Viewing Room
Welcome to the Castle Gallery Viewing Rooms where you will find highlights from our exhibitions - past and present - focussing on key works, inspirational ideas and telling the stories behind the show. Best viewed on a desktop browser.
Blandine Anderson
31st May - 22nd June 2024
As Sea Beats on Stone
Sculptural ceramics exploring the natural coastal geology and man-made landscape of Scotland.
As Sea Beats on Stone
Sculptural ceramics exploring the natural coastal geology and man-made landscape of Scotland.
Cho fad ’s a bhios muir a’ bualadh ri lic – as long as the sea beats on stone
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The Boats, stoneware, 40 x 41 x 34cm
Inspired by the Lewis/Uist whale hunters – who hunted whales by driving them into stone corrals in the shallows, using many small boats. This is described in ‘The Western Islands of Scotland’ and ‘A Late Voyage to St. Kilda’ by Martin Martin, circa 1695. The form of the piece is a large humpback whale. Texture and colour details show the north coast of the Isle of Lewis on one side, while on the other a group of rigged whaling boats and small rowing boats, are in pursuit of the Whale. The piece does not celebrate such actions – which are abhorrent to our contemporary sensibilities - but it respects the men (and possibly women) of a different time, who risked their lives in this way in order to fulfil the needs of their families and communities. |
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The work for this thought-provoking show coalesces around a Gaelic proverb, evoking nature, habitats, history, distance, journeys and time. It features paintings and sculptural ceramics with animal and bird forms that explore the natural coastal geology and man-made stone landscape of the Highlands and Islands. Blandine has a naturally inquiring mind, especially in relation to ecological matters, and she shares some of her research in the descriptions which accompany the pieces.
The work for this show has four recurring themes: geology, mythology, ancient artefacts and manmade stone structures.
The work for this show has four recurring themes: geology, mythology, ancient artefacts and manmade stone structures.
Geology
Some of the works look at the curious and disparate geology of the Highlands and Islands and the effects of sea on stone - in caves, fissures, cliffs, and sea-stacks. The animal forms which populate these pieces are depicted as though carved in stone. They have a soft eroded appearance and are sculpted to echo the base.
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Riding the Wave, porcelain, 13 x 10 x 5cm
A Seal at rest on the waves. The base shows the Isle of Staffa and Fingal’s Cave on one side and the distinctive basalt columns that make up the part of the island where the cave is situated. |
Staffa Swell, stoneware, 29 x 32 x 12cm
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The Ross of Mull, stoneware, 22 x 22 x 7.5cm
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Turn, Turn, Turn, stoneware, 27 x 25 x 9cm
Showing turnstones with boulders of the distinctive pink Ross of Mull granite. The reverse shows the island of Iona, where almost spherical boulders and pebbles of Ross of Mull granite collect in the coves.
Showing turnstones with boulders of the distinctive pink Ross of Mull granite. The reverse shows the island of Iona, where almost spherical boulders and pebbles of Ross of Mull granite collect in the coves.
Tafoni Cliffs, stoneware, 36 x 21 x 8cm
Showing a brown hare on cliffs of Tafoni rocks – a geological feature of the southwest coast of Skye at Elgol. The pocked and honey-combed rock strata is highly eroded and of a pale, creamy or yellow colour. Sea pinks are shown on the reverse.
Showing a brown hare on cliffs of Tafoni rocks – a geological feature of the southwest coast of Skye at Elgol. The pocked and honey-combed rock strata is highly eroded and of a pale, creamy or yellow colour. Sea pinks are shown on the reverse.
Mythology
A number of pieces draw on and reinterpret the fantastic mythological sea creatures of Gaelic and Norse culture and, in style, reference the stone-carving of Norse and Pictish artefacts. They allude to a time when the islands were a pivotal centre for trade and culture in the northern hemisphere – and a melting pot for new ideas and inspiration.
Beauty is Only Skin Deep, stoneware, 21 x 37 x 14cm
This Mermaid has the jawbone of a dolphin on her left flank for use as a comb. Rather than just being a mere accessory to beauty, in mythology the Mermaid’s comb is often referred to as her ‘weapon’. The Gaelic proverb: “Cha téid bòidhchead na ’s doimhne nan cracionn” is inscribed on the reverse which means roughly the same thing as the title.
This Mermaid has the jawbone of a dolphin on her left flank for use as a comb. Rather than just being a mere accessory to beauty, in mythology the Mermaid’s comb is often referred to as her ‘weapon’. The Gaelic proverb: “Cha téid bòidhchead na ’s doimhne nan cracionn” is inscribed on the reverse which means roughly the same thing as the title.
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Maighdean-Mhara, stoneware, 26 x 20 x 7cm
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In ‘A Late Voyage to St. Kilda’ by Martin Martin, circa 1695, there is an account of the women of Benbecula coming across a mermaid in a rock pool. She was purported to have had hair of seaweed and the body of a salmon. When she later died it is said that she was buried near Baile nan Cailleach on Cula Bay. Instead of salmon features this Cula mermaid has seal body parts. She has four breasts (as does the seal), seaweed hair and hands which are half flipper. She wears a seal-tooth pendant around her neck. The reverse of the piece shows a seal skeleton and several seal-teeth.
