MAIRI NICGILLIOSA

Visual artist, Neach-ealain

Welcome to the website for Mairi Gillies, a Scottish visual artist whose work spans between the studio, classroom, exhibition spaces and the living landscape.

Is mise Màiri NicGillÌosa. Tha mi nam neach-ealain agus 's e bana-Ghàidheal na Galltachd a th' annam. Tha dàimh làidir agam ris a' Ghàidhealtachd agus tha mi a' fuireachd ann an Leòdhas.

I am Mairi Gillies. I am an artist and a Gaelic woman from the Lowlands of Scotland. I have strong sense of home in the Gaeltachd and I currently live on the Isle of Lewis.

Idir Mula Mac Sgiathain agus Bruinneabhal lorgaidh sibh na h-ollagan seo

#gàidhlig #gaelic #glacialirratic #placebased #sitespecific #scottishart #waysofseeing #walkingartist

Uaim an Òir
Seam of Gold

#uaimanoir #gàidhlig #gaelic #uamhanòir #caveofgold

Uamh an Òir ~ Uaim an Òir

Cave of Gold ~ Seam of Gold

Filled with inspiration and grateful to the hilt- our second cave in Skye with the incredible @decker_forrest playing and @floraidhforrest leading us, @otterbunkhouse behind the camera

What muse draws us on?
Who played here before?
What sounds play on?
A dram shared to the MacCrimmon's and we left in tact.

#gàidhlig #placebased #uaimanòir #uamhanòir #sitespecific #waysofseeing #gaelic #lèirsinn #workinprogress #scottishart #gaelicvisualarts

Uamh an Òir ~ Uaim an Òir

Cave of Gold ~ Seam of Gold

I had the most powerful and moving time researching the first of the caves of gold last weekend in Skye.
Intrepid friends @floraidhforrest @decker_forrest led the way, and as ever, at the other end of my rope was @otterbunkhouse!

I gathered casts, sounds and place based materials to bring back to the studio.

Researching relationships between place, people, pipes and plants

For my exhibition Uaim an Òir at @anlanntair
Funded by VACMA grant @creativescots

#gàidhlig #placebased #gaelic #sitespecific #waysofseeing #scottishart #gaelicwaysofseeing #lèirsinn #uamhanòir

ceòthach
-aiche, a Misty, foggy, drizzling, cloudy, obscure. 2 Of, or belonging to, mist.

#gàidhlig #gaelic #placebased #sitespecific

Faoilleach

Faoilleach in Lewis begins on the Friday nearest three weeks before the end of January and ends on the Tuesday nearest the end of the third week of February — DihAoine a thig ‘s DiMàirt a dh’fhalbhas, comes on Friday and goes on Tuesday — three weeks of Winter and three weeks of Spring

#gàidhlig #gaelic #placebased #sitespecific

Cuairt beag còmhla ri Seumas agus Corran suas rathad na mòine

Grateful to have a wee wintery walk in the sun with Seumas and Corran.
I love how sure footed they are, even on ice!

@eriskaypony_original_society #gàidhlig #gaelic #placebased #nativebreed

Uaim an Òir ~ Seam of Gold

Gaelic hive-mind shout out!

I'm working towards an exhibition with @anlanntair next year and researching regional variations across the Gàidhealtachd of Uamh an Òir ('cave of gold').

This body of work builds on a previous residency I had with @tobar_an_dualchais where I heard the amazing stories and songs from their archives.

So I'm looking for your stories, songs, placenames, tunes, melodies, lyrics, and actual caves of course!

If you know of any, it would be great to hear from you! And please feel free to share this with anyone else relevant.

