Help To Promote Malt Whisky London Advertising Agency commissioned 13 Scottish artists to create artworks. According to Advertising Agency, EHS Brann, around 350,000 Classic Malt enthusiasts have just received an unusual Christmas package from drinks giant Diageo - the worlds leading premium drinks company. part of their Christmas promotion campaign. The package included a specially designed set of 13 greeting cards, each bearing an image of artwork representing The Spirit of one of the 13 Classic Malt distillations in Scotland. 13 Scottish artists were commissioned by the award winning advertising agency, EHS Brann to produce the artwork for the front page of the greeting cards. Each artist was allocated one of the Classic Malt distilleries in Scotland and commissioned to create one piece of artwork in 'the spirit of the Malt'. Barbra Drummond-Hay, art buyer for EHS Brann said, ''Our only stipulation is that the spirit of both the individual whisky and its particular place of origin be represented in the painting.'' EHS Brann selected the artists from the Scottish Art Circle - an online promotion platform for Scottish artists set up by former Glasgow gallery owner, Ali Abubakar. We selected the artists from various parts of Scotland particularly for uniqueness of their styles and techniques'' said Babra Drummond-Hay. The selection of artists stretched from a Borders watercolourist, Mike Shepley, to a Batik maker of Tomintoul, Jane Lannagan. Other artists were from Glasgow, Stirling, Houston in Renfrewshire, Fife and Carnoustie in Angus. The commissions exposed the artists to distilleries spanning from East Lothian to Black Isle in Morayshire - producing brands including Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Lagavulin, Cragganmore, and Glen Ord. We had to work on a tight time-schedule - first to travel to the distillery which could be anywhere in Scotland; research, sketch, photograph and decide on the theme to paint,'' said registered-blind artist Keith Salmon of Irvine. Then we had to submit a sample of ‘work-in-progress’ for approval, and the finished piece within just two weeks after that.'' All 13 artists completed the commission within the allocated time scheduled. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of our mates, and the level of commitment they gave to this project - even though they were being handsomely paid for their efforts,'' said Ali of Scottish Art Circle. Batik maker Jane Lanaggan was in hospital when her husband, Bill, passed her the news about the commission. She was aware of the limited time she had from getting out of hospital to researching the project, taking pictures before getting down to paint. Some of the artists seemed familiar with the history of the areas they were sent to - like Jim Dunbar of Carnoustie who went to Islay to paint Lagavulin Distillery. He titled his painting 'Lagavulin Outlook' - a direct reference to the distillery. It shows Lagavulin Bay onto which the distillery looks and presents a true recording of the shoreline ... it also shows Dunyvaig Castle, the stronghold of the Lord of the Isles where King James IV, reputedly, first tasted distilled spirits.'' said Jim. At Dalwhinnie, Terry Adams of Fife felt he was working on the 'Home Of The Gentle Spirit.' Dalwhinnie was a meeting place for cattle drovers on the way to the lowland markets,'' he said, remembering his history. Today the distillery is still a nexus a meeting place where the golden grain of sustenance, meets the rugged hills and the sparkling highland waters - and the purple heather joins in friendship, warmth and knowledge to produce the gentle spirit in harmony that is Dalwhinnie.'' Diageo has invited all the 13 artists to a reception in London where they and other guests will learn more about Classic Malts Selection and the type of cuisine that goes well with the Spirits ... and the artists' original pieces of work will be on display. ............. For Attention Of Editors. Artists' Reports: Jim Dunbar - Carnoustie in Angus Tel: 01241 853 244 email: jdunbar@rileycars.fsnet.co.uk Location: Lagavulin Distillery, Islay I went to Islay to paint the distillery on site. The painting I submitted is titled 'Lagavulin Outlook' - a direct reference to the distillery. It shows Lagavulin Bay onto which the distillery looks and presents a true recording of the shoreline that is very similar to the work I have been doing on the Angus coast for the past three years. The painting also shows Dunyvaig Castle, the stronghold of the Lord of the Isles where King James IV, reputedly, first tasted distilled spirits. I made a few sketches initially to work out a suitable composition. The weather was bright and dry and the visibility was good. The final result was a true recording of the shoreline that is very similar to the work I have been doing on the Angus coast for the past three years. The title of the work - 'Lagavulin Outlook' - is a direct reference to the distillery. It also shows Dunyvaig Castle, the stronghold of the Lord of the Isles where King James IV, reputedly, first tasted distilled spirits. My work comes out of exploring the connections between people and their environment, especially the spiritual aspects that develop over time. Lagavulin Bay, safe haven for the Lords of the Isles, had all of the qualities I look for. .................... Jane Lannagan - Tomintoul, Morayshire Tel: 01807 580 458 email: sales@tomintoulgallery.co.uk Location: Cardhu Distillery, Speyside I was in hospital when I was offered