The following poem in three parts was written by a visitor to Kathy’s exhibition who was inspired by the sculptures to put the Muses to verse.
Exhibition at Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Nature’s Whimsical Women Created by Kathy Bruce
The Song of the Sculptures by Kitty Rhodes (Edinburgh, July 2022)
Melete (Study)
I peer down and study the small things of earth
I adjust my giant crinoline and pick my way, careful not to tread on you My huge culottes form an arch for you to run under my sheltering body
My arms akimbo While I am strong, you are each as delicate as the dust on a Red Admiral’s wing, or the tongue of a bumble bee; precious as the pale blue egg of a Thrush
I know your school for evacuees - an act of love I hear your children’s laughter as they roll like pace eggs down the sloping lawn, as they shriek and splash in the shallows, cry for their Mammies at night
14th August 2022
The Song of the Sculptures (2/3)
Mneme (Memory) I see your wistful weaving frame, how you hold the eucalyptus tree - bark mottled as a spotty teenager your graceful curves entwined, your hand a sparrow’s claw – gently embracing
The low arched bridge a place of dreams, the dolphin fountain leaps for joy, a walled garden – a sacred place A first love, you hold and remember
14th August 2022
The Song of the Sculptures (3/3)
Aoide (Song) I hear your sobbing song, sung into the ground I see your sackcloth of netted skirt and knotted belt, your hair a desperate mess of tentacles beseeching the sea
My earth shall soak up your tears my sea softly ease my head is bowed with you I pray you to know all shall be well - only, in time, long time, in a sea without a shore
A sculptress rising early, a long daily journey in the cold Hands hardened, handling bamboo, wrestling, readjusting, to bring us this song
Notes: • The names of the sculptures are given by the sculptress. In Greek mythology Melete was one of the three original Boeotian muses, the others were Mneme and Aoede. The three form the preconditions for poetic art. • ‘all shall be well’ is a quote from the medieval mystic Mother Julian of Norwich • ‘A sea without a shore’ is a quote from a hymn by John Mason writing in the late 1600s.
18th August 2021
Illona Morrice will be giving a ceramics workshop
11th - 15th October 2021. Illona will give a five day course on techniques and practical help with clay preparation, inspiration, getting started, help with modelling and preparation for firing. The course is suitable for beginners and students with some experience in modelling. Read more in our What's On section.
Everyone arrived with great expectations. As the sculptures near their completion, logistical considerations had to be dealt with. Lucianne demonstrated ways of creating air holes to expel the gases given off by the clay in firing.
The day was spent in a flurry to get the sculptures to this point of completion only alleviated by the delivery of a polenta cake and coffee, and a timely fortifying lunch.
During the afternoon everyone was immersed in their thoughts and sculpture. We at Caol Ruadh enjoyed our week, meeting new faces and getting to know the students.
The final day was the culmination of a very successful week and everyone went away with a sculpture that they could be proud of.
10th June 2021
Third Day
Today the students concentrated on securing arms and legs and getting the feel for the pose whilst maintaining the air cavity in both the arms, legs and body.
It was fascinating to see the figures emerge after the cylinders for the arms and the legs were attached and worked into to create real limbs on the sculpture.
The details of face, hands and feet emerged slowly - all with cavities. The concentration of the students was only relieved by the delivery of ginger cake and coffee, and later lunch.
The day was devoted to details and bringing on the sculptures. By the end of the day everyone had made terrific progress and the figures were put to bed ready for the final day.
9th June 2021
Second Day
Everyone came back and was raring to go!
In the morning Lucianne demonstrated the slab technique. This began with the clay being rolled out to a thickness of three centimetres in a rectangular shape. The clay had been left out over night to either dry out or hydrate under clingfilm so as to be able to stand on its side in the morning.
The slab technique involved standing the clay on its side and bringing the two ends together forming a cylinder. The figure was then worked into to create the shape of the pose, all the time maintaining the air cavity inside the cylinder. Four additional cylinders were rolled out and made the arms and legs.
At 11 o'clock chocolate brownies and coffee were delivered.
After morning coffee everyone was seen to be working diligently on their model and the day ran away again only to be interrupted by lunch.
8th June 2021
First Day
Everyone arrived on time. Lucianne had on the previous day rearranged the studio to suit her preferred method of working.
The workshop began with an initial discussion of past work and experiences by both Lucianne and the students. It then moved on to techniques and observation.
Sophie, our model, was introduced and jumped into action. The students first made sketches of different poses and a clay maquette which helped the students understand the proportion of the body and the pose.
At 11 o'clock coffee and a lemon drizzle cake materialised.
Students moved around the studio to view the model from every angle and chose the final pose. Further work was done on the maquette and good representations begun.
Lunch interrupted play at 1 o'clock. Everyone assembled in the dining room of Caol Ruadh and tucked into a delicious repast.
The afternoon passed quickly and some excellent maquettes were displayed in the studio by end of day.
7th June 2021
The reclining nude - Ceramic workshop
The long awaited ceramic workshop will begin tomorrow! Our tutour, Lucianne Lassalle, seen left, has arrived from Bristol today. She is a well known figurative artist.
In this workshop the students will be working directly from a life model. The emphasis being on the human form - proportion, basic anatomy, rythmn and dynamics of the human figure. Over the next four days students will do life drawing, clay sketches and short studies followed by a three day pose. The students learn to look at what "is" rather than what we "think" it is. We have eight students all looking forward to creating their version of the reclining nude. Lucianne is using the slab technique for building the figure.
It looks like an exciting week ahead.
27th July 2019
Bead and Collage workshop
We are still having fun in the Boathouse! Pat Chandler was running her beadwork and collage workshop. Very relaxed with some lovely work.
21st July 2019
Open Garden Scheme weekend 2019
Fantastic weekend with beautiful music by The Brambelles and an abundance of cake! Thank you to everyone who came to support the Open Garden. All money raised is going towards SGS Bursaries and Parkinsons UK.
13th July 2019
Raku on the beach
Fantastic weekend doing Raku on the beach with Bill Williamson and Moira Ferguson. A very creative workshop resulting in some interesting and beautiful pottery!
6th July 2019
Bill Williamson - Ceramics
This weekend Bill Williamson is running a ceramic workshop. We had a very successful first day, full of creativity, laughter and tea! If you want to join us tomorrow and give ceramics a try, contact us on 01700 841357.
30th June 2019
Workshops in the Boathouse
Yesterday was the first day of our schedule of workshops. Moira Ferguson ran a ceramics class, and Pat Chandler ran the bead and collage class. There was a hum of industry in the boathouse with some very good results.
Upcoming workshops in ceramics, raku on the beach and bead work and collage. Future dates to book -
July 6/7 Bill Williamson - ceramics. July 13/14 Bill and Moira Ferguson jointly - ceramics and raku on the beach. July 27/28 and August 10/11 Pat Chandler - bead work and collage.
To book call Karen on 01700841357 or Moira Ferguson on 07711039528
29th June 2019
Open - 6th Summer Exhibition
Already it is one week since we opened our sixth summer exhibition. Last Saturday we had a heavenly day with bright sunshine, a light breeze and no midges. We were overwhelmed with the support of so many visitors and drinks on the terrace at three was wonderfully attended. The exhibition was well regarded and complemented all the work in the garden. A big thank you to the artists who contributed and have made it such a memorable exhibition. And also a big thank you to Alun, Jeremy and Ben for all their hard work in the garden.
8th May 2019
Update on the garden!
Karen is busy getting the gardens ready including a few new interesting areas. There will be a large new planting of hostas near the bridge leading into a new area which is already housing an instalation by Gerry Loose. The walled rose garden has also had a makeover!
18th October 2018
New Exhibition Opening June-August 2019!
It’s already October and Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park is waking up for its sixth exhibition in 2019. This will be our last exhibition in this format. We will open the gates on Sunday 23rd June and will close on Sunday 26th August. So don’t forget to visit us and write the dates in your new 2019 diary now!
Opening: Sunday 23rd June 2019
Closing: Sunday 26th August 2019
2nd October 2017
Aerial View of the Sculpture Park
Last week we had a visitor with a rather special camera attached to a drone. This is a still from the video he took and he will post it once it has been edited. Many thanks Terry. We are now closed to the public and the artists will now be picking up their work. We will reopen in June 2019 with an entirely new exhibition. Thank you everyone for all your support despite the wet summer!
This is the last weekend we are open. We hope that everyone that has visited us this summer has enjoyed the exhibition and also the new areas in the garden, especially the beautiful canopus. We have loved all the comments in the visitors book and we have enjoyed chatting to people about their experience.
26th September 2017
Visit Pulpit Rock today!
We are open today as it is the last week of the exhibition, so last chance to climb on Pulpit Rock to see Maja Quille's stunning 'Boy', a porcelain sculpture of her own little boy. There lots of seals frolicking in the Kyles at the moment too.
25th September 2017
Beautiful Day!
We will be open today as the weather looks fine. The autumn colours throughout the garden are stunning!
24th September 2017
A family day out!
Andy McClintock's wonderful garden spirits are great for children to find and there is a little reward if they find one! There are sprites, wind dancers, nymphs, and flights of fancy to find all over the garden. Please note we close next Sunday on 1st October!
22nd September 2017
Only two more weeks to visit us!
