Vanessa Lawrence, ‘Resting Hero’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Illona Morrice, ‘Eider Duck’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Bill Williamson, ‘Anti-war figure’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Guy Elder, ‘Abstract Piece’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Helen Denerley, ‘Found object chess set’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Janice Affleck, ‘Tide Memory vessels’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Moira Ferguson, ‘Daphne’. Courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Katie Low, ‘Shags’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Karen Westerbeek, ‘The Pod’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Sara Cunningham Bell, ‘Generations’, courtesy Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park
Tom Allen, ‘Are We There Yet?’, courtesy
The design of a sculpture park is almost as important as the art therein. The most successful are the ones that fashion a spatial and emotional journey, where art communes with nature and entices visitors to do the same. Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park goes beyond even the concept of a park. The outdoor gallery, near Colintraive on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll, covers 18 acres of landscaped gardens and positions each piece in a bucolic view to Loch Riddon, the Kyles of Bute and the surrounding hills. At the centre is the distinctive red-brick pile Caol Ruadh House, dating back to 1898.
The owner, potter Karen Scotland, first opened the grounds to the public in 2012 and has since curated a two-month showcase of Scottish art across every beauty spot. This year’s exhibition features work by Janice Affleck, Tom Allan, Sara Cunningham Bell, Helen Denerley, Guy Elder and many others.
‘All of the artworks and installations will be available to buy,’ says Scotland, ‘and we will also be hosting a number of weekend workshops where budding artists can learn from the experts.’
The Garden will be open to the public from 2 May until 29 June, Thursday through Sunday. From 16-18 May, Bristol-based sculptor Lucianne Lassalle will run a portraiture workshop; ceramic artists Moira Ferguson and Bill Williamson are also planning workshops. And on the final day of the exhibition, Scotland hosts a clay-making workshop called Clay of the Tales with sculptor Louise McVey and storytelling by Selina Graham.
Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park, Colintraive, Argyll, Scotland PA22 3AR
