Kirkcudbright Arts and Crafts Trail - Part 3

This is the last of the blogs on the Arts and Crafts trail this year. I think I've been to every venue that was open and marked in the booklet (they go up to 75). There was an unmarked venue just a couple of doors along from me that I only heard about after it was all over, so I'm not going to quibble over that one.

What's going on at the castle?

It's just that Repunzel letting her hair down again.

For the last two days the Maverick Angels ( find them here ) toured the town giving impromptu tunes on street corners and in pubs. Here they are planted outside Greengate stirring up an few jigs in the High Street. On Monday evening the gave a Ceilidh in the Royal Hotel which was a fine way to round of the whole weekend.

Inside Greengate, Pauline Saul paints these distinctive fish as well as cat, and other things. Hand made cards, finger puppets, allsorts.

This year she's made a giant fish - instantly recognisable as one of her's.

Round by the museum, Peter Dowden had been sculpting all week for the symposium. For the week end he had a few of his pieces out on display.

And the piece he is currently working on.

Also for the symposium, Andy Breen has managed to get his sculpture from the front of the gallery to Greengate gardens, where it's nice and quiet and has numerous biting insects taking an interest in him.

The scallop shell sitting on top of it is a bit of a give away.

I have at last managed to see his finished piece from last year - it's Billy Marshall. Somebody's put a crown on his head - fitting perhaps as he was know as a gypsy king.

The furthest point on the trail would have to be the Ellenbank nurseries, where they have this delightful walled garden (I didn't know it was there).

Ruthie Redden and Jean Redden had found a home for the weekend in the basement of Rhubarb (purveyors of nice things). She'd brought along a whole crowd of her Moon Gazey Hares.

As well as these tiny birds. She's branched out into foxes, owls and witches too.

There were of course plenty of her paintings and cards.

Near the edge of town is the studio of Jane Gibson who is a particularly fine miniature painter.

Here she is working on a squirrel.

She also does a large number of normal sized paintings.

Jane's kitchen had been taken over by the ladies of the Lockerbie sugar craft guild. After much debate, they decided that this rose was probably made by Addie Clarkson.

  They were all involved in making this piece

A special mention must go to my niece Hazel Laurie and her piano teacher Mary Mann who kept the Broughton House piano going for four or five hours every day with solo and duet playing.