Exhibitions
"Heartlands" Oct. 2007 Exhibition of two Scottish and one German artist in Wiengut Odinstal in the Rhine- Plafz in September 2007. The works are based on the Highlands, the Rhineland and Italy. The exhibition took place by private invitation, in a beautiful neo-classical villa, Odinstal, situated in its own vineyards and forest looking down on the Rhine valley and the villages of the Palatinate's wine country.
"Sacred Ground" An exhibition of the work of Andrew and his brother Alasdair, in Colonsay, in August 2007. He has family on the island of Colonsay , and his uncle, AS Macneill farmed the adjacent tidal island of Oronsay an island whose ruined priory and ancient carving school have had an inspirational influence.
"Basking in the warmth of the Reel"
An Exhibition in July 2007 in South Uist,
celebrating the traditions of highland piping (year of highland culture 2007).
Later this toured, initially to Orbost Gallery in the Isle-of-Skye, and then to the National Piping Centre in Glasgow.
The quote is from the much-admired priest and folk-lorist, Father Allan MacDonald,
who expressed his desire to be in the presence of good piping in these terms.'The Cockerel in the Creel'
is a piping tune composed by Donald Macleod.
"I composed that in Saskatchewan when I was attending one of the Summer Schools.
When I was a little boy my Granny lived at Benside which is just on the outskirts of Stornoway
and I remember her, and others, on Saturday evening with the upturned creel chasing the poor
cockerel around the croft and when he was within distance, bang!. There he was imprisoned until
Monday morning because there was no way the cockerel could be employed on Sunday.
Lewis people, as you know, observed the Sabbath - even our animals did.
But his protestations always amused me. I took many, many years to get a tune which sounded
anywhere near the poor cockerel as he was put under the creel."
Donald MacLeod 16.6.1977, from a BBC Radio Interview with John MacFadyen.