Print exhibition links Sanday with Ireland

An exhibition of prints inspired by the cultures and traditions of Sanday and the Aran Islands, in the West of Ireland, opens today, Saturday, at the Orkney Museum.

Islanders: Orkney and the Arans, by Joseph Sloan, is a series of wood engravings, first created as illustrations for the Sanday-born writer W. Towrie Cutt’s book, Faraway World: an Orkney Boyhood.

There are 24 images, covering the life and culture of the times as experienced by Cutt as a youngster.

Joseph Sloan had an exhibition of prints in London, illustrating life on the Aran Islands in the early 1970s.

These  were seen by a representative of the publishers, who then commissioned the artist to travel to Sanday for research purposes and eventually to undertake the illustrations for Towrie Cutt’s proposed publication.

The author emigrated to Canada shortly after World War II. When visiting his publishers in London, he saw the Aran Island prints, and felt the approach suited to his intended book.

As well as a complete set of the Sanday illustrations, the exhibition will include some of the original Aran Island series which were eventually to bring together artist and author.

Joseph Sloan is coming to Orkney, from France, for the opening of the exhibition. There will be an opportunity to meet him on Saturday, March 7, at 2pm for an informal chat, and to hear a short talk about his work and his visit to Sanday to gather inspiration and background knowledge for the artwork.

He will also give an insight into the art of wood engraving printing, and talk about the process used in the creation of the prints on display.

The exhibition runs until March 28.