Artists and designers

Outwith is back! Dunfermline’s grassroots arts festival starts 6 September

https://outwithfestival.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/V1.mp4   Storming back after a Covid absence, Outwith 22 starts 6 September and runs til Sunday the 11th. It features a world class art exhibition, a whole day of live music, international film, top comedy, writing masterclasses, spoken word nights and a host of heritage, cultural and other activities. Check out the programme and book tickets on outwithfestival.co.uk and keep an eye on Avocado Sweet over the next couple

Abbot House is back! New cafe, shop and open studios

Customers were back drinking their cortados in the beautiful walled garden at Abbot House today. The cafe re-opened on Thursday 7 July with a new contemporary, stylish re-design.  There’s a lovely shop that’s been open for a while now and is a great place to pick up gifts. You can also visit the  first artists to move into the studios because they’re opening their doors on Saturday 11 July. There’s

Japanese garden, Dollar inspires Culross exhibition

An exhibition inspired by the Japanese Garden at Cowden near Dollar has opened at the Greengate Gallery in Culross. The series of paintings are by local artist Janice Headrick (pictured left) and complement a collection of silver jewellery created by Greengate Gallery owner, Lindsay Marchant (pictured right). Lindsay’s jewellery is inspired by the oriental lily pad, synonymous with Japanese garden design. Lindsay said: ‘In 1908, two women, Taki Handa and

Outwith Festival – new arts event for Dunfermline!

Four days, eleven venues and over fifty talented performers including acclaimed artists, writers, comedians and musicians: Avocado Sweet, along with Dunfermline Delivers, Fire Station Creative and Caroline Copeland, are very proud to be one of the founding partners of an exciting new cultural event coming to Dunfermline in September.  Outwith Festival will include a major new art work, a book launch, readings by authors and playwrights, cutting edge comedy and improvised theatre.

My Dunfermline: Alan Grieve and Vic MacRae expo opens this Saturday

This Saturday 8 April, if you fancy having a drink and seeing some excellent Dunfermline-inspired artworks from Vic MacRae and Alan Grieve, pop along to Workspace in Wellwood at 7pm.  The exhibition is a collaboration between the two locally based artists and is inspired by their experiences of living in Dunfermline. In MacRae’s case often being, ‘drawings of places I go in Dunfy with my six year old daughter Iris.’

Gear and Gilbert: Fife’s unlikely double contribution to international CoBrA movement

CoBrA was an artist group formed in 1948 by artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam whose painting style was highly expressionist and inspired by the art of children. The name is taken from the first letters of Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam where the group’s founder members lived.  As a group they had active social and political concerns and felt paintings ‘should appear on the canvas as naturally and quickly as a sudden

Fife artist wins Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year!

Massive congratulations to Dunfermline High School’s Head of Art Nerine McIntyre who last night was crowned Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year. Nerine, from Dysart, is a gradutate of Edinburgh College of Art and was the standout talent throughout the series. She receives as her prize a £10ooo commission which will be added to the National Trust’s permanent art collection. Well done Nerine!

Christmas greetings from Darktown: Jonny Hannah’s brilliant new work

One of the finest artists ever to come out of Dunfermline, renowned illustrator Jonny Hannah has an impressive new book out. Greetings from Darktown tells of a mysterious coastal town, not found on any map, peopled by pin-up girls, jazz artists and tattooed sailors. Darktown is home to the Unquiet Grave junk emporium; the Mermaid Café where Woody Guthrie still plays each week; McVouty’s vintage clothes shop and a pier

Ann Oram – artist

Ann Oram trained at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). After her post-graduate year and Andrew Grant Scholarship to France and Italy, Ann returned to ECA to lecture in the Painting school. Ann has spent many years living and working abroad and the inspiration she gets from her travels helps to keep her work fresh and vibrant. During the 1980s, she spent many years living in southern Spain and, more recently,

Jill Calder – illustrator

Celebrated and award winning illustrator, Jill Calder is also a calligrapher, painter and occasional lecturer with a love of drawing, narrative, colour, ink, typography, deadlines and sketchbooks. Based in Cellardyke, she works for clients in every time zone. Jill’s first picture book, “Robert the Bruce, King of Scots” written by James Robertson and published by Birlinn Books, came out in May 2014. Since 2010 she has also been a visiting Artist