Don't forget we close on the 1st October! Despite the rain we have had a steady stream of visitors enjoying the fantastic sculptures and all the new additions to the gardens. Don't forget to wander down to the boat house where you will be surrounded by 26 Manta Rays! Lauren Fox's amazing steel manta rays can be bought indiviually and vary in size. They look beautiful hanging but also can be displayed flat against a wall too!
5th September 2017
Crystal Man (Eiteag Fear) sold!
Great news, we sold another of Lynn Cowan's wonderful pictures. Her work which you can find upstairs in the Boat House, is all based on photographs she took of the stunning rock formations you can find throughout the park.
25th August 2017
Someone found illona's Dark Matter!
Well after mentioning Illona Morrice in the last post we sold her Stoneware sculpture "Dark Matter" which is in the Gravel garden!
18th August 2017
Finding Illona!
When you visit us this weekend please try to find all 6 pieces by Illona Morrice, especially Emu and So Vulnerable, both of which are slightly hidden! The gardens are looking fabulous too so well worth a visit!
Illona now also runs 5 day sculpture courses in her studio in Cummington. The next one is 6th November and one in January. Please contact Illona for more details.
When you visit the park this weekend please pop up the little hill to the left of the Apple House to see Despina Nissiriou's thought provoking 'Briny Crossing-40' which celebrates the random, the accidental and the imperfect and was made when she turned 40 and used 40 bags of clay to create it. This piece of work is open to interpretations related to history and archaeology and also can show mystical context! Wander up to see it and see what you feel!
3rd August 2017
A Fitting Tribute to Emma Herman-Smith
If you are visiting us today please return to the last huge footprint on the grass hill which was from Emma Herman-Smith's 'Tread Lightly' in 2012. This was one of the many joyful yet deadly serious artworks that Emma created before she died in 2014. Susan Nuttgens, her dear friend and fellow artist, has created a series of ceramic panels as a tribute to Emma. These colourful panels depict in colourful footsteps a journey through life,creativity, illness, death and continuity.
29th July 2017
Great day for Tom Allan!
We sold two of Tom Allan's beautiful sculptures, Silent Figure (Portland Stone) and Learning Curve (Carrara marble) last week.
25th July 2017
New Sculptures by Charlotte La Nena Barlas in the garden!
We are open today! We are also very happy to be exhibiting work from a new graduate, Charlotte La Nena Barlas. She is also doing an internship with us this summer and has been a tremendous help to us all! You can find her stunning work in front of the bothy and on the grassy slopes going down to the Kyles.
24th July 2017
Hare today gone tomorrow!
Angela Hunter's "Hare" was sold last weekend. Her other pieces can be found around the Gunnera Pond. We are open today as weather looks sunny!
20th July 2017
Scottish Open Gardens Huge Success!
Last weekend we hosted Scottish Open Gardens and after a rainy Saturday the sunshine on Sunday brought us over 100 visitors and we made £550 for the charity! Everyone enjoyed all the new changes to the garden especially our new "Canopus" with Rob Mulholland's "Female 1"reflecting her surroundings. Thank you to all our amazing volunteers for making the day so special!
18th July 2017
Visit the Gunnera Pond Today!
We are open today taking advantage of sunny weather. The Gunnera Pond will look stunning! Make sure you find all the sculptures there. In the pond you can see Simon Burns-Cox's 'The One that got away' leaping up the waterfall and Helen Michie's floating Zen Tryptic mosaic. Angela Hunter's otter is on the acer island and above the pond you will see her Macaque Monkeys. Also high on the cliffs are her beautiful spring lambs, so lots to see!
15th July 2017
Scottish Open Gardens Today!
This weekend we are hosting Scottish Open Gardens! Tea and Cakes will be served in the boat house where you can see Lauren Fox's amazing manta rays! The garden looks magnificent and there are a few new areas to explore this year. In the new Indian Garden below the tennis court you can find sculptures by Mary Bourne (Arise/Adore, Shield and Mountain Flower) and Caroline Inckle (Spears pictured) We hope you enjoy your visit today and all proceeds from this weekend go to Scottish Open Garden Beneficiaries.
9th July 2017
Relax in the Apple House!
When you visit us today please find the little blue Apple House where you can sit and enjoy Caroline Sinclair's "Memory Bank". Caroline's delicate porcelain sculpture is back lit with a sequence of lights which she has programmed. You can also hear a sound track of Caroline working in her studio, laughing as usual! We are open today 11am-6pm. Enjoy!
30th June 2017
Sculpture in my garden!
I had to share this photo of my small London garden and my frog pond. I couldn't resist Lotte Glob's floating stones when we first visited her studios last year. I joked with her that I would train the frogs to jump on them and yesterday one frog did just that! You can see Lotte's floating stones in the formal pond in front of Caol Ruadh.
29th June 2017
Visit the Gravel Garden today!
The Gravel garden is the elevated garden near the house. Many of the beds have been replanted and some of the larger plants have been moved down to the Indian Garden. The sculptures you will find there are Tom Allan's Armadillo Flower, Lotte Glob's Kippe Familie (pictured) and Fountain, Fanny Christie's Revive II, Ellen McCann's Piante Perenni and Illona Morrice's Dark Matter. We are open 11am to 6pm Thurs-Sun.
23rd June 2017
Andy McClintock's Garden Spirits of Caol Ruadh!
Andy McClintock has created various Garden Spirits which can be found all over the park. There are Nymphs, Water Sprites, Flights of Fancy and Wind Dancers! If you have children with you Andy has a leaflet which asks them to find as many as they can and there is a lollipop (or equivalent) prize if they can find 16 or more. Quite a challenge but you will see all the park in doing so.
20th June 2017
Visit the Bothy!
When you visit the park don't forget to visit the newly refurbished Bothy on the foreshore. In it you can find Ian Cook's lime wood sculptures 'Katrina' and 'Veteran and also Helen Michie's Stoneware Fibronacci Sequence.
13th June 2017
Our hard working team!
Another rare photo! This time of our very hard working team, Alun, Graeme, Steve, Paul and James (Karen's son) Throughout the past year they have all worked so hard creating new areas in the garden (designed by Karen and Colin Scotland) ,renovating the wee bothy, apple house and boathouse and installing sculptures! Karen, Amanda and myself would like to say a huge thank you! Pictured here installing Mary Bourne's marble sculpture Arise/Adore.
10th June 2017
Illona's first Sale!
Illona Morrice's work is always very popular with our visitors every year. Yesterday we sold her 'Big Red Onion' which is in the newly landscaped Wild Flower Garden.
8th June 2017
Timo Aho welcomes you today
Timo Aho's "Hand" will welcome you today when you come to visit our new exhibition! The park has some new exciting areas this year, including a formal Canopus, and Indian Garden and a wild flower garden, all housing beautiful sculptures. The Boat House and the recently renovated bothy are also full of sculptures for you to enjoy.
Open Thurs-Sunday 11am-6pm
7th June 2017
Rob Mulholland in The Canopus
Rob Mulholland's sculpture "Female I" can be found in the stunning new Canopus. Artist Freda Waldapfel, who some people will remember painting in the boathouse in 2012, sent this amazing photo! If you get a chance also look at her inspiring website www.livesimplysimplylive.weebly.com
6th June 2017
A rare photo !
Here is a very rare photo of Karen, Amanda and myself (Anne) at the opening on Saturday. All the hard work was worth it and the sculptures and gardens all look wonderful.
If you have any photos you would like to share please send them to us as jpegs and we will put them on facebook page, also if you have enjoyed your visit can you put a comment on Trip Advisor too. Many thanks. A
4th June 2017
Rain or Shine We are Open!
We would like to thank everyone, over 200 people!, who came to the Private View yesterday! The weather was not kind to us but between the showers our guests were able to see our new exhibition. Karen, Amanda and I would also like to thank all the people that helped us create this years exhibition! We also sold 4 pieces of sculpture, Ellen Mccann's Piante Perenni, Claudia Wegner's Black Heart, Lynn Cowan's 'Creag Aghaidh' and one of Lotte Glob's Rock Eyes. We will be open to the public today 11am!
1st June 2017
Rob Mulholland Installs again on the Beach!
Rob Mulholland returns to us again this year with 2 amazing sculptures. Here he is installing "Pebble" on the beach. The other sculpture Female ! is in a newly landscaped part of the garden which we are keeping secret until the opening!
28th May 2017
Piante Perenni welcomes you!
Ellen McCann's beautiful ceramic Piante Perenni is a trio of very organic forms which will greet our vistors when they arrive this year!
15th May 2017
Mars Labyrinth installation
On a beautiful sunny day Margaret Ker was helped by Sarah Kahn to set up her Mars labyrinth. All the wood used is from trees felled at Caol Ruadh over the past year. Visitors will be able to wander around the labyrinth and feel its mystical powers! ...we hope!
13th May 2017
Henk helps ESS artists
Karen's 82 year old Dutch relative Henk Sleebos was very happy helping ESS artist Despina Nissiriou to install her work! Lynn Cowan, Despina and Sarah Dale all travelled across from Edinburgh and had a glorious day installing their work.
10th May 2017
Spot the lambs!
Amazing sculptors Angela and Brunton Hunter brought Angela's sculptures ready to install. Quite a few will be sited in and around the Gunnera Pond. In this photo you have to look above Angela and Brunton to see her wee lambs amongst the rocks!
