Artists at Glenfiddich. August 2016

                        


                         ARTISTS AT GLENFIDDICH AUGUST 2016.

 Scenes around The Dorback.       
 

               One way or another, inspiration's been slow lately. A wee dander round my favourite local spots often helps, but it's taken the second exhibition of The Artists At Glenfiddich Distillery to prompt a return to this neglected blog site.

Along with some members of the Forres ForWORDS writing group, I took the Dallas road to  Dufftown. At any time, it's scenic, but an approaching autumn made it particularly colourful with the surrounding heatherclad hills turned purple and bracken to gold.

That night, the sky had lent an indigo back wash against which windmills sculled their white paddles whilst, a rainbow maker had dropped a pastel arc over Dufftown's Glenfiddich Distillery.
It was as welcoming as co-ordinator, Andy Fairgrieve,  responsible for serving generous cocktails in an art gallery transformed by the resident artists' work.
Exhibitions, such as these, appeal on several levels and in different way and how fascinating to share the artists' vision through their undoubted skills.
Life at Glenfiddich was captured in a number of delicate pencil and ink works and brought to the walls by Korean Min Joon Park.
'Did ye notice there's thirty of these?' asked Patricia O'Shea who would later pen and read a haiku on the Angel's Share at a small poetry-reading slot. (Not, owing to Andy's hospitality that there was much alcohol allowed to evaporate on this particular occasion.)
'After our last visit and seeing  Australian Joan Ross's Right to Roam,'  Tez Watson explained to the attendees, ' I wrote a poem on the same theme.'
Since Joan's subsequent work, is a mischievous mix using an eclectic mixture of materials, figures and wall hangings, it'll be interesting to see if Tez will be similarly inspired.
Andy Allan, a Dufftown loon followed, taking a poem about his sister going to America from his recently published book, Breath of Dragons.
Meanwhile Margaret Bain had done a test run in one of Emily Bink's sculptural installations. Some of her work's been inspired by mountain bothies and rudimentary shelters.  The  one outside, built of old sofas,crates and polythene, worked!  Despite the rain, it allowed Margaret to return dry and bring her North-east honeyed voice to a poem she'd written about whisky.
Newfoundlander, Eleanor King was thoughtful. Her written presentation, 'Be-stilled in the FUTURE PAST at Balvenie Cottage accompanying a scene recreated from an 1899 Dufftown  showed how different all forms of art can be.

'You had to be there,' is a truism, and it's hard to capture in words what's on visual offer. Still, anyone can go and see that exhibition for themselves. It's open each day from 12.30- 5.30 apart from Mondays and Tuesdays and admission is free. Go on!  Why don't you? You couldn't help but be inspired, but keep an eye out for scarecrows!

                                                                         

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www.janeyeadon.co.uk

Book signing and a villain.

As the man turned to leave, he spoke in an injured tone. 'They were handmade in Portugal.'

'When I approached you to tell me about your boots, you didn't mention that interesting fact,' I replied.

'Well you never asked. Anyway, are you one of yon folk they call a shoe fetishist?'

Had I been younger, I might have started  the conversation as a chat up line. Instead, I had to confess, 'No. I'm looking for inspiration to describe a villain who'll feature in a book that I'm planning and your fetish remark's just given me an idea that he might be one. Thanks.'

I was at Brodie Countryfare doing a book signing as part of their celebration of forty years in the business. It's always flattering to be invited but I have to confess to a certain ambivalence about book signings.

 Some authors boast of long queues dying to have a word with their most favourite writer, but that's not my problem. An unbidden image of a broken down tart trying to flog her wares might be.

 Still, I do meet lovely people and on my day there, Brodie Countryfare had more than its share of them and I did have a lovely time and when I came home was able to give my villain a beautifully coiffured head of luxuriant grey hair and a pair of brown suede boots so smart, they could have been handmade in Portugal. 

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Meet Agnes, one of my lovely customers.

www.janeyeadon.co.uk

A Book Launch.

