Tag Archives: Lanark High Street

Lanark Heritage, Lanimer Day, Sketch book, Uncategorized, urban sketching

An Unusual Lanimer Day

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Roofscapes above the High Street when viewed from inside the Tolbooth.

Today, Thursday 11th June 2020, would have been Lanimer Day, a celebration and a week-long town party that has taken place in Lanark since 1892. You can read more about the history of the activities on the Lanark Lanimers website. It’s a rare day in early June that the streets of Lanark are not filled with one of the UK’s largest processions for the crowning of the Lanimer Queen and many other ceremonial activities to celebrate the Royal Burgh.

I’ve hardly been into Lanark these last 12 weeks of lockdown so urban sketching has been replaced by orchard sketching (more on than another time) but I didn’t want the day to pass without acknowledging this significant week or without giving some acknowledgement to a few of the traders who show up in my sketches and who must also be finding it challenging to adapt and keep going.

View of St Nicholas’s church tower and the side of Jacks Ironmongery shop from Broomgate.

These are simply some examples from my 2019 sketch book where I can show a small taster of the work that goes on in Lanark by others. Let’s start with some of the work by a Scottish potter Richard Price. This one’s for my Stokie Pals; I can’t help but admire potters wherever they are!

Some of Richard Price’s pottery on display at Lanark Tolbooth
Richard Price giving a demonstration at the Tolbooth in 2019

If there is work going on then there has to be a rest in between. Ernie, Tom and Millie sketched whilst on duty during the Tolbooth Christmas exhibition.

Included in the exhibition was a wonderful example of a Yorkshire Ewe by the animal portrait artist Rosie Mark who also works here in the Clyde Valley.

Looking outside the Tolbooth window, the pigeons settle down to roost on the chimney stacks.

Now for someone we all miss – our hairstylists! This is Heather at Nelson’s Hair Salon, which is being redecorated in anticipation of opening sometime soon.

Enjoying a cup of tea whilst I sketch Heather at work

Something else that I miss: being part of an audience at a music event such as this one held at Scottish Wildlife Trust visitor centre, New Lanark.

Feis Rois musicians playing at New Lanark

Finally I’d like to include an acknowledgement of the work put in by Ian Wilson Leitch and the Tolbooth volunteers and Kirsten Harris who all worked tirelessly on behalf of so many artists and creators to set up this shared exhibition open to all working in the area. You did a great job!

Here’s hoping that the pandemic recedes and that we can all pick up some of our most treasure threads of our daily lives with renewed enthusiasm.

Thanks for reading and may you all keep well.

Ronnie

Architecture, Lanark Heritage, pencil drawing

Rainbows of Lanark

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Calling all Lanark artists! Lanark Tolbooth Trust and Lanark Community Development Trust have put their heads together and come up with a great idea for artists living within 7 miles of Lanark, by holding a rainbow themed art competition.

lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys
YMCA, St Nicholas Church, Tolbooth window ,

The competition is to create rainbow inspired images for an exhibition to be held at the Tolbooth, Lanark when the restrictions are lifted.

lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys

They have been inspired by the uplifting colourful pictures of rainbows that children have put in their windows spreading messages of hope and thanks to the NHS and key workers.

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Images from New Lanark

I thought I would do something a little different…

I don’t think I’ve mentioned here yet but since last October (until lockdown) I had been attending a weekly drawing and mixed media class at Paintbox School of Art in East Lothian. I’ll get round to telling you a bit more about the classes on another day (they’re great!) but for now I’ve discovered that preparing your surface makes quite a difference to your work.

lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys
New Lanark

There are many ways to do this but for the idea I had in mind, I wanted a lightly textured background, for a mostly monochrome drawing apart from the rainbows.

In my mind’s eye, I had a composition of disordered buildings, interweaving fragments drawn very simply, with the emphasis on windows and the rainbow posters. I’ve only been into Lanark twice since lockdown so it felt apt that it was more dreamlike. The monochrome sums up how things feel at the moment and helps the rainbows pop out.

Rough sketch of one of the compositions. This was a bit too congested so I thinned out the final sketch.

I prepared 4 sheets of A3 paper with a coat of white emulsion paint mixed with a dash of blue grey. It gives a chalky tooth for the graphite and a varied flow to ink. I then worked directly on to the paper, starting with one key building placed off-centre and then placed other buildings in response to that one and so on.

This shows the simplified line drawing and the textured background.

I got carried away doing four sheets but I kept finding parts of buildings that I wanted to include. I now have to decide on which drawing to enter or do another one!

lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys
Towers of St Nicholas’s Church and Greyfriars
lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys
Finials, Spires and Chimneys above the High Street

The drawings have been cropped into squares – top and bottom sections so you can have a good look.

lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys
St Mary’s Church tower, the Girnin Dug and part of the Tolbooth

If you are a professional or amateur artist living in or near Lanark, there is still time to enter – closing date 1st June 2020. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of colour next month!

Thanks for reading,

Ronnie

lanark under lockdown artwork by ronnie cruwys
Window on corner of Jack’s Ironmonger, Tolbooth and Christ Church

PS. I decided to enter ‘Finials, Spires and Chimneys’ in the Professional Category and….it won 🙂

Lanark Heritage, Pen and ink drawing

close to Lanark high street

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  • Wide Close or ‘Bull’s Close’

In Yorkshire, they’re called ‘ginnels’ or ‘snickelways’. Here in Lanark, they are called a ‘close’. Lanark High Street has 14 of these narrow openings that weave in and out of the town centre, tracking centuries of movement and trade.

Up until last year, they were dark and run down but the Discover Lanark BID and Lanark Community Development Trust have transformed the High Street’s closes by turning them into features which promote key aspects of Lanark’s history. At least seven closes have been repainted and had new energy efficient light fittings installed.

The next step planned is to install panels explaining the history of each close including information about their names, you can read more about it here.

Six of these closes are featured on my drawing of the High Street, it’s up in full on my website here.

On the opposite side of the street, Wallace Close has been brought to life with artwork depicting key moments of Wallace’s life in Lanark. Perhaps that’s another street drawing for the future!

Prints and cards are available to buy through the Tolbooth Lanark, or from my website.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read,

Ronnie