Artwork donated to help boost excavation funds

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Two artists have very generously donated work to the Ness of Brodgar Trust to help raise much-needed funds for the ongoing excavation.

Anyone interested in purchasing any of the pieces should contact us at info@nessofbrodgar.co.uk

Philip Hughes

Philip Hughes considers the relationship between the landscape and human history as the heart of his work. This is reflected in visiting, studying and walking between ancient sites in many different countries. He is particularly drawn to Orkney, with its extraordinary wealth of archaeology.

A series of very large drawings of ancient sites in Britain formed the basis of an exhibition at the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, in 2008. The landscape of ancient sites of Orkney were central to an exhibition in the Francis Kyle Gallery, London in 2010.

Recently he has made a new series of paintings of Skara Brae for incorporation in the forthcoming publication by David Clarke and Alexandra Shepherd, Skara Brae: a full compendium of the site.

Philip has had over 50 one-man exhibitions in the UK and internationally. His work is widely held in public and private collections.

Philip has donated two pieces:

Brodgar and the two lochs. quacryl & gouache on paper & print. 40 x 96cm. £1,750.
Philip Hughes often incorporates maps as an integral part of his work. The map used here, linked with a painting of the Ring of Brodgar, shows the strategic position of the Ness and the overall geology of the surrounding area.

Ness of Brodgar Structure 10. Acrylic, pencil and pastel on paper. 50 x 70cm. £3,750.
The drawing is of the excavations on the Ness as of 2013. This is one of a series done on site in July that year and worked on subsequently in the studio.

Gloria Wallington O’Shea

Orkney-based artist Gloria Wallington O’Shea has donated four paintings (framed: circa 26×36 inches).

Drawing on the Ness for inspiration, she explained: “In 2003 a strange stone was found which led to the large excavation of the Ness of Brodgar. This site dates back to the Neolithic times some 5,000 years ago.

“These Ness of Brodgar prints are imaginations of that journey.”