Rattray Arts Festival is a celebration of more than 30 artists and makers in and around Blairgowrie and Rattray. Hosted in Blairgowrie Town Hall for nine days, from Saturday the 17th to Sunday the 24th of August 2025, there are unique hand crafted artworks, fine art paintings, ceramics and more. Visit your local artists and makers this August and support our local talent.
This year, the raffle will be for two prizes. First prize is this stunning original painting,
"Winter Stag" as painted by David Mackenzie. You can see more from David at the show and below.
Second prize is the afternoon tea for 2 at the Fife Arms, Braemar
This years sponsors are The Proctor Group, H W Irvine Butchers, Graham Hygiene Services & Norman Laing in Blairgowrie.
The Proctor Group
H W Irvine
Howes Removals
Graham Hygiene
Norman Laing
Tayside Pressure Washers
Ardblair Pest Control
Throughout the Art Festival, we will be raising money for two charities, the Scottish Air Ambulance and Riding for the Disabled.
SCAA - Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance
Riding for the Disabled
ARTISTS
Tina Gliddon
I am originally from Devon, I enjoy painting in many mediums over the years but have now changed to pastels, I love the detail and colours I get from this medium. I enjoy doing pet portraits, local scenes, birds, flowers and Bees.
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Stewart Graham
Painter of Scottish landscapes, both traditional oil painting and modern digital illustration. Stewart will be showing a variety of painting, prints and greeting cards. Commissions welcome. Stewart's work can be seen in Pitlochry at the Perthshire Gallery and he's also taken part in Perthshire Open Studios, Strathmore Open Studios and Art Aboyne.
​​Stewart is also a graphic designer and web designer (this site included) running Strathmore Design in Alyth.
Mark McCallum
Mark McCallum was born in North Yorkshire in 1964 and studied in York where he graduated in 1988 with a BA Honors degree in Fine Art and Media Studies, specializing in oil painting. He has since been widely exhibited in the UK and currently lives and works from his studio in Kirkmichael, Perthshire.
Living in the Highlands since 2004 has given Mark the opportunity to fully explore the outstanding and breathtaking landscape that Scotland has to offer. His paintings reflect the ever changing mood of remote sceneries, dramatic skies and vast beaches, as well as the colourful mountain flora and geography.
Approaching the work with a bold palette, an impressionistic style and semi-abstract representation, and by incorporating mixed media and found materials from the local areas depicted, Mark achieves a sense of authenticity and belonging, allowing the viewer to breath and immerse in the landscape.
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Cairngorm Gifts
Cairngorm Gifts, is owned and run by Mark & Sally McCallum who work together as an artist and crafter in their studio in Kirkmichael, Perthshire. Here at Cairngorm Gifts, quality is the top priority from Scottish sourced materials and unique products to excellent customer service. Sally works with textiles, predominantly Harris Tweed to produce beautiful handmade cushions, bags and purses.
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Trevor Taylor
For over 30 years I exhibited my work at horse and agricultural shows throughout the UK including Royal Windsor Horse Show, Gatcombe, Blenheim and Blair Castle Horse Trials and the BEVA equine vets conference, Perth bull sales and many more where I met lots of intersting people showing and selling their animals. I welcome visitors to my studio at Ballintuim where I have a wide selection of paintings ,drawings and prints of my work. Tel - 01250 886323 E - trevor@trevortaylorartist.com
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Rhona Kirkpatrick - Featured Artist
Rhona is a mixed media artist creating paintings of shoreline, mountains and landscape. She uses collage, watercolours, inks, pastels and pencils according to the subject matter. Living and working in Blairgowrie, she draws inspiration from the surrounding countryside, the wesrt coast and mountainous regions of Scotland. In the lush farming area of Strathmore the marks on the land left from planting, furrows in the earth and the bordrsof the fields lend perspective and depth to her mark making.
Rhona is a regular participant in Perthshire Open Studios, ArTay, Perth Festival of Arts, Fortingall Art and has exhibited widely in Perthshire and Angus as well as The Royal Scottish Watercolours ( RSW) summer and winter exhibitions in Edinburgh and Glasgow. At this year's RSW Exhibition at the National Gallery, Princes Street, Edinburgh she won the Scottish Artists Benevolent Association for her painting " Incoming Storm".
