Tartan Week Lochcarron
The first Tartan Week Lochcarron took place from 27th September to the 7th October 2024, this was a fun, area-wide initiative to celebrate all things Tartan across our fabulous community. There were all sorts of activities including arts and crafts, a Ceilidh and other events such as The Big Draw project. We will announce details of the 2025 event in due course, but in the meantime the details below should give you an idea of what this fantastic event is all about!!
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Events
Fri 27.9.24 The Big Draw;
1-5pm @ Lochcarron Village Hall; A big drawing event for children in Lochcarron with local artists Sarah Longley and Cindie Reiter. The event will celebrate weaving and other activites that we associate with the village. Sarah, who will lead the workshop, has extensive experience working with communities to create immersive, participant-led art projects. Cindie, in supporting role, will be donating her time ‘in kind’ to the project.
Sat 28.9.24 Tartan Week family Ceilidh; 7pm to midnight at Lochcarron Village Hall, door open 6.30pm - Dress Code: Tartan!!! Licenced bar £5 entry (wearing tartan) or £10 full price
Tues 1.10.24 Fashion Show at Lochcarron Weavers Heritage Shop; 7 - 10pm - Free to attend but tickets must be booked. Models of all ages from the village! Light refreshments being served. We are also giving tartan fabric to the textiles dept to enable some of the students to design an outfit and model it on the evening.
Weds 2.10.24 Market Day at Lochcarron Village Hall, 1-am to 2pm -showcasing a range of local arts, crafts and local produce - light refreshments served
Thurs 3.10.24 Late Night Shopping at The Smithy Hub, 9am to7pm - Lochcarron Weavers Heritage Shop, Freedom Framery & Balnacra Pottery will be open late
Thurs 3.10.24 History Slideshow History enthusiast and knowledgeable local Liz Howard will share her images and stories of Lochcarron through the years. It’s a great opportunity to see how the village has changed, and get to see some wonderful images of days gone by. 7.30pm upstairs at Lochcarron Village Hall
Sat 5th October THE BATTERY PARK - THE GROUND BENEATH OUR FEET
A pop up photographic exhibition illustrating the history of the Ross Mountain Battery and Lochcarron Camanachd to be held at
LOCHCARRON CAMANACHD v BEAULY MATCH
ON SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER
AT THE BATTERY PARK, LOCHCARRON
Game starts 2.30PM
Exhibition runs from 1.30pm to 5pm
(Weather dependent event) All welcome. The more the merrier! Everyone is encouraged to wear a bit of tartan or Lochcarron colours. Help cheer on our boys and round off Lochcarron's first Tartan Week in style!
Sat 5th Oct Tartan Week QUIZ at The Lochcarron Hotel - quizmaster Kenny Maclean will host the evening, so dust off your general knowledge, get a team together and see you at the pub! Proceeds from the evening will be split between The Lochcarron Village Hall and The Highland Hospice
6.10.24 Storytelling Ceilidh @ Rockvilla Hotel, 7pm, £8 entry; No booking required; A traditional storytelling ceilidh for all ages, in the welcoming atmosphere of the Rockvilla Hotel. Local storytellers will enthrall the audience with traditional Scottish tales, songs and entertainment.
Pottery Classes @Balnacra Pottery at The Smithy Hub
Bookings via Vicky; pottery@balnacra.com
If you make something you'd like to keep, the potter will dry, finish and fire it for you, posting onwards if needed. Aprons provided, but be aware that it gets messy !
28.9.24 Pottery Throw Down taster session 1.30-3.30pm; Drop in, all welcome, all ages & abilities, no booking required
2.10.24 Kids Pottery session, make a highland cow or sheep 3.30-4.30pm - Cost; £8 suitable for 6yrs to 17yrs, Booking required
2.10.24 Adult pottery evening session - Make a Highland Coo or Sheep 7- 8.30pm - £8 , postage if required at cost, suitable for adults, booking required
3.10.24 Paint Your Own Pottery Tartan Hearts 1.30-3.30pm - £5 per heart, postage at cost, all ages, booking required
5.10.24 Historical pottery session with a Pictish Potter 10.30am to 12 noon; £8 with postage at cost, all ages, booking required Make a prehistoric traditional pot with a Pictish potter in an 18th Century building, suitable for all ages and abilities, practice pinching and coiling beaker pottery using the same tools and materials that were used thousands of years ago !
