Help To Promote Malt Whisky London advertising agency commissioned 13 of our artists to paint Diageo's malt distilleries. According to advertising agency, EHS Brann, Friends of drinks giant Diageo as far as US, Sweden and Greece have received a Seasons Greetings package containing a specially designed set of cards - part of Diageo GB Christmas mailing campaign. The front of each card bears an image of a painting representing 'The Spirit' of one of the 13 Classic Malts Selection™ distilleries. 13 members of our Scottish Art Circle were commissioned by the award winning advertising agency, EHS Brann to create the artworks. Each artist was allocated one of the Classic Malts™ distilleries in Scotland to create a painting for the front of the cards. 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.'' The world's leading premium drinks company is also using the cards to create a number of digital elements as well, e-cards, downloadable wallpapers and screensavers. These are available on malts.com at http://www.malts.com/en-us/Storelocator/Season+Greetings ''We selected the artists particularly for uniqueness of their styles and techniques'' said Barbra Drummond-Hay. The selection stretched from a Berwickshire-based watercolourist, to a Batik maker of Tomintoul in Morayshire. Other artists were selected from Glasgow, Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, Erskine in Renfrewshire, Stirling, Leven in Fife and Carnoustie in Angus. They were directed to distilleries scattered from East Lothian to The Islands, Highlands, Speyside and Deeside - producing malt brands including Caol Ila™, Cardhu™, Clynelish™, Cragganmore™, Dalwhinnie™, Glen Elgin™, Glenkinchie™, Glen Ord™, Knockando™, Lagavulin™, Oban™, Royal Lochnagar™ and Talisker™. Images added to this page by courtesy of Diageo BG © Diageo 2008 Here's the rest of the artists' story: Jane Lannagan of Tomintoul, Morayshire painted Cardhu Distillery. Batik maker Jane Lannagan was in hospital when her husband, Bill, told her about the commission. She was aware of the limited time she had from getting out of hospital to getting the job done - but was keen to get started.
I did enjoy the challenge of this commission though I wouldn't have thought a distillery would make an appealing subject for a batik. Cardhu Distillery is only about 15 miles away from my home and is situated in the glorious Speyside landscape. I was taken by my immediate sighting of the two pagoda style towers sitting atop a field of golden crops - probably barley. The buildings in the distillery are a mix of old and new neatly laid out and well landscaped. Fighting my way through the undergrowth to the other side of the pond I was able to capture the old original buildings and the towers reflected on the cooling water. The foliage framing the view of the buildings was perfect for neat composition. I just love the way the oriental type towers of the many Speyside distilleries nestle almost incongruously in the Scottish hills and glens. As the picture developed I really enjoyed copying the textures of the old stone walls and painting the reflections of the two pagoda towers. 'Reflections of Cardhu' is obvious for the title. More about this artist Keith Salmon of Irvine, Ayrshire painted Cragganmore Distillery. Registered-blind artist, Keith Salmon, felt the pressure, and accepted the challenge, of having to work on a tight time-schedule. We had to travel to the distillery which could be anywhere in Scotland; research, sketch, photograph and decide on the theme to paint. Samples of ‘work-in-progress’ were required for approval first, and the finished pieces to be sent to London within just two weeks after that.
From the original brief the project certainly sounded interesting. As well as being quite well paid for the commission, I could see the real bonus being the tremendous publicity I would get from my painting. My partner and I spent a couple of days exploring the area around the distillery as well as visiting it. The countryside here was very beautiful - a mixture of low wooded hills interspersed by a patchwork of pasture and fields of ripening barley. The place itself was a mixture of new and old, looking just like a small factory set in the countryside. It didn’t have any of the distinctive architectural features of the neighbouring Speyside distilleries. From a field on the low hill at the back of the distillery, a spot set, as it were, in a hollow of the landscape seemed ideal for what I wanted - a painting in harmony with the landscape (colours, textures and shapes) whilst still including the building, albeit a rather simple or vague form of it. I wanted to capture the essence of the place - not just produce a painting of the building. I painted my piece as I do most of my work, in acrylic paint and pastel. I tend to build the paintings in alternative layers of paint and pastel, protecting the pastel using a very fine layer of matt acrylic varnish - enough to create that ‘glassy’ varnished look. It was a difficult balance to get. Getting the balance between the more ‘abstract’ elements within the painting and the elements depicting the distillery buildings wasn't easy either - but I enjoyed the challenge. More about this artist Some of the artists seemed familiar with the history of the areas they were sent to ... Jim Dunbar RSW of Carnoustie, Angus painted Lagavulin Distillery. 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.