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David Mackenzie
I’m an Edinburgh born self-taught artist specialising in wildlife.
My early life was spent in North America where my parents travelled extensively. It was during this time that I gained my deep love for the natural environment. Wildlife of all varieties were common in my home, and I even had a tame wolf for a pet.
I previously worked professionally in conservation as a Deputy Head Keeper at Edinburgh Zoo for 10 years with big cats, bears and birds. I found this experience helpful with my painting as it gives me an emotional connection to the story I’m trying to tell. Gaining this intimate relationship with animals at a very close level over the years has helped give me an eye for detail which enables me to bring my art to life rather than just replicate it.
In my art I try to imagine the story behind the scenes to create an emotion and to give a connection to the viewer.
I always work in acrylics on canvas & find them particularly responsive to the way that I work, applying many layers, washes & glazes to obtain the right effect.
I’ve had two local solo exhibitions, and take part in an annual local charity art exhibition in Blairgowrie, where they fundraise for the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance, and where I usually donate a painting with all proceeds going to the SCAA. In 2025, I also donated a painting of a capercaillie to the Overgate Hospice in Elland, West Yorkshire, where I also have ties, this was then auctioned to raise funds for an extension for the Hospice.
I’ve been successful in various art competitions, coming joint first place in an international art competition in 2020 and in 2021 & received a Highly Commended award during an exhibition for the Association of Animal Artists.
Email: David.Mackenzie.Artist@gmail.com
At present my work can also be seen at:
Number 4 Gallery at St Abbs, near Coldingham
The Perthshire Gallery, Pitlochry
Michelle Hewitt
Michelle Hewitt is renowned for her intricate pastel drawings of animals. With a lifelong fascination for the natural world, she was introduced to Albrecht Dürer's Young Hare at a young age, sparking a passion for animal art that has remained with her ever since. The work of Rubens has also influenced Michelle, particularly how the eyes in his portraits seem to follow the viewer throughout the room. For Michelle, the eyes are the most critical element in any painting, and she always completes them first before moving on to the rest of the piece. Her preferred medium is soft pastels, as they require no drying time and provide a gentle, refined definition perfect for capturing the texture of fur and feathers. Michelle is thrilled that her art has gained global recognition and is now part of private collections around the world.
Email: hello@michellehewittartist.com
Phone number (if needed) 07979 344833
Liz Dulley
I am a full-time artist based in Perthshire. I find watercolour an exciting medium and enjoy teaching and painting using watercolour products. With a delicate approach, I explore the versatility of water with colour and manipulate paint to create an interesting surface. Through a variety of techniques, I have fun developing paintings and experiencing creations evolve. Work sometimes includes Japanese paper on the painting surface, collected during visits to Japan. In summertime I like to sit outdoors with nature, painting flowers on location, using a loose approach. Artworks have been included in national and international exhibitions, received watercolour painting awards, and are held in public and private collections worldwide.
Liudmyla Kurta-Stehun
Liudmyla is a Ukrainian artist who has been living and working in Blairgowrie for 2 years. She works in watercolor and acrylic. She paints landscapes and flowers and her inspiration is the beauty of nature around her. She also paints Pets portraits for commissions .
Liudmyla admits that her work is born of love. She wants to share her achievements, improve herself creatively, and give people joy with her paintings.
Rosaleen Whyte
Rosaleen Whyte is an artist living in Blairgowrie who paints and exhibits her work in her studio in Rosemount. Favouring landscapes, particularly of the local area, using mainly acrylic on paper and canvas, she finds her inspiration from the Scottish landscapes.
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Rosaleen exhibits at local festivals, charity open days at her studio and also with Studio 8, a group of artists from Tayside and Fife. Her submissions this year feature local woods and trees.
Jim Webster
I was influenced by my mother who painted in oils, and have developed my interest over the years. Originally, painting in watercolour, I now paint mainly using water based oils. I prefer the Impressionist style of painting and have been influenced by painters such as Monet, Corot and Seago.
At present I am a member of The Ericht Art Club.
Jeannie Webster
I started painting when I retired in 2007. I enrolled at a class in Blairgowrie, which got me started in oils. Later I joined the Ericht Art Club, of which I am still a member.
