Posts for April, 2024

This collection is representative of Joanna Wilson’s early interest in the metaphysical power of art. The healing properties of crystals, the inner wisdom of oracle cards and the outward sense that a greater power
is at work — all of these inform her attempts to connect her own creativity with Creation itself. Her hope is that the unique intentions with which each piece is created transfers to its viewer or owner.

Join us for the most anticipated comedy event in the Highlands!

An evening full of laughter and world-class comedy is set to take place at Macdonald Aviemore Resort this summer. The Highland Comedy Club will be hosting its inaugural event on Saturday, June 22, featuring a lineup of the UKs most celebrated comedy acts, including headliner Connor Burns who sold-out his shows at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe.

This premier event is set to captivate and entertain audiences and will be hosted by internationally acclaimed Ray Bradshaw.

For locals of Aviemore, the Resort is pulling out all the stops, with a special ticket offer for the show (£18) or a dinner and show combination (£40). Enjoy being serenaded by local artist Dylan Tierney before heading through for the premier event.

On top of this, the Resort is also offering exclusive getaway packages for the event to complement the comedy experience. Starting from £250, for one or two nights, these packages include top-tier comedy show tickets, dining, breakfast, and 4-star accommodations for two guests.
Guests will also enjoy unlimited access to the Resort’s leisure facilities, with the two-night package offering additional perks such as cinema passes and exclusive entry to the tartan army fan zone for the Scotland vs Hungary Euro 2023 match.

The Macdonald Aviemore Resort offers an array of experiences for everyone, from show-only or show and dinner combo options to complete getaway packages, set against the scenic beauty of Aviemore at the heart of Cairngorm National Park.


Highland Comedy Show Stellar line up:

Your Host for the Evening: Ray Bradshaw

Ray spent 2021/22 touring the UK as John Bishop’s handpicked support act, having previously toured with Frankie Boyle in 2019. Ray was the first comedian to ever win a Scottish Culture Award and is a regular host of Scotland’s most popular radio show, Breaking The News. Having just finished his own UK wide tour, Ray’s brand of charming, clever comedy is not to be missed!



Headliner: Connor Burns

Fresh off a sell-out run at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, where he added an unprecedented 12 extra shows due to popular demand, Connor has quickly become one of Scotland’s most exciting comedy talents. With millions of views online and performances across the globe, he’s a force to be reckoned with on the comedy scene.

“He is fearless, and it is wonderful”
★★★★★ The Scotsman


Supporting Act 1: Stuart Mitchell

Stuart is now regarded as one of the UK’s top comics with over 50 million views online. Longest running panelist of BBC’s Acclaimed “Breaking the news” Mitchell has also just released a debut comedy special for BBC radio 4!


Supporting Act 2: Gary Little
Recognised as a master storyteller, Gary is a regular headliner at many of the top comedy clubs across the UK. He has a rare gift for turning mundane, every-day experiences into pure comedy gold, leaving his audiences crying with laughter.

“Some of the best stand up I’ve ever seen” – Kevin Bridges

Join us in the ballroom on Thursday 4th July at 7.30pm for a live performance from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

SCO players and audiences always look forward to their concerts with Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev – as lively as he is entertaining, he invariably brings fascinating insight into the music he directs. Maxim is at the helm for this concert of much-loved classics: Elgar’s youthful Serenade for Strings and all the tender warmth of Schumann’s Cello Concerto (with SCO Principal, Philip Higham), concluding with one of Beethoven’s most popular symphonies, the irrepressibly lively Seventh.

Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Philip Higham cello
ELGAR Serenade for Strings (12’)
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto (25’)

Interval 20 minutes

BEETHOVEN Symphony No 7 (36’)

With special thanks to Summer Tour sponsors Eriadne & George Mackintosh and Claire & Anthony Tait.

Tickets available from the SCO website can be purchased above.

We are once again looking forward to our Festival of Words, held at various locations in Kingussie. More information will follow soon. We look forward to seeing you there!

Come and meet Van Coo: the curly-haired bull missing part of his ear, just like his namesake! In 2021 he wandered into the creative imagination of local artist Joanna Wilson. Here he was joined by other creatures of the Cairngorms before finding form in the expressive mixed media for which Wilson is best known.

An award-winning artist of international acclaim, Wilson grew up among these glens before work and study took her far and wide, from the Hayward Gallery to Yale University. Her abstract and figurative paintings can be found in private and public collections all over the world.

Coming home to set up her studio in Grantown-on-Spey reconnected Wilson with her Highland roots. This limited collection of prints represents a unique opportunity to own a lighthearted example of her work that celebrates this land and its inhabitants.

Not many people around here know about Joanna Wilson’s secret life as an international artist. And yet her hideaway studio on Heathfield Road is filled with thousands of art works: floor-to-ceiling abstracted figures that seem to leap from her fingertips and dance across her walls.

A Saatchi Featured Artist and the recipient of numerous awards, Joanna’s work appears in private and public collections throughout the world. But not until now has it received an exhibition space of its own right here in her hometown.

Encountering her work for the first time you will notice a lilting, musical quality to her handling of form, reminiscent of the glens where she grew up. But her compositions incorporate geometric and purely decorative elements too, which seem to reference the urban settings of Edinburgh and London, where she has also lived and worked as an artist.

A full-circle moment for Joanna, this very room is where she met with the Bank Manager to open her business account some 18 years ago. Now with a flourishing business of her own, she has created O P E N S P A C E to share her platform with other contemporary artists searching for a safe space to showcase their own groundbreaking work.

Thoughtful and expressive, modest and exuberant — to know Joanna’s art is to know the artist herself, which is why her work so universally approachable and collectible.

Join foraging expert Tamara Colchester on a three-hour spring walk that will introduce participants to around 15 wild, edible and medicinal trees, flowers and plants, along with their etymology, folklore and how best to prepare them.

Learn as you go about poisonous plants, and how to safely identify and avoid them. This meditative, sensory walk will take you into the riotous abundance of spring, ending in a foraged herbal tea with delicious cakes and biscuits prepared with wild ingredients.

Ticket price: £45 per person, children (under 16 years old) £20.

Time: 10.30am – 1.30pm

When: Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th May

Where: The walk will take roughly 3 hours and will remain within the Gardens & Grounds of Blair Castle, so an ability to manage this distance is required.

About foraging expert, Tamara Colchester

Over the past eight years, Tamara has been studying wild plants and her journey began when she was carrying out research for a film about hunter-gatherers. Inspired by her initial findings, she embraced the idea of discovering how people can live off the land in the Northern Hemisphere and in particular the UK. She has built up an incredible knowledge of plants, their food and medicinal benefits, as well as becoming attuned to the seasons and understanding how our eating requirements change and adapt with the weather. In addition to learning about the plants, herbs, trees and flowers in the UK, she has also taken time to understand animal tracking, as to survive in the Northern Hemisphere an omnivore diet is essential.

Join us in the Keiller Lounge and enjoy listening to live music from talented local musician Tom Innes.

Free entry.

You are invited to celebrate Scotland’s national drink through an inventive and varied programme of whisky-inspired events across Speyside and within the Cairngorms National Park at The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2024.

Visit the region’s world famous distilleries, meet the makers, taste the finest whiskies, and discover the passion behind them. That’s not all, there are events fit for a foodie and the outdoor enthusiast, live music, talks, tastings, tours, and more.

Visit the Spirit of Speyside website to see the full itinerary of events.

Discover how to identify the smells & tastes, learn the language & understand what you enjoy!