Schiehallion: The Faerie Mountain art exhitibion

Find out what inspired a couple of local artists to produce a collection of artwork that celebrates Perthshire's 'Fairy Hill' - and see their two-person exhibition at the Trust's Wild Space gallery during August.

Artists Margaret Kerr and Lara Orman met at Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art in 2019, where they bonded over the artistic inspiration they found in wild places.

“Our project began when we were looking for a cave at Schiehallion. After those first couple of trips in search of the cave, we became enchanted with the mountain. It was doing so much to help our artistic work,” said Margaret.

“We wanted to do it justice and kept coming back to visit as we developed a relationship with the mountain. It’s got such a huge, solid presence in the landscape.”

The project was researched and produced over three years, with the artists painting, drawing and recording on location in sometimes changeable weather.  Lara started off working in a sketchbook with coloured pencils, while Margaret made ink drawings in the waterfall, dipping them in the water and bringing them out again.

“We spent time getting a feel for the place," said Lara. "Our surroundings and how much we could carry up the mountain helped decide what art materials we would bring along.”

Both artists credit their upbringings for igniting their love for wild places, with Margaret being brought up among the mountains of Perthshire, and Lara finding inspiration in the Nordic landscapes she used to live in: “Prior to studying in Dundee I was living in Norway, which was really a catalyst for my love for mountains and wild places.

“My work is based on answering the big questions by showing the connection between nature and people. My visits to Schiehallion and working on this project has allowed me to show this connectivity I feel with the landscape”

Showing this connection in their work isn’t easy, said Margaret: “It can be challenging and difficult to convey what you feel. There’s almost a sense of longing that’s associated with wanting to be true to what the place is giving us and wanting to honour that.

“I found that just embracing the weather, rain and difficulties was the best way to do this. There is one painting in particular in the exhibition that ended up with a lot of lovely black traces on it from the rain. It really shows how the mountain was that day.”

Both Margaret and Lara say their experience creating the Schiehallion: The Faerie Mountain artworks has given them a deeper understanding of wild places in general. It has helped them realise that nature is a lot bigger than us, but that we are still part of it.

"It’s amazing what the John Muir Trust is doing to further people’s understanding of wild places and why they need protecting. We feel so happy that we can be involved in some way in that bigger work.”

• See Margaret Kerr and Lara Orman's latest collection of artwork - Schiehallion: The Fairie Mountain - at our Pitlochry Wild Space visitor centre and gallery during August 2024. Please check our opening times if you are making a special journey to see the exhibition.
• Find out more about the land we care for at Schiehallion.