Màiri Mhòr nan Òran

My new series of paintings based on the Gaelic bard Màiri Mhòr nan Òran ( Big Mary of tne Songs) AKA Mary MacPherson were recently exhibited at Eden Court Theatre in the Buaile exhibition.

I was brought up with the music of Màiri Mhòr. She was born in Skye in 1821. She moved to Inverness and married in 1844. Following the death of her husband in 1871 she became a domestic servant and then was imprisoned for 40 days, accused of stealing her dead employer's shawl. This spurred her to write and perform protest songs for the rest of her life. I've portrayed her with a tartan shawl that she created. In the background is the sunrise over the Old Man of Storr, which she described in her song Soraidh le Eilean a Cheò (Farewell to the Isle of Mist).

Màiri Mhòr 1

40.5x40.5cm, acrylic on canvas. As she was accused of stealing her dead employer's shawl and then later designed the Blackie tartan I wanted to feature a shawl, as that depicted her transformation into a composer and bard….an image of her defiantly holding out a Blackie tartan shawl, whilst singing. I kept her dress to a simple black to emphasize the shawl. I tried having her against a rose coloured dawn sky, as in the song. I gave her a MacDonald crest brooch (her maiden name was MacDonald). Prints on Redbubble

Màiri Mhòr 2

. 40.5x40.5cm, acrylic on canvas. I experimented with her slightly angled, lower down and further away from the Old Man of Storr. Prints on Redbubble

Màiri Mhòr 3

40.5x40.5cm, acrylic on canvas.I tried her front on and closer to the Old Man of Storr. I liked this version better but felt her head and the Storr were too aligned, although I did like one of the peaks showing over her shoulder, made her look even more connected to the landscape. Prints on Redbubble

Màiri Mhòr 4

Acrylic on board, 102 cm x127cm. I added some mist to the background. Prints on Redbubble

AI test using Hedra. My painting of Màiri Mhòr nan Òran with my mother singing a clip of Soraidh le Eilean a Cheò.I learned about these AI tools via the excelllent Futurepedia at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Toeq0oyM8