7th May 2017
Helen Michie Mosaics
Helen Michie was blessed with a beautiful day to install her beautiful mosaics inspired by the beachcombing objects and natural forms.
4th May 2017
Hortus Redux invitation design
Earlier this year I (Anne) was asked to be a DofE mentor for 12 year old Sophie Brinson. I gave her a project which was to design our Hortus Redux private view invitation. She produced a wonderful design inspired by the plants Tim Collins and Reiko have used in their "Fiadh" installation. Well done Sophie!
23rd April 2017
Illona Morrice
Illona Morrice arrived this week with some stunning pieces of work. I particularly like this very whimsical lady!
18th April 2017
Chris Muirhead
Last week Chris Muirhead came to install his trio of corten steel sculptures, Fragile Connection. He was really amazed at the changes to this area of the garden which now has a series of pools and cascades. We have also planted a wide selection of wildflowers in this area so we should have a very colourful show in the summer!
13th April 2017
Fun in the Pond!
James Scotland and I have been busy in the Gunnera Pond James has done an excellent job removing alot of vegetation and soil to reveal the beautiful rock faces. This will provide lots of new areas for sculpture to be exhibited this year. I was back in the pond in my new waders! I have cleared the acer island of weeds and also removed alot of lichen from the acers so they should be much happier!
12th April 2017
Early Morning on the Kyles
There is nothing that beats early morning views and sounds of the Kyles of Bute! Pulpit rock awaits its new visitor too!
11th April 2017
Emma Herman Smith Wild Flower Foot Tribute
Reiko Goto Collins helped me replant Emma Herman-Smiths giant footprint with some special wild flower seed and some red poppy seeds in the toes which I know would have made Emma smile! This is a tribute to Emma who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2014 and exhibited with us in 2012. "Tread Lightly" Close freinds and family have just produced an amazing book about her and her beautiful artwork called Emma Herman-Smith - A Life in Art.
4th April 2017
Heather planting
We found an ideal place for some gorgeous heathers below the tennis courts.I mass planted Erica x stuartii, Daboecia cantabrica, Erica x darleyensis and Calluna vulgaris in swathes which we hope will look amazing with the sculptures we envisage in this area.
3rd April 2017
Spring in the garden!
Just had to share this lovely picture of spring in the garden! We are all very busy this week working in the garden, plenty of pruning, weeding and planting! Luckily we were blessed today by a fabulous sunny day.
31st March 2017
Dihelion sundial installed
Today the sun kindly helped Alastair Hunter to install his double sundial which he has named Dihelion. This incredible sundial was inspired by the colours and shapes of sunshine.
21st March 2017
Teresa Hunyadi gets started!
Teresa begins her work in the barn on two very large pieces of wood which were felled in the garden earlier this year. It will be interesting to see these pieces evolve over the next 2 weeks.
16th March 2017
Rainbow
Teresa Hunyadi and Lynn Cowan took this amazing photo en route to Caol Ruadh. They both will be artists in residence over the next couple of weeks producing work for this years exhibition. We are looking forward to watching their progress!
6th March 2017
Things happening in the park
Visitors walking around the Scottish Sculpture Park at Caol Ruadh this summer will notice that there have been some substantial changes made to the park over the past year, mainly the removal of many old trees and overgrown shrubs. The skillful felling of many of the trees has been carried out by local expert tree surgeon Simon Dawson, pictured here carrying out work on a huge conifer near the walled garden.
3rd March 2017
Tim and Reiko Searching for Plants
Tim Collins and Reiko Goto delivered their installation Fiadh which was part of their Caledonian Decoy Exhibition at CCA in Glasgow. They spent an interesting afternoon in the nearby woodlands in search of suitable plants which will be planted within their deer exclosure structures.
22nd February 2017
Maja Sonne Georg preparing for her installation
Maja and her lovely family came on a rather wet day to take a plaster cast of an area on pulpit rock, I won't say what the sculpture is just yet! Her children were fascinated by the playful seals.
21st February 2017
Congratulations Robbie!
We would also like to congratulate Robbie Baird and his team on the new look to Tighnabruaich Gallery. Robbie has also been very busy and is exhibiting his own work again as a series of triptychs which are fabulous. Good Luck!
20th February 2017
Andy McClintock and Margaret Ker Visit
We had a very interesting day with Andy McClintock (a returning artist) and Margaret Ker. Both are bringing a spiritual feel to the exhibition this year. Andy is creating some dancing spirits that will be in various areas of the garden for visitors to find and Margaret is going to set up our first labyrinth, Mars Labyrinth to be exact.
19th February 2017
Guy Elder picks a site for his sculpture
We are very pleased that Guy Elder is exhibiting with us again this year. He is doing a collaborative piece of work with sculptor Barry Grove. The finished piece will be made from a stunning piece of burr oak and sandstone! We can't wait to see it! Guy enjoyed seeing all the new areas that Karen has created in the garden and found a wonderful site for the new sculpture.
18th February 2017
The Caledonian Decoy at CCA Glasgow
We all visited Tim Collins and Reiko Goto thought provoking exhibition in CCA. We are very happy to say that the sculptural installation FIADH which is Scottish Gaelic for deer will be coming to Caol Ruadh for the summer. Tim and Reiko are passionate about the cultural aspects of ancient forests in Scotland. The aim of this project was to "establish a model for art with forests rather than in forests."
17th February 2017
Lauren Fox GSS
Karen, Amanda and I visited Lauren Fox at GSS to see how she was getting on with her amazing metal rays and whales. We visited the metal workshops too.
17th November 2016
Beautiful Sky !
I had to share this beautiful photo I took of the evening sky overlooking the Kyles!
9th November 2016
Mary Bourne RBS Talk
Karen, Amanda and I were delighted to be invited to hear Mary Bourne talk about her amazing Brian Mercer Stone Carving Residency in Pietrasanta,Italy. Mary obviously enjoyed her experience saying that it gave her freedom for personal thoughts and feelings to permeate her work without the limitations of her usual working to a brief for a commission. The work she exhibited was true reflection of this.
6th November 2016
Final Group from ESS
The last two artists from ESS, Maja Sonne Georg and Kjersti Sletteland came to Caol Ruadh for the first time and again the weather was superb! They enjoyed the stunning views of the Kyles from Pulpit Rock.
4th November 2016
Second ESS Visit
At long last Lynn Cowan visited us at Caol Ruadh! She was joined by Fiona MCLauclan Powell, Fiona Maher and Simon Burns-Cox from ESS. Again we were blessed by another beautiful day! They all enjoyed seeing all the new areas Karen has created in the garden and went away with plenty to think about for next years exhibition!
30th October 2016
Edinburgh Sculpture Studio Visits
Our first group of new artists from ESS, Sarah Dale, Despina Nissiriou and Teresa Hunyadi came to visit Caol Ruadh for the first time on Sunday. They had a beautiful day to wander about the park and had lots of exciting ideas for the work they want to create for next years exhibition!
20th October 2016
Mark McGillivray's Solargraphs!
On Thursday we had a visit from a very interesting man called Mark McGillivray. Mark is a keen amateur photographer with a special interest in an unusual kind of picture called a Solagraph. Mark creates these Solagraphs which are essentially a single exposure picture with a duration of up to 6 months using a pinhole camera which he makes himself. The ultimate objectof these pictures is to track the movement of the sun across the sky and how that changes with the seasons. Mark has placed various pinhole cameras around the park to test locations and will then return again once we have all the sculptures in place next year. He ultimately wants a single image combining art and time together. Karen and I are very excited about this and it will very interesting to see the final results. I have put an examle of his work using Rob Mulholland's Sky Tower
17th October 2016
Thank you Lynn!
Karen and I would both like to mention and also thank Lynn Cowan, who has returned to ESS after finishing her degree BA (Ord) Combined Studies, Art and Design. Lynn kindly organised artists to meet us when we visited the ESS. It was also great to see some of Lynn's thought provoking work entitled "Drainscape Series" Lynn will also hopefully be exhibiting her work at Caol Ruadh in 2017!
We are delighted to announce the addition of a new Curator/Art Director at Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park, Amanda Oppé. Amanda has always helped us with the sculpture park and her artistic and creative input has been invaluable over the years.
Welcome Amanda!
6th October 2016
Handmade at kew helen Michie
Last night I went to the preview of Handmade at Kew to see one of our artists for next year, Helen Michie. Her ceramic wall pieces are all inspired by the natural world and she also has a stunning pebble and stoneware mosaic which is exhibited outside. We wish her every success at the show and look forward to seeing her work for us next year! helenmichie@oneuk.com www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/kew
3rd October 2016
Andy McClintock, Bill Williamson and Zac Fraser-McNeil
Andy, Bill and Zac also paid us a visit on Saturday as they too wanted to see the changes going on in the garden. Andy was very impressed with the rock formations that have been revealed and the spaces created by the removal of vegetation. They all found the changes to the garden very inspiring! Morgan Russell, our student helper two years ago and now recent graduate from GSA was also visiting us this weekend and will hopefully be exhibiting with us next year too!
