Art & Design

A Dog A Day by Sally Muir

Ok so I’ve  become even more of a dog-sentimentalist since I found out that the beloved Abby needs a hip replacement, but these beautifully painted portraits – posted daily on Facebook by artist Sally Muir – must surely bring a ray of pleasure to even the grimmest of mornings. Muir’s Dog A Day project began on 19 February and will run for a year. The paintings are for sale with

Fife's Answer to Studio 54? Remembering The Kronk at Workspace

There’s nothing more powerful than shared nostalgia and The Kronk disco stirs fond memories for many. The club ran from 1989 to 1992 in various venues in Dunfermline, eventually ending up in a nightclub called Banners in downtown Lumphinnans. By the time it reached the West Fife mining village, buses were travelling from all over Scotland to this notorious rave club. Now, Dunfermline artist Alan Grieve has produced an exhibition

Will moustaches ever be fashionable?

These days beards are ever so fashionable but will we ever be able to say the same of moustaches? We had Movember when celebrities and ordinary blokes wore a moustache for the month of November to raise awareness and money for testicular cancer. The morning of the 30th saw all these moustaches swiftly removed. May be there just aren’t any role models – when was the last hero with a

Up, up and away: houses fly over the rooftops of Paris

How wonderful would it be to travel the world in one’s own house? Floating from place to place like the old man in Up without leaving the comfort of home behind. It’s not so whimsical a thought behind these images by photographer Laurent Chehere however. His aim is to pick out overlooked architecture and domiciles in his native Paris and literally elevate them for our attention. The complex, photoshopped collages

A stitch in time: introducing The Great Tapestry of Scotland

Here’s an early glimpse of what promises to be a very beautiful – and very long – tapestry depicting the history of Scotland. Writer Alexander McCall Smith, whose idea this was, is working with historian Alistair Moffat and artist Andrew Crummy as well as stitchers from all over Scotland to produce The Great Tapestry of Scotland. It will be world’s longest tapestry and one of the biggest community arts projects

Beautiful handmade Hancock coats from Cumbernauld

Famous until now as the location for Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl, Cumbernauld is now the site for a luxury global brand. These beautiful coats, which are sold in Tokyo, Seoul and New York, are handmade in Cumbernauld. Two former Mackintosh employees, Daniel Dunko and Gary Bott, set up the company Hancock, naming it after Englishman Thomas Hancock. Although his name is little-known he worked with Charles Mackintosh to patent the

Pinterest Fails: not every craft project looks like Martha made it

‘Not every craft project looks like Martha made it’ are the wise words on the CraftFail site. Quick to spot that Pinterest and other craft sites were begging to be satirised CraftFail along with Pinstrosity and Pintester do just that.  Pintester’s strapline is ‘fucking up pinterest pins so you don’t have to’. Despite their apparent lack of crafting skills some of the publishers seem to be actual crafters. CraftFail was started

All the resolution you will ever need…New Year 2013

New year’s resolutions, with their need for self improvement – let’s resolve to do away with them. Just how dreadful are we that we must we be corrected, honed, disciplined? And is self disapproval the right frame of mind in which to embark on a brand new year?  How about reflecting instead on the little victories and minor accomplishments of the past year? We survived didn’t we? We must be

Marking the Way: innovative public art in Dunfermline

Come and be part of a work of public art this Sunday in Dunfermline.  One of Scotland’s most successful contemporary artists Toby Paterson will be a leading a ‘subjective walking tour’ in the town as part of an exciting new artwork. The tour, created in association with Collective Architecture, features Paterson’s own selection of buildings and landmarks on a route that links Dunfermline’s two magnificent parks – the Public Park

Dogs for Sale by Domenica More Gordon

Brad Pitt loved them. These deeply felt miniature dogs by Scottish artist Domenica More Gordon went on sale again yesterday. The eagerly-awaited sale runs until 12 December and judging by the number of enquiries Avocado Sweet has received since first featuring them they’ll sell out quick. Ranging from £145 to £550 the price reflects the time, skill and patience to create these small sculptures. Below are two dogs from Domenica’s