Language: English
The Aig an Oir (At the Edge) project, a collaboration between the Society of Wildlife Artists, Forest Enterprise Scotland and HI-ARTS, is a celebration of the magical but little-known Atlantic oakwoods of the West coast of Scotland. Artists from the SWLA were joined by bursary winners and local artists to create a unique portrait of these woods to highlight their conservation and cultural value.
Lying not just on the edge of Scotland but at the very edge of Europe, these lush, temperate rainforests are an internationally important habitat for plants and wildlife. Shaped by man over the centuries they also contain rich cultural and historical heritage. Both these aspects are brought to life through Robert Burton's informative text, in which he also describes the present -day restoration work being carried out by Forest Enterprise Scotland. A sprinkling of Gaelic poetry through the book gives an insight into the importance of the oakwoods to the local Gaelic culture.
Three groups of artists spent a week in the woods of Kinloch on Skye; Morven and Sunart; and Knapdale in Argyll, with follow up visits by individual artists, and this book is their personal record of these rare and beautiful Atlantic oak woodlands.