1st October 2016
Lotte Glob and Illona Morrice visit to Caol Ruadh
Lotte Glob, her grand-daughter Anna and Illona Morrice all came to stay at Caol Ruadh this weekend. Lotte and Anna have never visited us before and we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day to show them around the park. Illona, one of our original artists was very keen to see all the changes Karen has been making to the gardens!
30th September 2016
Rock Cleaning!
Karen's sons James, Gregor and David have spent their summer clearing moss (jet-washing!) from alot of the rocks all over the park, the results are stunning and will create amazing new areas for sculptures next year.
30th September 2016
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Karen and I met up at ESW. Lynn Cowan kindly organised a meeting with a group of artiststhat would potentially like to exhibit with us next year. There was a interesting range of disciplines and materials that we felt would be ideally suited to the landscape at Caol Ruadh.
30th September 2016
Edinburgh visit
Karen and I returned to Edinburgh yesterday to visit some of our artists from previous years and meet some new ones. My first port of call was to visit Carol Sinclair and Lorna Fraser who were very busy setting up their stunning new exhibition, "Making Space" in the Patriothall Gallery, Edniburgh EH3 5 AY Preview Sat 1st October 2-5pm Open Sun 2nd to Tues 11th Oct 12-6pm (closed wed)
23rd August 2016
The Gunnera Pond
Karen's sons have been very busy clearing the moss from the rock faces above the pond, the results are stunning!
25th July 2016
Launching Lotte Glob's floating stones
Karen and I had a really good journey back to Caol Ruadh, Colintraive including a wee bit of retail therapy in Bruar where we bizarrely bumped into sculptor Tom Alan and his lovely wife Marilyn! Karen could not wait to launch Lotte Glob's floating stones into her new pond below the Apple House. We both really enjoyed our little road trip and enjoyed meeting lots of new inspiring people and finding new sculptors for next years exhibition
25th July 2016
Busy Bee Illona
Illona had been very busy creating whilst we were travelling north to see Lotte Glob. We had a wonderful evening in Findhorn taking in the sunset! www.illona-sculptures.co.uk
23rd July 2016
Portsoy
After a few days travelling, we had a relaxing day with Illona. We went to visit Brian Cook Shand in Portsoy, wonderful ceramics and then spent time beachcombing! www.briancookshand.co.uk
22nd July 2016
Ullapool
After a lovely nights stay at the Altnaharra Hotel back in Lairg Karen wanted me to see some of the spectacular mountainous scenery so we headed SW to Ullapool.
22nd July 2016
Lotte Glob Sculpture Croft
Onwards up to Laid, on the shores of Loch Eriboll, Sutherland to visit Lotte Glob. We spent well over an hour exploring her wonderful Sculpture Croft before having a wonderful chat with Lotte in her unusual home. She will be exhibiting with us next year which will be very exciting!
22nd July 2016
Crask Inn
We then travelled North again and had a very unusual break stopping at the Crask Inn just north of Lairg. The pub was being used for a local church service for the locals which they kindly invited us to! Unfortunately we had to travel on but they offered us their sandwiches and coffee and a very warm welcome, thank you!
20th July 2016
Karen and Anne's Road Trip!
Karen and I decided to go on a road trip to visit artists in Northern Scotland. We travelled up through the Cairngorms up to visit sculptor Illona Morrice in Cummingston, Moray. Illona has exhibited with us since 2012 and we look forward to her work next year, but today we were simply enjoying her fantastic garden and hospitality!
The new area now has Hydrangea annabelle planted just before the new bridge and many new plants including a wide selection of ornamental grasses.
23rd June 2016
The new pond taking shape
The new pond is really taking shape now. Karen has begun to plant marginal and bog plants.
31st May 2016
Work in progress
Just a wee update on what has been happening at Caol Ruadh. Karen has been very busy doing some major garden projects. There is now a new pond under construction near the Apple House which will also help with the land drainage! Many of the huge mossy rocks nearby have been stripped revealing the marvellous granite beneath!
7th January 2016
Happy New Year !! 2016
Karen and I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. Even though we are closed this year please keep an eye on our blog to see the changes that will be happening in the garden. Karen took this wonderful photo of Caol Ruadh from Bute!
12th November 2015
Illona's lady gets a new home!
Illona's sculpture "Falling Apart" has now found a very languorous setting! Many thanks to our friend and wonderfully supportive journalist, Lynda Henderson, for sharing this photo of "Rosa".
12th November 2015
Mary Bourne's Regeneration SOLD!
We are delighted to say that we have sold Mary Bourne's very versatile sculpture "Regeneration" to a lady in Edinburgh who visited us during the summer!
13th October 2015
Karen and I celebrating a great year!
Karen and I had a wee celebratory drink and raised a glass to all the artists who have exhibitied with us over the past 4 years! and to all our wonderful visitors too! We are now closing until 2017 so that Karen can do some major work in the garden to create new areas for exhibiting work. We hope all our artists will enjoy the new landscape and will come to visit us to see the new areas next year. Thank you again, artists, visitors, friends and family for all your supportand we look forward to a special exhibiton in 2017!
25th September 2015
Last Weekend we are OPEN!!!!
Last chance to see this years exhibition! The Sculpture park will be closed on 28th September so please come and have a final browse around the park to see the sculptures set against stunning autumnal colours!
25th September 2015
Cowal Open Studios 25th-28th September
This coming weekend we are part of the Cowal Open Studios. The many professional artists – painters, potters, sculptors, furniture makers, jewellers, textile artists and photographers, who work on the Cowal peninsula in the midst of the beautiful Argyll countryside, open their doors to visitors on these four days (and on other times by appointment). From Cairndow to Dunoon and Toward, from Strachur to Tighnabruaich and many beautiful places in between, come and see what lies behind the closed doors and beyond the garden gates. DOWNLOAD BROCHURE or CHECK MAP for opening times at each venue.
5th September 2015
Sunburst Sold!
David Collins' beautiful slate sculpture "Sunburst" sold on a very beautiful sunny day in Scotland!
26th August 2015
Dugald MacInnes "Hunters and Gatherers" sold
Dugald MacInnes' beautiful slate sculptures have always been popular and another one sold last weekend!
Next weekend will be last weekend to watch Pieter's felt making demonstrations in the Boathouse at Caol Ruadh. Pieter has transformed the Boathouse into an amazing workshop! Pieter's company Orains specialises in making unique sculptural pieces using wool and other materials.
Bill Williamson has brought a new sculpture to Caol Ruadh. Karen and I first saw the early model of this sculpture when we first met Bill in 2012! We loved it and are so happy Bill has found a new medium to work with so she is now with us. We have named her "Pregnant Pause" Come and see her!
14th August 2015
Work continues on Bothy
Two brilliant carpenters, Graham and Paul, who have been busy doing work inside Caol Ruadh got a chance to be out in the sunshine! They have started to put the roof back on the bothy!
3rd August 2015
Wee Bothy renovation!
Visitors to Caol Ruadh may have noticed a wee bothy on the foreshore near the entrance to the glade. For many years this has been fairly derelict. Well it is now being renovated and the first stage was to remove the old roof. Now it looks just like one of Kevin Dagg's houses on the beach !
25th July 2015
The Envoy goes to Bute!
Bill Williamson's sculpture "The Envoy" was sold this weekend to a lovely couple from Bute. Bill is a local artist from Ardentinny and this year is the first time he has exhibited sculpture with us, however he has been secretly exhibiting for the past 4 years! Very observant visitors may have noticed plaques dotted about the park in the trees, these are all by Bill too!
23rd July 2015
Mary Bourne's first visit to Caol Ruadh
Mary Bourne and her family travelled to see us from the Cairngorms. Despite the rain we have had lots of visitors this week and Mary enjoyed seeing the new arrangement of her "Regeneration" sculpture which is on the lawn below the tennis courts.
17th July 2015
History of Caol Ruadh
Karen & I are creating a book about the history of Caol Ruadh and all the transformations that Karen has done to the gardens and house over the past decade. If anyone has any photographs we would really appreciate them! This is picture of Caol Ruadh when it was a school
26th June 2015
June in Bloom!
The gardens are looking fantastic at Caol Ruadh. The gigantic Gunnera manicata looks magnificent in the pond and the hosta bed has sprung up along the stream.
22nd June 2015
Kilmodan School Nature Study Class
Last Monday Kilmodan School had a nature study class at Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park. Gwen McCrossan led the children on a specimen hunt for fungi and seed pods. The 20 children,aged 5-12 years, also enjoyed looking at all the new sculptures in the park.
17th June 2015
Mary Bourne's Regeneration
Mary Bourne's installation "Regeneration" lives up to its title. When Karen, Amanda & I initially installed Mary's work we arranged the granite pods in a shape resembling a nebula. Karen has now rearranged them into this much more compact arrangement and the work looks completely different. A very versatile sculpture!
16th June 2015
Caol Ruadh Sculpture prize 2015
We are pleased to announce the winner of the Caol Ruadh Sculpture Prize 2015 at the Paisley Art Institute, Chris Muirhead! Chris Muirhead exhibited with us for the first time last year and we are so pleased he has won the award this year.
15th June 2015
Oyster Catcher nest
Karen discovered an Oyster Catcher's nest on Pulpit Rock, a work of art in itself!!