Open Studios & Artists
Fri 27th to Sun 29th Sept - Artist Open Studios Weekend - 9 local artists will be opening their doors to the Public. There are lots of further details regarding the participating artists on the Lochcarron Arts Facebook Page
Fri 27th Sept to Mon 7th Oct Exhibitions of Arts & Crafts - there are 14 venues with a mix of exhibits, workshops and studios open throughout Tartan Week. Pick up the Arts Trail leaflet from outlets around the village, or keep an eye on the Lochcarron Arts facebook page too.
Aileen Grant Aileen Grant Artist is a painter and printmaker. She sketches in the wild, particularly in fragile, damaged and recovering landscapes, and in amongst trees and hills. She seeks to convey the essence of a place by immersing herself within it and recording something to work on in the studio. Aileen graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in the 1970s and completed the course in Advanced Drawing and Painting at Leith School of Art in 2013. She has had work exhibited in various Open Exhibitions of the RSA, RSW, SSA and VAS, etc.
Aileen's studio is round the back of her house near Slumbay, Lochcarron. She'll be open from 12 noon to 5pm on Open Studios Weekend Fri 27th, Sat 28th , and Sun 29th September.
For the rest of Tartan Week Lochcarron, she'll be open the second weekend – Fri 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October, from 12 noon to 5pm. Outwith these times, she's open on request – please email her to confirm an arrangement on aileengrant99@googlemail.com.
Aileen's studio is at 'Dochart', Lochcarron IV54 8YQ and is marked on googlemaps. Turn left off Main Street on the road to North Strome/Strome Castle and her house is about half a mile along that road, roughly opposite the minor road down to Dalachladdaich (look out for her signs). There is space to park alongside the road in front of the house
Lisa Fenton O'Brien (Lisa Fenton Artist) is based in Shieldaig. Her work focuses on the unpredictable, and at times extreme, weather in the remote landscape. She currently works on paper using inks and watercolour and is experimenting with incorporating elements, such as rainfall and wind into her pieces (examples of recent work shown). Her previous work has included sound and video and she has a long-standing interest in how we experience and record the passing of time.
Lisa completed her Master Fine Art at Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen and has a Ba(Hons) Visual and Performing Arts from Brighton University.
Lisa's studio is the Blue Roof Studio which will be open during the Open Studios weekend 1-5 pm on Fri 27th, Sat 28th , and Sun 29th September. If you want to visit outwith these times please message her on 07443412637 to arrange a time to suit you.
Lisa will continue to be open every day during Tartan Week Lochcarron from 30th Sept to 3rd Oct 1-5pm (and at other times on request if you message her on 07443412637).
You can also contact Lisa by email on lisafentobrien@googlemail.com. Her website has details of exhibitions, residencies, awards and publications and full cv - www.lisafenton.co.uk
You'll find Lisa at the Blue Roof Studio, on the top road in Shieldaig. IV54 8XY. Parking is in the layby opposite the studio on the main road
Lynne will have selections of Oil paintings and Watercolour sketches available to view at her Seacot Studio which is located half way along Main Street, Lochcarron, tucked back a little next to Castle Cottage B&B with red railings on a low white wall. Postcode is IV54 8YB.
Opening times for Lynne during Tartan Week (27th Sept to 7th Oct) will be: Sat and Sun of both weekends from 10:30am to 3:30pm, Mon to Fri from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Also open by arrangement outwith these times.
After graduating at Dundee Uni with a BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting degree Lynne lived in Edinburgh for 20 years working as an Art and Craft tutor before moving to Wester Ross to live and paint the inspirational landscapes here. She goes out sketching a lot to find source material for paintings, and find an endless abundance of colourful shapes, textures, tones and patterns all around to compose into colourful, textured paintings, with a sense of place. Lynne also has work at the Alchemist Gallery in Dingwall, Ceard in Ullapool, and on her website www.lynnerobertsart.net.
