Blandine Anderson
Messages Without Bottles
9 - 30 MAY 2026
A journey through the folklore of the Highlands, Islands and beyond in paintings, linocuts and sculptural ceramics.
Blandine Anderson is a ceramicist and painter, recently turned poet, writer and printmaker. She has established a reputation as an artist intent on pushing creative boundaries and has gained an enthusiastic following for her hugely collectable one-off sculptural works.
The title for this exhibition is inspired by The General Synopsis at Midnight, a project by Henrietta McKervey* exploring the sea areas of the shipping forecast. Blandine has an interest in the ways in which stories flow between different communities, enriching lives and forging cultural connections. These messages without bottles have taken the sea road reaching out to the peoples of the Highlands and Islands, Iceland, Scandinavia and beyond.
*The General Synopsis at Midnight – a project by Henrietta McKervey - henriettamckervey.com
Ocean Guides, porcelain, 27 x 23cm
The work in this exhibition borrows from the vast narrative tradition of the northern seaways and from humble beginnings in a piece of cold clay or splash of paint, aims to crystalise the power of words, turning them into tangible objects. It’s all about the story!
The Qulliq - An Inuit tale of how the raven became black. The qulliq is a carved oval soapstone lamp in which seal blubber is burned. Both the raven and the snowy owl were once pure white and the two decided to paint each other bright colours. But the raven upset the lamp and dyed his plumage black with the sooty oil.
The Qulliq, porcelain, 22 x 23cm
Words travel. Stories flow between families and communities, enriching lives and forging cultural links. These messages without bottles have taken the sea road, reaching out to the peoples of the northern ocean, spreading knowledge, and exchanging ideas. Strong bonds have been created through the mingling of cultures, thus, there are similar themes to be found in the folklore of these varied lands.
"This exhibition is my attempt to evoke the coexisting fantasy and reality found in centuries of sculpted, oral and written tradition, when the lands of the northern ocean were the cultural hub of Europe and beyond."
Freya - Norse goddess of war, love, peace, magic and fertility, is said to have worn a cloak of falcon feathers and travelled by chariot drawn by cats, attended by hares. One side of the base shows owls which were also associated with Freya, on the other, war is represented by arrowheads. Neolithic stone arrowheads were latterly reused as protective charms, re-explained as ‘elf bolts’ believed to have fallen from the sky during thunderstorms. Prehistoric stone axe-heads were believed to be thunderbolts and kept in the house, even in the bottom of a baby’s cradle, to protect it from lightning.
“In our modern world, the voices of yesterday still speak to us: the Viking sagas have touched everything from Wagner to Tolkien and 21st century computer games. The wisdom of fireside proverbs and fisherman’s tales still reveal many truths.”
Freya, stoneware, 26 x 26cm
There are a number of mythological themes that are clearly linked and repeated widely throughout the cultures of the northern ocean, for example, Nessy-like creatures occur in the Scottish Highlands and Borders, the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. These monsters are sometimes referred to as “worms” but are often described as being similar to a plesiosaur.
Stories of kelpie-like horses are also common across the region, and in numerous locations, collections of large stones have been interpreted as petrified people or trolls. Add to that an abundance of little people living under the sea, mysterious disappearing islands and the huge amount of lore surrounding the magical powers of trees, and one can easily see that the ocean is no barrier to the exchange of ideas, on the contrary, it is the highway by which these messages have been transported across a vast area. A further example would be the Scottish selkie myth which is said to have originated due to the appearance of the Inuit in sealskin clothing, with skin-covered kayaks, and provides evidence of long-distance travel across the ocean.
Here Be Monsters, stoneware, 28 x 33 x 8cm
While many myths have certainly travelled in storytelling, it is likely that some themes of similar type may have arisen spontaneously and independently in different places, perhaps as a simple response to the appearance and actions of the sea, aided by common human fears. But if the roots of some folklore remain unclear and their connections coincidental, powerful animal myths clearly reveal a common regard for, and fear of, certain key creatures. Horses, geese, whales …all have many stories associated with them which indicate their value to society and the reverence that they engendered across cultures.
"Consequently, I have at times, gathered folklore from different sources and combined them. For example, a of number of disparate goose-themed beliefs are depicted in “Goose Lore”. Its various sources may have slender connection or none at all, but the piece highlights the widespread importance of the creature."
Goose Lore, stoneware, 36 x 26 x 9cm
Across time, huge importance has been attached to artifacts; their meanings and significance shifting through the ages. In the same way as the neolithic buildings of Orkney were renamed, reinvented and reinhabited by the Vikings centuries later, the names and uses of ‘things’ also change across time. Objects are rediscovered and reused; the neolithic carved Petrospheres of Orkney and Northern Scotland have been found in the Western Isles, Ireland, Norway and the north of England, relocated and reinterpreted, some given Christian meaning. Neolithic stone Axe heads and arrowheads were latterly reused as charms, re-explained as Elf bolts believed to have fallen from the sky during thunderstorms.
Folklore lives!
Meanings change over time.
There are four ‘land wights‘ who protect the four quarters of Iceland; in the north the land wight is an eagle, accompanied by other sharp-beaked birds; in the west, a bull; in the south, a giant; in the east a dragon. It is said that the eagle’s wings could stretch form one side to the other of the Eyjafjordur Fjord – touching the mountains.
Guardian of the North, stoneware, 26 x 33cm
In fact, folklore is being made all around us, in pub culture, in the arts, in social media and in television, all of these shape our beliefs and superstitions and the way we interpret the world. In the same way it is possible that the reworking of themes in a collection of works such as in this might create new folklore, it just depends on how many people take up and repeat an idea. The voices of yesterday and today will mingle in the customary manner of our rich narrative tradition.
Puffin Angel, porcelain, 10 x 5 x 7cm
Raven Totem, porcelain, 7.5 x 6 x 6cm
There are four ‘land wights‘ who protect the four quarters of Iceland; in the north the land wight is an eagle, accompanied by other sharp-beaked birds; in the west, a bull; in the south, a giant; in the east a dragon. It is said that the eagle’s wings could stretch form one side to the other of the Eyjafjordur Fjord – touching the mountains.
Boabhan-Sìth, burnished stoneware, 25 x 33cm
Original Handmade Linocuts
Blandine will be showing new colour linocuts made for this exhibition together with some others from her most recent book 'Yesterdays Parties'.
The Selkie's Child, linocut, 20 x 30cm
Behind the Mask, linocut, 19 x 19cm
Mind and Memory, linocut, 20 x 30cm
Paintings
The Water's Edge, oil and acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40cm
Publications
YESTERDAY'S PARTIES
‘Yesterday’s Parties’ is a wonderful book of acutely observed happenings from the natural world told through poetry by Blandine Anderson. She marks the festive seasons from Celtic folklore to the Twelve Days of Christmas with beautifully evocative words, often with a sense of humour or an unexpected twist.
BOTH SIDES
'Both Sides' - 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 - LIMITED PRESENTATION EDITION WITH CERAMIC PLAQUE
LIMITED EDITION OF 25
This 'Both Sides' special edition of the book is presented together with a limited edition ceramic plaque titled 'The Encounter'. The cloth bound, blind embossed, silver foiled edition of the book is cushioned with a custom made solid English oak box by award winning cabinet maker Terry Sawle.