10th June 2015
Flutttering and Dancing in the Breeze
Beginning life as a scientist, Andy is a largely self taught artist who has been working for thirty years in painting, sculpture and landscape gardening and increasingly blurring the boundaries between all three areas. Clothing in all its aspects is a universal experience. Used as sculpture my intention is to explore memories and the fragility and transience of our lives. This year at Caol Ruadh I take a look at the persistent memories of childhood.
Exhibition title: Fluttering and Dancing in the Breeze
"Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Tiny, empty dresses, Fashioned in concrete.
Keepsakes Relics, Spirits.
The fragile transience Of our Bittersweet Lives."
5th June 2015
"Rock Dresser"
Teena Gould's ceramic plates/platters have been cleverly arranged to create a "Rock Dresser" in the boulders below the graveyard. These amazing plates have been inspired by the landscape and history of Caol Ruadh.
2nd June 2015
New Secret Weapon against rhododendrons!
The gardens at Caol Ruadh look much bigger this year due to the removal of a colossal amount of rhododendrons! There is always an ongoing war with the ever invasive rhododendrons. To combat these invaders Karen has just bought a new secret weapon, the Neilsen Hand Puller, which removes the roots!
1st June 2015
Swings and Roundabouts
We are also very happy that an artist new to us this year,Lesley Carruthers, has sold a piece of her work, "Swings and Roundabouts". Lesley has also taken alot of photos of the gardens which are in the link below
Andrea Geile's colourful Perennials are a welcome addition to Pulpit Rock.
31st May 2015
Mike Russell's Blipfoto
In 2012 we asked Mike Russell MSP to open Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park and since then he and his wife Cathleen have always supported us. Karen and I are so pleased that you enjoyed this years exhibition !
The ever popular Illona Morrice sold two pieces of her work last weekend, the lovely reclining lady above the pond and the blue bird in the rushes also by the pond. Both buyers have kindly allowed these pieces to stay with us for the summer.
29th May 2015
Mermaids in the Glade
This year there is a rather special experience in the secluded area we call The Glade. Linda Johns has created a sanctuary for mermaids! You will have to look hard to see all the exhibits, especially the mermaid shadow over one of the moss covered boulders.
24th May 2015
Scottish Open Gardens weekend
We are so pleased that the Colintraive Open Gardens weekend raised a total of £700. The 3 gardens:Altavoil, Caol Ruadh and Milton Wood all looked magnificent. We will be donating our money to Cancer Macmillan Nurses in memory of one of our artists Emma Herman Smith. Andrea Geile, exhibiting with us this year and close friend to Emma brought us some amazing wild flower seeds which have spread over one of her Big Foot (2012) footprints.
23rd May 2015
New Exhibition 2015 !!
The New Exhibition 2015 is now open! We were blessed with a beautiful day and everyone had a wonderful time roaming around discovering all the new sculptures. The garden looks stunning and we would like to thank everyone involved in the preparation.
23rd May 2015
Lynda Henderson Article in Forargyll
We would also like to thank Lynda Henderson for her endless support. Please read her wonderful article about this years exhibition in forargyll.com
Tom Allan returns to us this year. Our very first sale in 2012 was Tom's stunning black marble heart and we are so pleased he is exhibiting with us again this year with a wonderful range of new work!
14th May 2015
On A Sad Note.....
Karen's Family would like everyone visiting this year to know her beloved dog, Zelda, will not be there to greet you this year
Zelda April 2001 - July 2014
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of her is more than I can see.
Constant, watchful, independently minded, generous in spirit, elegant and graceful, always there
My shadow,
much loved and so missed
5th May 2015
Can you guess what this is ?
John Brazenall, a fine art bronze founder from Edinburgh is exhibiting with us this year. His work has been described in the past as "anarchic, playful and beautifully conceived". Try to work out from the photo what he has created for us!
1st May 2015
Caroline Inckle's Installation !
This year we have a very unusual installation created by Caroline Inckle. You can find it on the meadow cascading down towards the Kyles.
29th April 2015
David Collins
New to Caol Ruadh this year is Stone carver David Collins from Glasgow. The sculptures he is exhibiting with us this year show his fascination of aesthetic shapes and pure forms.
27th April 2015
Mermaid's Grotto in the Glade!
Linda Johns, our first artist in residence, will transform the intimate shady glade area in the garden, into a Mermaid's Grotto! Work is almost finished but here is a glimpse of one of their tails!
Ellen McCann finds inspiration for her evocative metal sculptures from 'points of change' - for example: landscape being shaped by the elements.
22nd April 2015
Ian Cook's figures Strike a Pose!
New to the park this year is artist and sculptor Ian Cook. Karen and I loved his woven Lime wood sculptures when we visited him last year. They all have mythological feel about them!
17th April 2015
Illona's new work!
Illona followed us back to Caol Ruadh to install her work for this year. Illona has exhibited with us every year as her fabulous stoneware and bronzes are immensely popular! This year her new work is much more colourful and some even have a splash of gold!
15th April 2015
Road trip
Karen & I travelled north to Burghead to stay with Illona Morrice before going over to Moray to pick up some work from stone carver, Mary Bourne, another new artist for this year. The weather was superb and we had this view when visited a local pub!
15th April 2015
Richard Webb
Richard Webb, another new artist brought some very interesting sculptures. Nigel, Jim, Allan, Amanda and Colin were all there to help install his work!
14th April 2015
Nigel Mullan installation
A new artist exhibiting with us this year is stone sculptor Nigel Mullan. He has a wonderful sunny day to install his thought provoking work in the Gravel Garden
12th April 2015
Returning the Bigman
Karen and I had an interesting journey to Glasgow returning Andy Scott's Bigman. Lots of passing vehicles couldn't believe their eyes! Andy's workshop was as amazing as ever and it was great to see him again.
11th April 2015
Andy McClintock 's Jewel-like Dresses
Andy returns this year with some very special sculptures. His jewel coloured dresses have transformed the Rose Garden
11th April 2015
Linda Johns, first artist in residence
Linda Johns is our first artist in residence and is creating her ethereal mermaids will be made from pine needles!
10th April 2015
Carol Sinclair in the Apple House
Carol Sinclair, a new artist to Caol Ruadh this year, has transformed the wee apple house this year!
10th April 2015
Visitors from Australia
We had lovely visit from Fiona and Emily McCleod from Melbourne, Australia! Fiona wrote to us and asked to visit as her daughter Emily is studying Sculpture. Even though we are not open yet they had a really interesting time watching Lorna and Carol installing their work, and Emily also loved Zac's work which is still standing!
9th April 2015
Lorna Fraser installation
Lorna Fraser came to install 'Still' on a very sunny Argyll day!!! it looks amazing !
9th April 2015
Andy Scott's Bigman goes home!
We are sad to say goodbye to Andy Scott's Bigman. Thank you to Scottish Canals and Andy Scott for the loan of this wonderful piece of work.
3rd March 2015
What a weekend!
Karen & I had a fantastic time at Parallax Art Fair promoting the sculpture park. Thank you to all the people who stopped and chatted to us and also a huge thank you to Angela and Lizziemob who helped us over the weekend. We shared our space with Allen and Emily and their beautiful ceramics and Amy and Andrew exhibiting her thought provoking textile designs. It was great pleasure meeting you all.
24th February 2015
Parallax Art Fair Chelsea Town Hall
Karen & I will be promoting the Sculpture Park this coming weekend at the Parallax Art Fair in Chelsea Town Hall. 28th Feb - 1st March. 11am - 5 pm We will post some pictures of us at the event! We are now starting to get ready to install new work in the park for this years new, very exciting exhibition!!!
11th October 2014
Country homes and interiors article
We are in Country Homes and Interiors November issue, 5 page article! It is a really lovely article and some fabulous photos of the park and sculptures and Karen And myself who tend to shy from the camera!!!
14th September 2014
Last Day
Today is the last day of the Connections Exhibition. We would like to thank everyone who came to visit us this summer and hope that you will come back next year to see our new exhibition with many new artists! Karen & I would also like to say a big thank to Morgan Russell, our placement student this summer for all her hard work and enthusiasm, Eleanor McLaughlin and Sybel for their constancy and Alan Peters for all the wonderful cakes! Also thanks to James, Gregor and David. We would also like to thank all the wonderful artists this year for making this exhibition so special!
14th September 2014
Mystery Bouquet
We would also like to thank a mystery person for leaving us a beautiful autumn bouquet. What a beautiful way to close the season!
14th September 2014
Grand Draw Winners!
The Grand Draw took place today for the winner of an overnight stay at the Colintraive Hotel, very generously donated by the owner Patricia Watts. The Winners are Drew and Carol Storrer of Linlithgow (We will contact you shortly)
9th September 2014
Bellis Perennis SOLD!
Val Ferguson's fantastic Steel Bellis Perennis has been sold. Val’s metalwork is often spontaneous and organic in form, believing in impressing on steel a delicacy that belies its inherent strength.
5th September 2014
Tito sings to the Seals
We are enjoying a beautiful sunny autumn at Caol Ruadh. Little Tito has found some time to chill out and sing to the seals! We will be closing for the season on September 14th so please come and enjoy the new dimension autumn has given to the sculptures!
11th August 2014
Zac is back!
Our lovely "Stone Whisper" Zac returned despite the rain and midges to create something very special in the glade.
5th August 2014
Sunshine and sales!