My paintings are mostly landscapes and often painted from my own photos.
I am currently using water based oils.
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Hayley Mills
Hayley is a well-known Scottish professional landscape & wildlife artist who lives and has her studio in rural Fife. As a mixed media artist, she takes inspiration from the wildlife and landscape that surrounds her and the creative process itself, Hayley works intuitively allowing this process to influence and inform the artwork, making each piece unique and expressive.
Member of the Society of Scottish Artists, the Art & Nature Collective, Visual Arts Scotland, & Scottish Artists Union; former Chair Open Studios North Fife; MA Philosophy; Studied at Grays School of Art; Teaches through classes/workshops within the UK. Please visit website for further details.
Kathleen Coupar
My love of animals, photography and art lead me naturally to capturing wildlife ,originally with the
medium of coloured pencils then more recently acrylics and oils.
Over the years I have exhibited with the Dundee Art Society, Dunkeld summer exhibition, Pitlochry
Theatre , Perthshire Open Studios, Ericht Art Class and more recently I had a couple of works
accepted for Meffan Forfar Exhibition.
I enjoy the Rattray Art Festival as it is a lovely mix of local and guest artists with a wide selection of
different styles , subjects and mediums.
Janet McCrorie
In over twenty years of painting I have developed a unique way of depicting movement which is mainly expressed in my paintings of Scottish Dancers. My aim is to invoke a sense of pride and nostalgia in these old traditional dances and I am regularly commissioned to paint specific tartans and celebration events such as weddings.
Another subject of interest to me is sports events where the overriding theme is movement but also capturing the individual body shapes in different sports such as Rugby and Golf. I am happy to accept a challenge in depicting the unique movement in any sport.
A relatively new subject for me is live music events expressing the excitement, movement, lighting and atmosphere of watching performers on a stage.
My paintings can be seen in many galleries throughout Scotland and my images have been used for illustration including a book of new dances produced for the 100th anniversary of the Glasgow branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dancing Society (RSCDS)
Audrie Cabena
Audrie was a heraldic artist for 17 years and is currently a hand push tattoo artist (using a more traditional method of inserting the needles manually) of 18 years working in Dundee. Art has always been a major hobby throughout this time, using lots of mediums. Acrylics and ink works are two of her favourites, working from photographs to create unique pieces. Feeling very much the amateur, this will be her first time showing any artwork but nerves aside she is very keen to immerse herself in the experience and learn and move forward.
Janice Lang
Previously my main interest has been Watercolours. However, I am spending more time using water based oils and thoroughly enjoy their challenge which has led me into Mixed Media, an area which I am currently pursuing.
Sabrin Miller
Sabrin is a Perthshire artist creating monochrome oil paintings, setting out to achieve striking and atmospheric results.
Based in Blairgowrie she works from her garden studio producing figurative work which emerges from a love of animals and nature, and the inspirational offerings of her surroundings.
Using a reductive technique, Sabrin works through a process of removing paint with varying strokes and pressure, using rags and other items to gradually build the form and detail of her chosen subject, always working from dark to light.
The style emerged after exploration of different media over the years and realising the potential in using slow drying oils.
Her artistic journey began as a mature student attending night classes and progressing to part time HNC/HND Art and Design courses which directed her towards gaining a place at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee where she studied Fine Art.
Sabrin works under the name Garrsab Studio and is a member of Perthshire Artisans, a curated community of artists and makers in Perthshire.
email sabrinmiller@yahoo.com
Margaret Cumming
I am a self taught artist who has recently returned to painting on a more regular basis now that I have retired from the farm.
I am a local artist and have stayed in Perthshire all my life. I get my inspiration from our beautiful scenery and wildlife. Being a lover of animals and nature I enjoy painting scenes which are close to my heart. I have painted with various mediums over the years but particularly enjoy painting with acrylics.
Other Artists
Cathy Doe
Dave Murry
Heather Wadsworth
Lorraine Irvine
Rosemary Paterson
Dougie Mackay
Christopher Sharp
Sandy Mccurdy
Peter Picasso
Contact Us
Contact
Opening Hours
Address
07443 338580
17th - 24th AUGUST
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
14 Brown St, Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie PH10 6EX, United Kingdom
