By John MacLean, 02/09/13:
At the opening of the An Lanntair exhibition ‘Moladh na Mòine: In Praise of Peat’, comprising a full scale peatstack, a vintage tractor, a collection of peat cutting irons, a glossary of peatcutting terms taking up an entire wall of the gallery, and a selection of huge prints of old photographs from local historical society archives. Sweet.
By John MacLean, 26/07/13
One of my panoramic photos of the Callanish Stones in snow has been included in Our Dynamic Earth’s current photographic exhibition on Scotland’s natural environment, showing in Edinburgh until Christmas.
[Photo: Our Dynamic Earth]
By John MacLean, 11/06/13:
New large mounted prints (28) have been added to stock at The Woodlands Centre, Stornoway, including collages of scenes from Lewis & Harris and some photos of St Kilda.
Also in the Woodlands (upstairs) are new framed prints of Garry and Tràigh Mhòr beaches, Tolsta; Callanish Stones in snow and Village Bay, St Kilda.
By John MacLean, 02/06/13:
Just back from an excellent 4-night cruise to St Kilda on the Stornoway yacht ‘Elinca’, stopping at Leverburgh, Harris on the way out and in Loch Shell, Lewis on the way back. The weather, the light and the sea conditions were excellent. It was very much a busman’s holiday as I took with me three cameras, on which I shot well over 2,000 photographs! Just titling and editing these files is going to take some time.
I had wanted to go to ‘Eileanan Hiort’ ever since reading Tom Steel’s book, The Life and Death of St. Kilda way back in the early ’90s: now that I’ve finally got there, I think I’ve got the remote islands travel bug…in any case, I certainly want to revisit St Kilda sooner rather than later.
By John MacLean, 06/04/13:
There is some excellent work in this year’s colourful Grinneas exhibition at An Lanntair, Stornoway, running until the end of May. Grinneas has been a fixture in An Lanntair’s programme since 1987 and showcases the work of artists resident in or from the Western Isles.
By John MacLean, 26/03/13:
Dutch artist Germaine Kruip included one of my landscape photographs (Cloud shadow near Bunabhainneadar, Harris) in her light piece “The Wavering Skies” (2005). Photograph published in the Frieze Art Fair Yearbook 2005/6. The image was flipped right to left for printing, but hey ho 🙂
John MacLean Photography, Isle of Lewis, 19/11/12
Below is a link to the installation photography done on Helen MacAlister’s recent exhibition “At the Foot o’ Yon Excellin’ Brae” at An Lanntair, Stornoway.
(PDF file, 4.4 MB, pages 11-47)
This is (part of) the most complex installation photography job I’ve done to date in An Lanntair, but well worth it in the end!
Installation photography (opens in a new window, or right-click and save)
By John MacLean, 18/11/12
A spread of photos published in The Field Magazine, October 2012. Proprietor Iain F. MacLeod weaving on the traditional Hattersley loom at Breanish Tweed, Ness, Isle of Lewis.
By John MacLean, 15/09/2012:
A few photos from Rural Nations’ production of their play on land ownership and community buyouts We Have Won The Land, which toured the Highlands & Islands, with stops in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Excellent acting, a sharp, witty script and a thoughtful live musical accompaniment combine to make this a production well worth seeing!
By John MacLean, 04/08/2012:
Here’s a link to a short video I made of Scottish artist Gwen Hardie’s exhibition “Boundaries” at An Lanntair, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, in August, 2012.
Gwen Hardie’s work engages with figuration and the act of perception. She first gained attention with her large scale tightly cropped portraits of women. Her magnifications of skin lit by natural light resemble light effects in the landscape and micro/macro views of cells/earth. Observing from life, she employs aspects of classical painting and color theory to render a lifelike presence. Intimate and monumental, the body-image shifts back and forth perceptually between an atmospheric illusion and a thing of gravity, real and tangible.
More info on Gwen and her work can be found here.