this commission by EHS Brann, so it was a nice surprise. The time scale however, from getting out of hospital to researching the project, taking pictures was very tight - and dull weather the did not help either. Cardhu Distillery is situated in the glorious Speyside landscape. I was taken by my first sighting of the two pagoda style towers sitting atop a field of golden grain, and the mix of old and new neatly laid out buildings which landscaped the distillery. At the distillery I learned about the different phases in the production of malt whisky. I was much inspired by the copper stills glowing warmly in the sunlight and the huge barrels maturing the final product in the dusty gloom of the stores. It was interesting to discover that more than one whisky is stored in each bond, in case of fire. I would'nt have thought a distillery would be an appealing subject for my batiks, but I really enjoyed copying the textures of the old stone walls and painting the reflections of the two pagoda towers. So “ Reflections of Cardhu” seemed like an appropriate title for my batik. ....................... Terry Adams - Leven, Fife Tel: 07813 093 977 email: mail@tadams.org Location: Dalwhinnie Distillery Home Of The Gentle Spirit My first reaction on opening the email was simply scepticism. I am so used to getting spurious requests via email for my work whick normally turn out to nothing worthwhile. However, on further investigation I realised the selection came from Scottish Art Circle and was encouraged to progress. Barbara Drummond-Hay was very helpful and her guidance invaluable. All too often the primary difficulty in commissions is the marrying of expectations. This is particularly so when the brief is so wide. The timing was inconvenient as I was preparing for my exhibition at Pittenweem Arts Festival. A tour around Dalwhinnie was very informative and gave me the handle upon which to base the commission - Dalwhinnie means the meeting place. The staff at the distillery were accommodating and very knowledgeable too. On the journey home thoughts of the history and location condensed. Dalwhinnie was a meeting place for cattle drovers on the way to the lowland markets, and today the distillery is still a nexus a meeting place where the golden grain of sustenance, meets the rugged hills, the sparkling highland waters and the purple heather join in friendship, warmth and knowledge to produce the gentle spirit in harmony that is Dalwhinnie. And so the idea was formed. I would have liked to produced the painting in oils, but due to tightness of schedule I used artists acrylics on prepared canvas for quick drying. I wanted a view that showed the main features of the distillery - nestled within the landscape, and a style that emphasised strong contrasts and colour to facilitate printing. I feel my 'Home of the Gentle Spirit' captures the ambience of the Highlands and Dalwhinnie. ------------------------ Keith Salmon (Registered Blind) - Irvine, Ayrshire Tel: 07742 437 425 email: keith@artcreation.co.uk Location: Cragganmore Distillery, Speyside. It was quite a surprise when Barbra contacted me about the promotion they were planning, and that they’d seen my work on the Scottish Art Circle website. I was also slightly concerned about the deadline they had in mind being so close. The project certainly sounded interesting. As well as being quite well paid for the commission, I considered the real bonus being the tremendous publicity I would get from my painting … the image being sent to around 350,000 customers world wide. With only just over three weeks to the deadline I was allocated the Cragganmore Distillery on Speyside for my commission. This was an area I really didn’t know. My partner and I spend a couple of days to explore the area around and visit the distillery. The countryside here was very beautiful - a mixture of low wooded hills interspersed by a patchwork of pasture and fields of ripening barley. We discovered from our map that although the Cragganmore distillery was very close to the river, it was in fact tucked down in a wee hollow in the landscape - impossible to see except on approaching it up the access road. Cragganmore is a mixture of new and old and looked just like a small factory set in the countryside. It certainly didn’t have any of the distinctive architectural features of the neighbouring Speyside distilleries. From an ideal spot overlooking the building we marvelled at the site set as it were, in a hollow of the landscape. It was a viewpoint from which I could produce a painting in harmony with the landscape (colours, textures and shapes) whilst still including the building - and capture the essence of the place. I was keen to show the distillery as an integral part of the Speyside. I created a large foreground area that was quite textural and played with the natural colours of the Cragganmore malt itself. I painted my piece as I do most of my work, in acrylic paint and pastel ... building the paintings in alternative layers of paint and pastel, protecting the pastel with a very fine layer of matt acrylic varnish. I’m not used to working to such a tight deadline but I have proved to myself that I can do it, when called to. Most importantlly though I hope the coverage the paintings get as a result will help promote my status as an artist, and lead to even greater opportunities. It was interesting to learn that all the artists on the project had been chosen from the Scottish Art Circle website and hopefully everyone else has had a similarly