows a painting of Crathes Castle foremost within a decorative border of lavender (Deeside Lavender), random musical notes and some decoration derived from the painting within the castle walls. The sides are also decorated with pattern found in the Muses Room. The back of the violin is painted with seven thistles illustrating D. Morrison’s Seven Thistles composed by James Scott Skinner. It is said D. Morrison was a keen gardener, upon marvelling at the great show of thistles he declared he would write a tune, this tune is played at ceilidhs to this day. The Muses are said to echo the harmony to which an individual should aspire.
For more about my work visit www.roselyne-oneill.art.uk
Please remember to check opening times for individual venues ahead of your visit and adhere to any guidance in relation to face coverings, number of visitors in premises and social distancing requirements at each of the venues.
Download Violin Trail map