The beautiful sunshine brought many people to the Sculpture Park on Sunday and gave us some sales! We sold Illona Morrice's gracefully retiring "Disconnected Lady", Robbie Baird's "Bigman" painting and one of Lorna Fraser's exquisite porcelain seedlings in a pot.
29th July 2014
Memories of Caol Ruadh
We are hoping to write a book about Caol Ruadh. The house has had an unusual history, including 60 years as a school owned by the Glasgow Corporation. If you have any information or experiences you would like to share with us please write to us via our website or facebook. Thank you
27th July 2014
The invasion of the "Brick People!"
We always love to find new sculptures on the beach made from the flotsam and jetsam brought up by the tide. We may soon have our very own terracotta army!
26th July 2014
Look who is watching you!
When you come to visit us you may get the feeling youare being watched on the beach! There is a very healthy herd of seals on the The Burnt Islands. They are very inquisitive and apparently if you sing to them they will come closer!
25th July 2014
Fish Pond Sold
We also sold Illona Morrice's "Fish Pond" during the Scottish Open Gardens weekend.
24th July 2014
18 East Gallery, Bute
The pop up gallery, 18 East Gallery, from Bute is looking fantastic in the Boat House. These two thought provoking pictures are by Joe Burke. "Earth, land and sea" (one and two)
24th July 2014
Robbie and the Bigman!
On Saturday Robbie Baird painted his impression of Andy Scott's "Bigman". This fabulous painting is now for sale in the Hall Gallery. There are also smaller canvases for sale depicting keyhole images of many of the sculptures in the park.
21st July 2014
Great Open Gardens Weekend!!
We would like to thank everyone that came to support the Scotland Open Gardens this weekend, we raised £270 for our chosen charity, Joe Burke Prostate Cancer Fund. We would also like to say a huge thank you to our volunteers Sybel, Eleanor and Morgan and a special mention and thank you to Alan Peters for his amazing cakes!!!
19th July 2014
Scotland's Open Gardens Weekend
This weekend 19th-20th July we are hosting Scotland's Gardens. 2-5pm £6 admission Tea and Cakes included A pop up exhibition from 18 East Gallery from Bute will be in the Boathouse Local Artist Robbie Baird's Lewis Carroll inspired exhibition. "Through the Sculpture Park and what Robbie found there" will be in the Reception Gallery.
14th July 2014
National Scottish Open Gardens at Colintraive’s Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
http://forargyll.com/2014/07/national-scottish-open-gardens-at-colintraives-caol-ruadh-sculpture-park/ Lynda Henderson has written an inspiring article about us, don't forget we are hosting Scottish open gardens this coming weekend!
14th July 2014
New Flag on Road!
We now have a new flag on the road to help you find us! Take the second turning for the Coastal Road B866 (brown sign). You should see this flag, Tito may or may not be there to greet you!!!
11th July 2014
Connections Exhibition 2014 Catalogue
Our Connections Exhibition 2014 Catalogue will be on sale 19th July, price £8. This year we asked Morgan Russell to design the catalogue. Morgan, who is studying Sculpture and Environmental Art at GSA, is helping us all summer and is simply invaluable!
11th July 2014
Freedom!
This amazing photo was taken by Karen of the swallows that hatched above the main front door of the house and have now fledged. They have aptly chosen Kirsty Brady's stained glass bird "Freedom" for their first port of call!
8th July 2014
Scottish Open Gardens
Just a quick reminder that we will be hosting Scottish Open Gardens on 19th-20th July. Admission £6, 2-6pm includes tea and cake. Pop up exhibition by 18 East Gallery from Bute and local artist Robbie Baird in the Boathouse.
1st July 2014
Conkers!!!
This week we sold one of the very large conkers! The conkers are made by artist Susan Nuttgens and these can also be made to order with a personal message. The glaze that Susan has achieved on these conkers is absolutley amazing and are a very popular exhibit.
30th June 2014
Walking Tours every Sunday
Every Sunday at 2pm visitors can walk around the sculpture park with Karen, owner and curator. Karen will make sure you don't miss any of the sculptures in the garden and give you information about each sculptor and the inspiration behind their wonderful sculptures!
17th June 2014
Family Fun this Summer!
We have various workshops in the Boat House this summer. Please look at What's On for details. Karen & I think Tito is looking more and more like Yoda!
9th June 2014
Installing the "Bigman"!
Andy Scott's "Bigman" was quite a straightforward installation, we did however have some help!
5th June 2014
The "Stone Whisperer" !!!
This year we were approached by an amazing man, Zak Fraser-McNeil. He asked us if it was OK if he balanced a few stones and made a few spontaneous stone moments around the garden. The permanence of his installations is determined by the forces of nature so he has been coming now and then to build new things as others crumble away! We have called him the "Stone Whisperer" as he has a way of balancing stones that is utterly incredible...come and see for yourself!
5th June 2014
Kirsty Brady's "Freedom Flight"
All the hard work was worth it as her beautiful birds look wonderful in the Gunnera Pond. The reflections are amazing!
5th June 2014
Looking back!
Now that all our wonderful artists' work is installed we thought it might be interesting to look back at some of the fun we had installing the work. Kirsty Brady's beautiful Stained glass birds were quite a challenge but it did mean I was back in my favourite place...in the pond in waders!
12th May 2014
First Sale of the Season!
We opened to the public on Sunday 12th May and despite the rain we had quite a few visitors. We even had our first sale "Wall Seedlings" by Lorna Fraser! Lorna Fraser makes exquisite porcelain sculptures, they can be found in the walled rose garden and in the old blue apple house.
10th May 2014
Super helpers
We have had a fantastic team of helpers, Sybel and Morgan, Amanda, Jim, Allun, Gregor and Colin. Many thanks for all the hard work and endless enthusiasm and support!
10th May 2014
Bigman's Holiday
We would also like to thank Scottish Canals, in particular Richard Millar and of course Andy Scott, for the loan of Andy Scott's maquette Maryhill Bigman. We think he will enjoy his summer holiday at Caol Ruadh!
10th May 2014
Preview of Connections Exhibition 2014
Karen and I would like everyone that came to the Preview of our Connections Exhibition! The weather and midges (lack of!) were very kind to us. We had a great day and all the hard work was worth it, we are now officially open until September 14th.
25th April 2014
Nigel Ross's sculptural benches
Nigel Ross is exhibiting with us for the first time this year and has made us two amazing 16ft benches, each carved from a single piece of wood! Our new tractor has come in very handy with installations this year !
22nd April 2014
What Time is it?
If you need to know the time as you wander about the park this year, seek out Alastair Hunter's unusual sundial!
22nd April 2014
Chris Muirhead
Chris Muirhead from Edinburgh Sculpture Studios is exhibiting with us for first time this year. He and Angela had a beautiful day to install his work
22nd April 2014
Guy Elder Welcome Back!
We are so pleased that Guy Elder has returned this year with a fantastic new piece of work, don't want to give too much away so here he is installing it!
20th April 2014
Warmth and sunshine effect
The sun and warm has done wonders to the garden! Th giant Gunnera starts to wake up!
20th April 2014
Blue Skies in Argyll
After a rather wet and windy winter it was lovely to see the return of the ridiculously blue Argyll skies, relected here in the Gunnera pond.
19th April 2014
Tim Pomeroy returns!
Tim Pomeroy is back with us again this year from the Isle of Aran. We have two new stunning sculptures from him! Both his pieces reflect the "connections" theme we gave the artists this year.
18th April 2014
A welcome helper!
We recently had a student from GSA helping us with the installation of new sculptures and also helping getting with the big task of getting the park looking good. Thank you so much Morgan! She was also a huge success with Karen's dogs!
15th April 2014
Botanical sculptures for the Gravel Garden
Val Ferguson's botanically themed sculptures are a welcome additin to the gravel garden.
12th April 2014
A Family Installation!
Craig Stuart Thomson our Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park winner 2013 installed his first outdoor sculpture overlooking the Kyles. It was certainly a family affair and Bo was in on the action too!
12th April 2014
Seedlings!
The ever cheerful and smilely, Lorna Fraser came to install her exquiste porcelain seedlings into a mossy wall in the Rose Garden.
11th April 2014
'Tobias and the Angel'
Melanie Chmielewska's sandstone sculpture was inspired by the story of 'Tobias and the Angel'.
10th April 2014
Andy McClintock and Bill Williamson
Andy and Bill popped into see us, Andy will be exhibiting again with us this year and we hope to create a rather spooky installation! They are going to help us this year with the local school workshops we hold during the summer. Always great to see you two!
31st March 2014
Fiona Maher in the rose garden
Fiona installed her beautiful stone sculptures, "Fae and Spae" in the Rose Garden.
30th March 2014
Karen helps Fiona Maher with her installation
Fiona Maher also came to install her sculptures this weekend. She brought two very different styles of sculpture. These sculptures are made from tyres and she will hopefully be making these in a summer workshop with local school children.
29th March 2014
sculptures begin to arrive at Caol Ruadh
Hans Clausen and friend Ben came this weekend to install his thought provoking sculpture "We might find everything".
27th March 2014
Rebuilding dry stone wall
All the beautiful dry stone walls within the grounds of Caol Ruadh have been skilfully built over the years by Jim Gilfillan. Jim had to rebuild this wall in the rose garden last week, what a lovely job, a sculpture in itself!
