Tìm - Exhibition at An Talla Solais in Ullapool
Tìm – Gaelic for Time
Exhibition at An Talla Solais, Market Street, Ullapool
Opening 27th March 2025 – 17th May 2025
Time is a precious commodity in today’s society and sadly, all too often we hear of folk never having enough time for the things they love. I am happiest and most relaxed when time feels slow and there is no rush. Writing music and painting often transports me to that mindful state. They are a form of meditation for me and I feel so fortunate to have this in my life to bring me to the here and now, being present and in that moment. I would like this exhibition to do that for people, to bring them into the exact moment they are in the space.
When I think of time I think of a sense of history, of aging, of rusting, ruins, weathering objects, of place, of rocks, of maps, of time passing, of weather, of people I most want to spend it with, the things that matter and the things I most want to do with my time. It feels good to present this exhibition as something I feel so privileged and delighted to have been spending my time on.
In preparation for the show, I have spent a lot of time at Badentarbet, in Coigach, painting en plein air. It is one of my favourite places to be and there is so much ancestral history there, most notably my Great Great Grandmother, Anna Bhàn, was from there. (Named in one of the few successful Highland Clearance stories and led by women.) The rusted buoys, anchors and boats are objects that have witnessed time gone by, providing a link from the past to the present and are also such a visual joy to work on. Knockan Crag has also been a special place to literally see time in the geology of the rocks. My work is a visceral response to each moment in time, turning up every day, enjoying the process, the stillness versus the movement, appreciating the small, the slow changes in landscape tones, skylines etc and translating these elements to the page. There is a rusted sense of colour and texture in this work, and a depth that invites a slow study.
The music I have written is gentle and meditative. We know that music is a marker of time, and my immediate inspiration has tended to be appreciative of one place and one time, for example, sitting at Old Dornie watching the boats and the song takes you there for that moment or watching any incremental weather change from my window in Ullapool. Also, taking inspiration from Ceòl Mòr (Known as Piobaireachd, meaning, ‘big music’ from Highland bagpipe playing) as a theme with variations that are very meditative and grounding. It sounds as old as it sounds contemporary, and it’ll relate as much to the moment as to the past, using low fi recording techniques and timeless instruments such as the small pipes. The music will be playing as you walk through the space.
‘The older I get the more I appreciate my time and have a much clearer idea of how I want to spend it – making art and music being right up there!’