Here are two examples of Lynne's work. You can follow her on Instagram and contact her by leaving a message on her website www.lynnerobertsart.net
Another of the Open Studios artists is Vicky Stonebridge Balnacra Arts & Pottery by Vicky Stonebridge
Vicky makes a wide range of colourful pottery - both functional and decorative - inspired by the local scenery and ancient history. She has something for all tastes from the quirky to statement pieces and wall art.
During the Open Studios Weekend, Vicky's Pottery will be open: 10.30am- 4pm Friday 27th & Saturday 28th, 11am - 3pm Sunday 29th. She will also be open for the rest of Tartan Week 10.30am - 4pm.
You'll find Vicky 2 miles east of Lochcarron at the Smithy Hub, Ribhuachan, before the turn off towards Skye. IV54 8YS, and you can contact her by email on pottery@balnacra.com
Over in Applecross, Jack Marris will be joining the Open Studio trail. You'll find him at the Applecross Photographic Gallery just south of Applecross Village. Jack founded Applecross Gallery where he has been printing and exhibiting his photographs for the past 9 years. “My goal is to put you in the scene and capture how we view and absorb it ourselves.” In taking this approach, attention to detail and meticulous planning is required throughout the year alongside specialist equipment and photographic techniques.
The Gallery will be open 9am till 5pm on the Open Studios and it will also be open for the rest of Tartan Week Wednesday to Sunday, 9am till 5pm (normal opening hours). You can contact Jack by email at applecrossgallery@gmail.com or on Instagram @applecrossgallery, or Facebook Applecross Photographic Gallery. Website is
The address is Applecross Gallery, Camusterrach, Applecross, Strathcarron IV54 8LU. More details and a video on the Gallery website.
Carol Cocks is another artist participating in Open Studios. You'll find her at the Boatshed Studio, on the edge of Loch Kishorn . Carol creates paintings in a variety of media - ink, charcoal, acrylic, watercolour, etc.
She has no set hours but will be happy to meet you at the Boatshed during Tartan week if you make an appointment with her beforehand. Her mobile no is 07517 362853. You can see her work on Instagram at www.instagram.com/boatshedstudio/Studio
Website www.boatshedstudio.com.
Week-long Activities & Exhibitions
Fri 27th Sept to Fri 6th Oct - Carron Pottery will be open and offering a 10% discount from all pottery
Fri 27th Sept to Fri 6th Oct - Carron Restaurant Whisky Tasting sessions
Fri 27th Sept to Fri 6th Oct - Waterside Cafe - featuring an exhibition of work by local photographer Rob Wilkinson & painter Cindie Reiter, and on the menu; traditional Scottish food!
Fri 27th Sept to Fri 6th Oct - Freedom Framery @ The Smithy Hub : The Freedom Framery Gallery is holding an exhibition of work by Emma Flack and Tamasine Quayle. Open Tues - Sat 11am to 3pm during Tartan Week, there will also be a fabulous open evening on Friday 27th Sept at 5pm.
Fri 27th Sept to Fri 6th Oct - Lochcarron Quilters & Stitchers Exhibition
The quilters and stitchers are holding a week-long exhibition at The Lochcarron Centre. All members of the group are very enthusiastic and, although patchwork and quilting is the main focus for the group, most of us enjoy other craft techniques too - such as embroidery, beading, knitting, crochet etc and often use them to embellish our quilts. A number of our members are also Spinners and Weavers and as a first during our upcoming Exhibition we will be having a display and demonstration of the art of Spinning. We are excited to say articles from a wide range of craft skills will be on show at our week long exhibition during Lochcarron Tartan week, where we will display lots of beautiful work in the lounge in The Lochcarron Centre
Fri 27th Sept to 25th Oct - Torridon Group Exhibition ‘I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen…’
The title is inspired by a poem by J.R.R Tolkien: I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen, of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been; Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were, with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair.
I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be, when winter comes..
Key dates: Exhibition Dates: 27th September – 25th October2024, Drop off of work: 13th- 25th September 2024 and Exhibition opening: Sunday 29th September ( 3- 5PM) tbc . More information available from: Hannah Feuerstein, Gallery Manager, Loch Torridon Community Centre, ltccgallery@gmail.com