24th March 2014
Boat House Workshops
This summer the red brick Boathouse with stunning views of the Kyles of Bute will be used for workshops. We already have workshops with Dugald Macinnes (Slate Mosaics) and Susheila Jamieson ( Stone Carving) See our What's On page for details.
21st February 2014
Andrea Geile Visit
Andrea Geile came to pick up her beautiful corten steel sculpture "Level the Field". Andrea is very busy here and abroad this year but she may pop something to us later this year!
20th February 2014
Landscape Project Slate River
Karen & I decided the Slate River area should have a new look. It has provided a fantastic area in the past for both Illona Morrice and Fanny Lam Christie's work but we felt the area needed a new look this year. We are great believers in recycling so we have used the slate to create an interesting new structure in the bank. This is still work in progress!
19th February 2014
Landscape Projects
Karen & I also look at the areas within the park to see if they can be changed. Sometimes nature does this for us and sometimes our skills as Landscape Architects step in! The strong storms over the winter have brought down many trees in the park and in one area this has created a fantastic new exhibition space!
18th February 2014
New artists for 2014
Karen and I have been busy since the Sculpture Park closed last September. We have lots of new artists and some returning artists for this years exhibition. We gave all artists the theme "Connections". We went to Tarbet to visit two new artists Kirsty Brady and Craig Thomson.
17th February 2014
Hellebores in Bloom
The stunning show of Hellebores in the walled garden at Caol Ruadh always marks the beginning of spring and planning the new exhibition for 2014!
2nd January 2014
New Year Tides
Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park started the year with an incredible high tide! Helen Denerley's magnificent Marine Iguana would have been completely submerged!!!
23rd December 2013
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Karen & I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope that you will visit us in 2014 to view our exciting new collection of sculptures and installations.
16th September 2013
Caol Ruadh Closed
We are now closed until May 2014 when will will reopen with a new exhibition for you all to enjoy! We hope that everyone enjoyed the Maritime Exhibition this year. Thank you all for coming we hope to see you next year! A final goodbye from Bo who seemed to be very popular with our visitors this summer!!!
22nd August 2013
Hammock with a view
Karen' boys have put up a hammock to take in the panoramic views of the Kyles !!!
22nd August 2013
Crocodiles in the marshes!
The Gunnera pond is looking very wild and a perfect setting for Helen Denerley's two wonderful crocodiles!
6th August 2013
New look for reception hut
Our new reception hut now looks amazing!
6th August 2013
Useful Directions to find us
We know we are fairly hard to find so please look out for this sign, turn right down coastal road, bear right and you will come to a red brick entrance in about half a mile. I hope this makes things easier!
30th July 2013
Hestia
We are so pleased that another piece of Mies Murphy-Steegers has been sold. Hestia
29th July 2013
New Reception Hut!
We are pleased to announce the arrival of our new reception hut!
27th July 2013
Lorna Fraser
Another piece of Lorna Fraser's exquisite porcelain creations has sold! Her work can be seen in the Rose Garden.
10th July 2013
Homes & Interiors Scotland
We are very excited to be in Homes & Interiors Scotland July/ August issue Article by Jan Patience and photos by Derek Prescott
1st July 2013
Fife Regatta
We had a wonderful day watching the magnificent Fife Boats sail through the Kyles and alot of people joined us for coffee and croissants too!
16th June 2013
Oh Please, PLEASE, just throw me the stick!
For those of you that have met Bo, Karen's lovely springer, you will know how much he likes to fetch!!! Unfortunately Illona's little Swimmer is more interested in the Kyles!
8th June 2013
Illona sells again
Illona Morrice's work doesn't stay with us for very long! The Blue Jumping Fish and another Swimmer sold this weekend!
2nd June 2013
New Sculpture from Mies Murphy-Steegers
Mies has brought us a fabulous new sculpture called "Hestia"
25th May 2013
Another Sale!
We also sold 3 pieces of Dugald MacInnes 'of Hunters and Gatherers' which were situated in the woodland.
25th May 2013
sculptures sold
We are so pleased to have sold Mies Murphy-Steegers sculpture, Kotytto this weekend
25th May 2013
Fantastic Photo!
We had to share this fantastic photo taken by Karen's son James.
18th May 2013
Scottish Open Gardens Weekend
Many thanks to all the people that visited us during the Scottish Open Gardens weekend. We were part of the Colintraive Gardens, with Caroline Sinclair's lovely garden also open to the public. All proceeds went to the SOG charity and between us we raised £310!
17th May 2013
Octopus workshop with Toward School
Today Cathleen Russell (headmistress) brought 31 children from Toward School for the second day of Emma’s workshop and another glorious sunny day!! Andy McClintock a local Artist exhibiting with us showed the children his marvellous historical sculpture, ‘A Celtic Crossing’ depicting the Picts and the Celts. He even entertained the children by sailing a little coracle he had made! The children continued to help Emma make the magnificent willow octopus and by the end of the day the results were amazing! We hope both schools enjoyed the Sculpture Park.
16th May 2013
Beach Mermaid Kilmodan School
Today Joyce Hawkins (headmistress) brought 21 children from Kilmodan School for a sculpture workshop. Environmental artist Emma Herman-Smith designed an amazing project to make a huge willow octopus with the children. The children enjoyed a day, exploring around the sculpture park, rock pooling, making beach sculptures and of course helping Emma create the huge willow octopus.
4th May 2013
Opening of Maritime Exhibition 2013
Karen & I hope that everyone enjoys the Maritime Exhibition as it is very different from last year especially the range of scale from Lornas’s tiny porcelain wall lichen sculptures to Helen Denerley’s impressive scrap metal creatures! We had a great turn out despite the weather, thank you all for coming! Well we are now officially open and we hope that you will all enjoy what we have created this year. We would also like to thank all the artists for exhibiting with us, all the wonderful helpers on the day and Colintraive Hotel for the delicious food. Great news we sold 5 pieces of sculpture at the opening; Illona Morrice Swimmer Shona Fraser Paddler Shona Fraser Textured Pod Susam Nuttgens Conker ( Commission) Lorna Fraser Spiky Form Thank you Derek Prescott for managing to get a photo of us!
1st May 2013
Interesting day installing Helen's sculptures!
Luckily the weather kind to us today, but we had to work with the tides to get Helen’s Marine Iguana out onto a very slippery Pulpit Rock and any welding done before the tides came in. Next the 8ft camel was installed, a daunting installation as the camel has to travel upright at all times due to centre of gravity being high. With the use of the trusty Massey Ferguson we managed to get the 'Ship of the Desert' installed on the foreshore. The Alligators, with the help of Colin and Willie, crept into the pond and the leopard found a suitable place to pounce above the pond.
30th April 2013
Helen Denerley 'Creatures that arrive in the night!'
BIG DAY!!! Helen Denerley sculptures finally coming to us, the previous date was cancelled due to snow!! All the sculptures finally arrived safe and sound about 10pm, thanks to driver, Graham. We had a team of strong men, Colin, Fraser, Willie and friend, to help us unload these amazing creatures all made from scrap metal. Many thanks to you all!
28th April 2013
Shona Leitch
Shona Leitch and her brother Alastair arrived laden with Shona’s sculptures. Shona is using a new technique for these sculptures called Lime Mortar and is working on a new bigger scale. All the sculptures were inspired by her recent residency in Sri Lankan and are all named after places in Sri Lanka. The collection of organic sculptures look stunning emerging from the moss covered rock forms which cascade down the hill.
8th April 2013
Frances Sutton Mosaic
Frances Sutton's husband seen here installing her beautiful mosaic 'Lunar Tides' near the gunnera pond.
7th April 2013
Paul Stallan - Work in progress!
Paul Stallan, better known for his involvement with the Commonwealth games Athlete Village at Dalmamock, is having fun with junk and has found the boat house a perfect backdrop for his ongoing creation, watch this space!
6th April 2013
What's Lorna Fraser doing in the Rose Garden
Lorna Fraser is exhibiting with us for the first time this year. Her exquisite white porcelain sculptures have found a natural home in the beautiful walled Rose Garden.
19th March 2013
"A Celtic Crossing" Andy McClintock
Andy McClintock has embraced the Maritime theme creating his version of a currach. Pictured here as we worked out a few technical problems with a tree stump! His installation refers to St. Columba crossing in his currach from Ireland to Argyll and the Iland of Iona in 653AD to begin his mission to the Picts. As usual Andy's work has many playful and colourful elements to enjoy.
19th March 2013
Illona Morrice Returns!
We are very pleased that Illona Morrice has returned to exhibit at Caol Ruadh. Her work was very popular last year This year her exciting new work is all related to the sea and she has experimented with different glazes and colours. Seek out "The Swimmer"!
18th March 2013
Springing back into action!
Spring has arrived at last at Caol Ruadh. The garden is beginning to wake up, with daffodils emerging all over the place and a fantastic show of hellebores in the walled garden. Karen and I have started to install some new work for this years exciting Maritime Exhibition. We have some returning artists and alot of new ones which we hope you will all enjoy!
12th October 2012
Derek Prescott ARPS video of the park
I met Derek Prescott during the Cowal Open Studio Weekend, he was busy taking pictures of all the open studios, but he enjoyed his visit with us so much he made a wonderful video presentation. Many thanks to Derek for doing this and I hope that you all enjoy it!