There was never a book launch (for me anyway) so easily organised as the one for  The Ancient Secret Of Cloven hill. Thanks to the stout efforts of  Cook- Frances of Anderson School, juice and the promised jammy pieces were there for the guests and of course the Class 4 pupils and teachers who made the book what it is. Overseeing proceedings were head teacher Maureen Mooney and her deputy Sara Neil.
The school hall, described in my last blog, has now lost its history of hot sandshoes and sweaty endeavour. The hall was warm and welcoming with the kids' original book illustrations jazzing up the walls.
 As they took a bow or waved to the audience when their co-author names were called out, each kid shone in their own particular right. I've been inspired by their sparkle, imagination, mischief and talent.
Book sales are on their way to £1000 and Marlyn's off to Uganda. As well as The Ancient Secret---she's taken a load of other books given by the school. We await her return for further development news of Bunono School  with keen interest- the story goes on.............

Marlyn with her children.

Visit my website at:
www.janeyeadon.co.uk

Jammy pieces.

On the First of December, we're holding The Ancient Secret of Cloven Hill book launch in Forres's Anderson's School's gym hall.
Many, many moons ago, we used to dangle from the wall bars there for some of the P.E hour. Our teacher was a grey haired lady with a whistle, firm voice and divided skirt. I don't recall her footwear but we were often instructed to take ours off, including socks. I often wonder what level of athleticism was needed for then having to tie knots in ropes usually used for skipping.
This time, the accompanying juice and jammy pieces at the launch also suggest a less than calorie-killing activity. All the school pupils will be there and hopefully many will buy the book. Proceeds will help Marlyn Somers in her next big challenge.
 She heads up the charity Uganda Aid Person to Person, and will be there and able to tell the assembled about the orphanage she supports.
As you'll see below, showering facilities are basic and provision of better is Marlyn's next challenge. --
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www.janeyeadon.co.uk

INSPIRATION IN MANY FORMS.

My young friends and I are close to completing our childrens' book. It's got a new title- not so different from the old, but it's now to be called, The Ancient Secret of Cloven Hill. 
Inspiration has come from visiting the Witches' Stone, Nelson Tower atop Forres's Cluny Hill, and of course from the children themselves.
I did not expect help with the blurb though. They're are a bit of a nightmare to write so, imagine my delight when, with all but a flourish, Ms Anne Reid, one of the teachers handed over a little beauty.
'I think this'll save you a job,' she said. And she's right. What do you think?

One magical story with lots of adventures and weird people with a funny number of toes. There's Big George, Morag who is cheeky, Rosie who bosses Burns her brother who says 'Ruggabug' instead of swearing and Picker who is scary.
It's all about thinking and teamwork and sneaking out at night.
Read this amazing book!
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Cluny Hill is lovely but best not visited at night.

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www.janeyeadon.co.uk

Nairn Book Festival.

I was asked to give a talk on 'Telling Tales'at this year's Nairn Book Festival. It was in the Nairn Museum's  meeting room which is well appointed and conducive to chat. I could not have wished for a kinder audience nor a better interviewer than Kate Ashton.
Belinda came too. She was my old doll,a constant companion and a great listener. She stars quite a bit in the book and here she is, still listening, whilst Mabel of the Nairn Book Shop tells her she's moving her shop across the road to premises boasting bigger windows.

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www.janeyeadon.co.uk

Eating my words.

I'd be the first to admit to protesting against the lengthy and expensive measures taken to build Forres's Flood Alleviation measures at Chapelton, just outside the town. In Norman Thomson's admirable book, A Forres Companion there are two photographs. One shows the scheme in normal weather whilst the other illustrates flood conditions and the containment provided by the dam.
Five years after the scheme was completed, Forres remains safe whilst those August flowers cloak the area in  an extravagance of colour. Bats, badgers and otters wait for dusk before taking their place in what has now become an enchanting wildlife haven..

Visit my website at:
www.janeyeadon.co.uk