I went to Islay to paint the distillery on site. I made a few sketches initially to work out a suitable composition. The weather was bright and dry and the visibility good. The 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. 'Lagavulin Outlook' is the direct reference to the distillery. The painting shows Lagavulin Bay onto which the distillery looks. It also shows Dunyvaig Castle, the stronghold of the Lord of the Isles where King James IV, reputedly, first tasted distilled spirits. More about this artist Terry Adams of Leven, Fife painted Dalwhinnie Distillery. At Dalwhinnie, Terry Adams felt he was working at the 'Home Of The Gentle Spirit. Dalwhinnie was a meeting place for cattle drovers on the way to the lowland markets.
Dalwhinnie Barbra 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 staff at Dalwhinnie were most accommodating, and my tour of the distillery gave me the handle upon which to base my commission. 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. For my painting, I wanted a view that showed the distillery’s main features, nestled within the landscape. The style had to emphasise strong contrasts and colour to facilitate printing. 'Home of the Gentle Spirit' captures the ambience of the Highlands and Dalwhinnie. More about this artist Lynne Scobbie of Glasgow painted Glen Elgin Distillery.
More about this artist Laura Newbury of Stirling painted Glen Ord Distillery. Sometimes best things, and rewards simply fall into our hands when the time is right - and it is simply a matter of accepting them. The message from EHS Brann was clear - I was free to interpret the subject in my own style. Given that whiskies are like works of art, being made from the water of the places they are distilled, I reckoned there would be great scope for the type of image I like to paint - to capture the spirit of the place. Whisky as a topic seemed to fit the bill.
This commission presented a great opportunity for me having just come out of a period when I found it difficult to make time to do my own painting. I had a good feeling about this commission. I was delighted to have been allocated Glen Ord distillery. The area brought back fond memories. 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 later, as a newly qualified art teacher in Inverness had taught on a course for talented children at Tarradale House on the Black Isle. Memories came back of cycle trips and painting in the long hot summers of the late 70's before the Kessock Bridge had been built, and the crossing was by ferry. In a way the visit to Glen Ord did not feel like work at all - and the staff at the Distillery could not have been more welcoming and helpful. I had set my heart on 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. It was good to feel 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 also managed to do a complete painting from the back of the distillery, which I thought would be useful as reference. At my studio I set about putting 3 images together - the copper stills lit up at night forming central section of the composition, with a view of the old pagoda towers above, and the foreground below the stills depicting a whisky barrel with GlenOrd™ written across it. Feed back from the Art Director of the project suggested they liked all the images I sent for approval. But to my surprise, they seemed to prefer the small painting I had made very spontaneously from the back of the distillery. I realised I had to put my own ideas aside and meet the client's desires — a good lesson for me. Memories came back, again, of art college days when I had been striving for weeks to produce large figure compositions on huge canvases, but the external examiner had particularly credited the tiny sketches based on compositions. The sketches had always been quickly done with little or no effort. Sometimes best things, and rewards simply fall into our hands when the time is right - and it is simply a matter of accepting them. More about this artist Berwickshire-based Mike Shepley painted Glenkinchie Distillery. My wife Cheryl and I live in the little village of Abbey Saint Bathans, tucked away in the gentle folds of the Southern Uplands. It's not too far over the hills to the home of Glenkinchie, which lies just south of Scotland's capital city. It's hardly surprising then that Glenkinchie is often called the Edinburgh Malt.