" Caol Ruadh- The Scottish Sculpture Park" By Derek Prescott ARPS
Karen & I have noticed that Kevin Dagg's houses on the beach have been colonised by barnacles! The little village on the beach was very popular with all our visitors this weekend.
20th September 2012
Cowal Open Studios Weekend
We have just had a very sunny, albeit nippy weekend for the Cowal Open Studios Weekend. More than 100 people visited us this weekend.
We were also pleased that 3 of Rob Mulholland's small mirrored figures have sold this weekend too!
15th September 2012
Best Of The West Festival
Karen, Andrew and Illona had a great weekend at the Best of West Festival in the grounds of Inveraray Castle. Illona exhibited her new sculpture Straight Hair.
3rd September 2012
Update on Sculpture Sales
We are very pleased that work is continuing to be sold throughout the summer. We have now sold pieces of work by Andy McClintock, Dugald MacInnes and Illona Morrice.
Rob Mulholland has also given us some smaller mirrored figures to sell in the Boat House.
22nd August 2012
Slate River
The Slate River has now become a popular area with our visitors. The grass and plants have matured nicely over the summer.
17th August 2012
Small Sculptures in the Boat House
We decided it would be interesting to change the look of the gallery in the boat house for a short period. The new exhibition 'Briathrachan Beag' means small Sculptures. Two new artists are exhibiting in the Boat House, Mies Murphy Steegers and Fanny Lam Christie.
16th August 2012
Glasgow School of Art Student
Karen & I are very keen to encourage new artists. Jen Martin from GSA is going to do a small project related to some aspect of the sculptures in the park.
15th August 2012
St Hilda arrival by boat
We would like to thank Michael from the St Hilda for bringing us some visitors by boat.
14th August 2012
Heartwood Artists at Cambo House
Karen & I travelled to Blairgowrie to visit Fanny Lam Christie's studio and then onto Cambo House,Kingsbarns to see more of her stunning work and view the Heartwood Artists' exhibition in the Old Stables. We are pictured with Fanny in front of her sculpture 'New Leaf'
2nd August 2012
Emma Flies!
Here is Emma flying over the house!
1st August 2012
Emma Fly Over
Emma Herman-Smith returned to Caol Ruadh in a Micro-Lite! She sent us this amazing photo of her work from the air
29th July 2012
Boat House Exhibition
Freda Waldapfel was exhibiting her vibrant work in the Boat House (Tighnabruaich Gallery) this weekend. She filled the Boat House with beautiful flowers from her garden. Her work will be exhibited through the week and she will be artist in residence throughout August.
28th July 2012
Scottish Open Gardens Weekend
This weekend was the Scottish Open Gardens Weekend. We provided afternoon tea for all visitors (entrance donation to charity). Karen's son David baked us some wonderful cakes for the occasion! We would like to say a big thank you to our new volunteer Eleanor McLaughlin who did a fantastic job helping us serve teas to the constant stream of visitors. We raised £380 for the charity.
The topping on the cake, so to speak! was that we sold two more pieces of Illona's work, 'The Mermaid' and 'The Home Coming', both of which are going to good homes!
25th July 2012
Arrival of new sculptures
Illona Morrice returned to Caol Ruadh with four new pieces of Stoneware for us to exhibit. Mermaid The Home Coming, A group of Shetland sheep returning home by boat after summer island grazing! Black Poppies The Whale All the new pieces look stunning in the garden. It was fantastic to see Illona again and pleased we have been able to sell so much of her work. We look forward to her return!
17th July 2012
New Sculpture from Andrea Geile
Andrea Geile came back to Caol Ruadh with more pieces of her work. 'Tumbling' a fabulous corten steel collage of swirling leaves and some more Petalostia gigantea so we can now sell these separately or in groups.
14th July 2012
Park update
Over the past couple of weeks the number of people visiting Caol Ruadh is gradually increasing despite the weather! We have had some wonderful feedback and everyone that has visited has enjoyed the sculpture trail through the spectacular gardens. We have also sold two more pieces of Illona Morrice's work,'Seaweed' and 'Big Laura'. Illona has now promised to bring us some new pieces very shortly.
24th June 2012
Great sales at the opening!
The opening was a great success yesterday with the added bonus of three sales, Tom Allan's 'Heart of Stone' and two pieces by Illona Morrice, 'The Sleeper' and 'Boat'.
23rd June 2012
Caol Ruadh Opening Day
Opening of the Scottish Sculpture Park Caol Ruadh
Well the big day! All sculptures and installations look fantastic and the garden is looking stunning too. Mike Russell SMP officially opened the park. About 150 people came to the opening, greeted by a piper, Mark Garner and even the Waverley put in an appearance! Karen & I would like to say a big thank you to everyone that has helped us over the past few months to make this happen. We hope everyone enjoys the sculpture park and follows our progress throughout the summer. Enjoy the video on the shore with Rob Mulholland's evocative sculptures in the background.
21st June 2012
Slate River
Illona Morrice's sculptures, Brendan Voyage and Boat set sail on the shimmering slate river
10th June 2012
Koru installed
Tom Allan's Koru sculpture now safely installed in the pond
9th June 2012
Pond Plinths, James walks on water!
A couple of sculptures were going to be exhibited in the pond, which was not an easy task. Tom and James, Karen's son had the difficult task of building the plinths which could take the weight of Tom Allan's marble Koru.
18th May 2012
Slate River
Once all the slates had been carefully placed onto the liner, the grass turf had to be laid. This was not helped by the clouds of midges ! The slate river was beginning to take shape.
17th May 2012
Tread Lightly
Emma Herman-Smith's installation was originally going to be 4 huge footprints burnt into the ground representing our carbon footprint. Unfortunately the reeds and coarse grass meant that each footprint had to dug out! Luckily Emma got some help from Karen, Sally, James, Gregor, David and Tom!
16th May 2012
The evolution of the canopus
Karen returned to Caol Ruadh about a week later to continue work on the canopus and help Emma Herman-Smith install Tread Lightly. We had decided to use some reclaimed slate instead of water in the canopus. Karen found that the slate changed the shape of the canopus. and evolved into a beautiful curved slate river.
5th May 2012
Chaise Longue
The Chaise Longue with fabulous views over the Kyles!
5th May 2012
Guy Elder's Chaise Longue
We had a brief break away from the canopus due to the arrival of Guy Elder with his magnificent oak Chaise Longue. We used the digger to lift this one tonne piece carefully into position .
5th May 2012
Karen's Canopus
The initial stage was careful planning of the length, breadth and orientation of the canopus with relation to the house. This marked out we hired a digger beautifully driven by Jimmy. He had to first remove the many tree stumps and then start to dig out the canal. Karen’s Canopus was to measure 15m x 2.75m x 0.5m. After a very long day the excavation of the canopus was basically done.
5th May 2012
Karen's Canopus
Over on the other side of the garden Karen was beginning a project which she has wanted to do for many years, create a ‘canopus’ based on the canopus at Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, Italy. A canopus is a valley with a long pond surrounded by a colonnade. It was originally designed to recall the Canopus canal which ia an arm of the River Nile between Alexandria and Abukir
5th May 2012
Gunnera Pond
The Gunnera Pond now looks much better and is ready for the sculptures to be installed.
4th May 2012
Pond Plinths
The 'Gunnera Pond' was the next project which was completely overgrown and covered with pond weed. Full waders and a small boat enabled me to carefully remove the pond debris.The pond is quite deep in parts so luckily I had Tito as my lifeguard!
All the pond debris was carefully piled up on the small jetty and any pond life was allowed to return back to the pond!
The central Acer island had to be cleared of weeds and alot of bullrushes and grasses were removed where the burn enters the pond. These two areas will both house sculptures.
3rd May 2012
Glorious gabion!
The wood was carefully placed in layers around the edge and gradually the hardcore was placed behind. This was a slow process, abit like a huge jigsaw. We were very proud of our first gabion!
2nd May 2012
Gabion construction
With the use of the trusty Massey Ferguson tractor and trailer we piled up almost 2 tonnes of hardcore for the interior and the cut tree segments for the outer edge. The gabion sides have to be initially wired together very firmly except for the lid and cross wired within the interior for extra support.
1st May 2012
Plinths
We now have a list of all the sculptures that the various sculptors are exhibiting with us, now all we have to do is create or build plinths to house them. Karen & I spent a week in the gardens with a series of projects we wanted to do. Firstly we needed to build a gabion A gabion is a 1m wire mesh box which is usually filled with rocks and is used for retaining walls. We wanted to build one as a plinth. The heavy storms during the winter brought down many trees at Caol Ruadh so we thought it would be a great idea to use one of the trees, cut into 2 inch segments as an outer lining for the gabion. The added surprise was that the tree we cut up had an amazing inner core.
23rd April 2012
Welcome to the Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park blog
Karen Scotland and I (Anne Edmonds) have nurtured the idea of a sculpture park in the stunning grounds of Caol Ruadh for a number of years.
So with the concept ’if you build it, they will come’ (from the movie Field of Dreams) we set about looking for sculptors and installation artists all over Scotland that produced work we felt could cope with an outdoor environment.
The first installed piece of art was by Andrea Geile which was a very exciting moment for us!
The park is due to open to the public late June, details of which will be on the website.