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Each Uisge, stoneware, 28 x 25 x 12cm
Each uisge is ‘waterhorse’ in English and shows a map of Yell on its flank and circular motifs which refer to the version of the myth which associates the water horse with water-wheels. Some stories even have the horse with a wheel-like tail. Water horse myths abound in the northern isles, particularly in Yell and Fetlar in the Shetland Isles. They come in a variety of forms and with names such as Tangie, Shoopiltee, Kelpie and Nuggle. The horses are usually portrayed as deceitful tricksters which drown human beings but seem to be uncharacteristically helpful in keeping waterwheels moving at night. |
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Shoopiltee, stoneware, 49 x 32 x 13cm
This shows a map of Fetlar and the rump and tail of the beast shows one aspect of the island’s geology. Here, positioned to resemble scales, these shapes are representations of distinctive cigar shaped boulders of the Funzie Conglomerate, which were once rounded rocks, metamorphosed and re-formed by volcanic actions. |
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Kelpies (Set of Two), stoneware, 12 x 12 x 6cm
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Ancient Artefacts
These monochrome pieces are intended to suggest ancient artefacts, perhaps those carved in stone or bone: i.e. porcelain imitating stone, imitating life! They are made by carving porcelain and the white glaze is dipped to achieve the smooth surface. While they appear very simple, they are difficult to make as the detail needs to be very precise and the pieces must be kept very clean at all times.
The puffins have a slightly haunting quality which may bring to mind the Lewis Chessmen.
The puffins have a slightly haunting quality which may bring to mind the Lewis Chessmen.
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Selection of individual Puffins,
porcelain, ranging from 5 - 8 x 2.5 - 5cm, each sold separately |
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Winter Hare, porcelain, 8 x 12 x 7.5cm
White Fish, porcelain, 4.5 x 12 x 4cm |
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Ancient Fish, porcelain with oak base, 16 x 18 x 6cm
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Man-made Stone Structures
Other pieces explore the man-made division of the coastal landscape, the shapes created by habitation and by agricultural walls and enclosures. Although these may now appear as ruins, they indelibly scar and enrich the landscape and provoke the imagination.
Eagle-eyed, stoneware, 37 x 29 x 7cm
This piece shows ruined croft and field patterns of the village on the Island of Hiort (Hirta), the main island of the St. Kilda archipelago. There were 16 cottages in the village. In this piece a token number of cottages are arranged around the bay, with boats pulled up on the shore and walls, sheep pens and stores reaching up the hill. The Islanders asked to be evacuated from the island in 1930. White-tailed sea eagles which were driven out of the archipelago in the late 19th century have since made a comeback. The archipelago was formed by volcanic actions approximately 60 million years ago and on the reverse the area of village bay is marked with concentric circles where a crater has formed the outline of the bay.
This piece shows ruined croft and field patterns of the village on the Island of Hiort (Hirta), the main island of the St. Kilda archipelago. There were 16 cottages in the village. In this piece a token number of cottages are arranged around the bay, with boats pulled up on the shore and walls, sheep pens and stores reaching up the hill. The Islanders asked to be evacuated from the island in 1930. White-tailed sea eagles which were driven out of the archipelago in the late 19th century have since made a comeback. The archipelago was formed by volcanic actions approximately 60 million years ago and on the reverse the area of village bay is marked with concentric circles where a crater has formed the outline of the bay.
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Waiting on the Shore, stoneware, 12 x 36 x 22cm
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Over the Wall, porcelain, 11 x 11 x 4cm
A large flock of North Ronaldsay Sheep live on the island’s beach, where they live mainly on seaweed. They are separated from the pastures above by a high dry-stone wall. Some individuals have slightly larger feet than other breeds – possibly in order to better facilitate walking on slippery stones. |
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The ceramic work in this exhibition ranges from small scrimshaw-like porcelain puffins to stoneware creatures incorporated into narrative bases and large free-standing whales, 30-40cm in height. It also includes oil and acrylic paintings on canvas created in response to the occurrence of stone in the Scottish landscape and coastal environment.
Sleeping Giants, acrylic and oil on canvas, 40 x 50cm - The Red Cuillins, acrylic and oil on canvas, 50 x 50cm
The Strange Green Stone, acrylic and oil on canvas, 50 x 50cm - Storm over the Volcano, acrylic and oil on canvas, 50 x 50cm
The Strange Green Stone, acrylic and oil on canvas, 50 x 50cm - Storm over the Volcano, acrylic and oil on canvas, 50 x 50cm
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Message in a Bottle, acrylic and oil on deep canvas, 50 x 50cm
The message is ambiguous. I would prefer the viewer to make up their own minds. I have two opposing interpretations of the title, the most pleasing of which is that beauty may be found in many things – even the litter on a beach eventually becomes a part of the sand and stone and is relatively benign. The message might also be a warning not to leave alien objects on the beach as not all are as harmless as a small glass bottle. |
BOTH SIDES
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Blandine’s new book ‘Both Sides’ is a book of reminiscences and poems about the ups and downs of running a small holding, beautifully illustrated with Blandine’s ceramics. It describes a year on Blandine’s environmentally friendly, organic farm beginning at the start of the shepherding year in November. Both Sides, hardback, 144 pages, 22 x 22cm £30 
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