We made several visits to sketch, walk and photograph in and around this delightful valley: as a lad, more than 50 years ago, I used to catch wild, red-spotted brown trout from the River Tyne at Pencaitland, into which still tumble and gurgle the cool, crystal-clear waters of the Kinchie Burn. The Scottish Bard Robert Burns regarded highly the richly burnished fields of Lothian corn: he wrote eloquently elsewhere of the prolific poppies, which added glorious splashes of colour to the golden yellows, ochres and rich velvety greens of our October visit. The distillery itself nestles in a valley, in the very heart of the small village farming community, barely discernible from a distance. The grounds are a delight, particularly the mature silver birches: and of course, a river runs through it - the Kinchie Burn. The fields of grain and the gently sloping hills were not visible from here - and my first watercolour sketch of the surrounding countryside, didn't really do justice enough to the distillery. How often though the pleasure for the artist is in the painting of it; if the end result pleases the eye of others, then that indeed is a bonus. So when I came to work on the final portrait of Glenkinchie, I used 'artistic licence' as they call it, to sit it comfortably amidst the golden fields, the folding hills and the wonderful wild flowers. Since there could be no better embodiment of the spirit of the malted barley and Glenkinchie itself, I mixed just a little of the golden liquid with my paints - and the the water of course came from Kinchie Burn - where else? And yes, a smirr of this gently floral malt did stir my senses - of smell and taste... just a little - for I was driving. Thank you Diageo for supporting Scottish art and choosing your artists from the Scottish Art Circle - you generously support too, the communities surrounding all 13 of your distilleries throughout Scotland. How lucky is that? And thank you to the staff for the kind welcome and helpful hospitality at Glenkinchie itself - and for the enthusiasm of Matt and Brett, the young lads from EHS Brann, on their whistle-stop tour round Scotland and the Western Isles. Haste ye back! More about this artist Robert Gould of Erskine, Renfrewshire painted Coal Isla Distillery.
Coal Isla My painting celebrates the tradition of fishing and peat-cutting still practised to this day. The enigmatic distillery still occupies the cove by the Sound of Islay, the Gaelic for which gives this island malt its name. More about this artist Sara Mead painted Oban Distillery.
More about this artist Diageo invited the artists to a reception in London where they and other guests were given the opportunity to learn more about Classic Malts Selection™ and the type of cuisine that goes well with the Spirits. The 13 original paintings were on display. Selma Rebus of Glasgow painted Talisker Distillery. The announcement on Tuesday evening reception in London that the paintings might be auctioned for charity was the Icing On The Cake.
Talisker When I arrived at Carbost, Skye I drove past the distillery building and was elated by its unique location, which was awe-inspiring. The next morning at Talisker, I was greeted by Georgie Crawford, my contact and was surprised by her knowledge of batik, she told me that she had bought batiks from Liz Sykes another batiker on Islay, what a coincidence, I thought! To do justice to Talisker’s unique location I knew I had to include the Cuillins. Geogie suggested that if I went to the end of the Pier I would get the best aspect. So I spent most of my time on the Pier sketching and being visited by curious tourists, children, dogs and the odd passing boat. I was also lucky with the weather. As the evening sun was setting, the Cuillins appeared black hence the title “Beanntan dubha a cheo (Misty Black Hills)”. I was so impressed with Matt and Brett and Barbra's professionalism. I want to congratulate them and the rest of the team at EHS Brann for a job well done. You can't buy publicity like this. I have enjoyed and learned a lot from this task. For me, it was the dream commission! More about this artist David Kerr of Glasgow painted Clynelish Distillery. A Miniature Scotland Within Scotland.
Being one of such a small number of artists selected and commissioned to paint one of the malt whisky distilleries in Scotland was like being rewarded for the years of hard work. It was exciting to know that my paintings had captured the attention of a world class company such as EHS Brann. This commission gave me the opportunity to sketch on site and experiment with ideas. When I arrived in Brora it became evident that the place was an artists dream. It was a picture - so much so that the composition and selection of ideas became my first priority. I decided to paint not only the distillery but give homage to the place where the malt is made - a miniature Scotland within Scotland. I represented the scottish landscape with the colour of the fields of barley and colours representative of Scotland. I incorporated lilacs and purples with a map of scotland to indicate to the viewer where Clynelish Distillery was in Scotland. Visiting Brora and working with on-site drawings/sketches made all the difference to the feel of the place, and was hugely influential in my decision making, development and final result. The painting threw up some challenges, and through a lot of selection and development the effort paid off. The whole experience has influenced the starting process of many of my paintings now. This commission will always be special to me and I thank EHS Brann and Diageo for being kind enough to select me as one of the artists for the project. More about this artist Brian Madden of Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire painted Distillery.
More about this artist John Wetten Brown of Glasgow painted Royal Lochnagar Distillery.
More about this artist Send an eCard to your friends and family Diageo has produced a selection of Seasons Greeting cards to send to your friends and family ... http://www.malts.com/en-us/Storelocator/Season+Greetings.htm Top | About the Artists | Seasons Greetings | Contact # cm08/001 |
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