good experience as I've had. ------------------- Laura Newbury - Stirling Tel: 01786 471 905 email: mail@newburystar.fslife.co.uk Location: Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of Ord. The email which came in from EHS Brann offering the commission seemed genuine, contrary to many con offers I've had before. There was no flowery language or hazy promises. It stated what was involved in the commission, and what the payment would be. There was a name to contact. There was guidance about how to find out about the whiskies and locations. It was made clear that the artist was free to interpret the subject in their own style. A whisky company would obviously be looking for an appealing landscape image, I thought. Given that the whiskies are like works of art themselves being made from the water of the place where the distillery is situated, I reckoned that within the 13 locations of the distilleries, there would be great scope for the type of image I like to make. I like to capture the spirit of a place and the whisky topic seemed to fit! In a personal way this was a great opportunity for me, having come out of a period of finding it difficult to make time to do my own painting. I was delighted to have been allocated Glen Ord distillery. As it happened, I had finished my schooling in Inverness, and had done a little work experience in a graphics studio in Muir of Ord, before starting Art College. I had also been on an art course at Raddery House on the Black Isle, when in 5th year at school, and then later, as a newly qualified art teacher in Inverness, had also taught on one of these courses for talented children, at Tarradale House on the Black Isle. Then there were memories of cycling out there and painting in the long hot summers of the late 1970s, before the Kessock Bridge had been built, and the crossing was by ferry. People at the Distillery could not have been more welcoming and helpful. I set my heart on doing a painting of the copper stills lit up at night, as seen through the large plate glass windows from the road. I thought the image would be suitably cosy looking for a Christmas card. I knew this was also the image which the men who worked at Glen Ord would favour. It was nice feeling like a mad artist again, knowing I would be paid for the work, sitting in the dark under the trees and making drawings of the shining copper through the glass windows opposite. I completed one painting from the back of the distillery, which I used for reference. For my final presentation I combined three images - the copper stills lit up at night formed the central part of the composition, with a view of the old pagoda towers above. The foreground section below the stills, depicted a whisky barrel with Glen Ord written across it. A good lesson was to be learned here. When I sent in my pictures of the work in progress it became clear that the Art Director Brett Cosgoyne, and his team preferred the small painting I had made very spontaneously from the back of the distillery - after all. Perhaps something of the place really had been captured in this image. It felt almost too easy to be sending off a final piece which had been done so quickly, and to earn such good money for it - not withstanding the opportunity to revisit some of the haunts of my youth in the process. ----------------- Other Artists include: David Kerr John Wetten Brown Tel: 0141 334 5136 email: john@johnwettenbrown.co.uk Lynne Scobbie Tel: 0141 339 3582 / 0777 9977 612 email: lynne667@btinternet.com Selma Rebus Tel: 0141 339 2838 mail: selmasilkbatik@hotmail.com Bob Gould Tel: 01505 610 963 / 07710 750 150 email: robert_j_gould2001@hotmail.com Brian Madden Sara Mead saramead@btopenworld.com Some of the artists seem very knowledgeable about both the product and the history of the areas around the location of the Dists. ... , said TA of Fife. And JD of Dundee spoke of ... around LLLL and Castle LLL in Islay. Laura Newbury of Stirling enthusiastically remarked about the days when she .... I felt ... and it's inspired me to ... Some of the artists were particularly impressed by the staff at the dsts when they visited in the course of researching and preparing for their tasks. they were ... and ... said AA of BB. Brett Cosgoyne, the director of art at EB, was impressed by the artists ... of ... ... he said. ... . SAC is a brain child of a former Glasgow gallery owner and framer Ali Abubakar from Zanzibar. Ali has long settled in Glasgow and now operates several small Scottish art related web projects which he started for 'personal therapeutic intentions' and at the same time helping his artist mates promote their art work online. O fcourse I am delighted all the 13 artists were selected from our SAC he said. It goes to show the art talent in Scotland is not always limited to the few in its recognition. I think EH have been quite innovative in designing the promo package this way on behalf of their client. And I must congratulate DD for going along with it. Our members are delighted they were found from the web through SAC Some of the artists were suspicious when they first received the email invitation from EB. They knew of unfortunate artists who had been conned by unscrupulous people before. ... , Said LN. but ... . ... , said TA of Fife. SAC has published a web version of this story - with images of the paintings on the greeting cards package sent out to the 350,000 CM enthusiasts - at www.tcweb.co.uk/ Top # zz08pr |
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