#uamhanòir #gàidhlig #sitespecific #placebased #uaimanòir

Points of view

Tha mi gluasad
I am moving

#gàidhlig #placebased #gaelic #sitespecific #waysofseeing #lèirsinn #gaelicwaysofseeing #creativepractice

Ollag air Rossamul Beag

Stone portrait

#gàidhlig #lèirsinn #waysofseeing #placebased #stonesculpture #scottishart #scottishgaelic

oireadh /ɔrʲəɣ/
fir. gin. -ridh
(act of) rising over the edge

Cnoc a' Chàrnain
Cleit Chàirisiadair
Sidhean a' deas
Gil Mhurchaidh Dhuinn
Loch Gil an Fheòir
Rossamul Beag
Nead an Eòin
Cleite na Crìch
Gearraidh Theurabridh
Druim Riabhach
Cnoc a’ Chàrnain

#gàidhlig #walkingartist #placebased #creativepractice #sitespecific #ainmàite #placenames

Madainn san t-sneachd
/madɪNʲ/səN trɛ̃xg/
Morning in the snow

Beautiful changing skies as I fed the sheep this morning - eagles over the croft.
I've been unwell for the last few weeks which left me harvesting of root veg to the absolute last minute in the snow!
Co-dhiù, rinn mi mo dhìcheall!
Now lifted! 🥕❄️🧅❄️🥔❄️💚

#gàidhlig #gaelic #harvesting #placebased #growyourown #ediblegarden

stiallach /sdʲiəLəx/
fir. gin. ⁊ iol. -aich
stripe, streak

#gàidhlig #gaelic #placebased #sitespecific #creativepractice

Ionmhainneach aig Somhairle: iteag an iolaire-bhuidhe agus briosgaid impireachd 'san lamh, clach-eite 'san phòcaid

Sorley's treasures: Empire biscuit (gem top eaten first), Golden eagle feather, Quartz shard in pocket

#gàidhlig #placebased #motherartist

ceòbhran /kʲɔːran/
fir. gin. -ain
drizzle, drizzling rain

#gàidhlig #placebased #sitespecific #gaelic

Taobh Tuath, Na Hearadh

#placebased #gàidhlig #gaelic #nahearadh

dàmhair

-ean, sf Rutting of deer. 2 Rutting-time. 3 The month of October [preceded by the art. an]. 4** Noise. 5(CR) Time — about Inverness & W. of Ross-shire. Mun dàmhair seo an-dé, about this time yesterday; facal an dàmhair, a word in season. 6‡‡ Earnestness, keenness, 7 Rutting riot - Dàin Iain Ghobha. 8 Cry of a deer - R. 84. Bhuail thuca an dàmhair, the noise came suddenly upon them; an dàmhair a’ mheadhan oidhche, in the dead of night. 8 Middle. An dàmhair a’ chuain, in the middle of the ocean.

#gàidhlig #gaelic #gaelicwaysofseeing #placebased

A' chiad latha dhen Dàmhair

1st Oct

#gàidhlig #placebased #sitespecific #gaelic #waysofseeing #sea

bogha-ceò
fir. iol. -chan-ceò
fogbow

#placebased #gaelic #gàidhlig #waysofseeing #sitespecific #scottishart #lèirsinn

reothart muir-tràghad
low springtide

#gàidhlig #placebased #gaelic #waysofseeing #sitespecific #scottishart

Òran an Ròin

Song of the seals

#gàidhlig #placebased #motherartist

Air aodann gréine

A welcome wee burst of sun in the garden

#gàidhlig #placebased #sitespecific #gaelic #waysofseeing #waysofbeing #growyourown #gardening #edibles #cutflowers

Na creagan

So gneiss!

#gàidhlig #sitespecific #placebased #gneiss

streunair /sdreːnɪrʲ/
fir. iol. -ean
strainer, straining post

One each for five islands, Berneray, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay.

I've always had a fascination for fencing. Especially the sentinel strainers who wear the weather. I imagine whose hands have put them in the ground, feeling separated only by time, made visible by weathering and lichens.

I've been fortunate enough to be commissioned by @benbeculadistillery to contribute to a 'table of value', placing five cast lead strainer tops, each one from a different island to show the connections between people and place.

Here's a wee reel from the gathering processes.

#gàidhlig #waysofseeing #placebased #sitespecific #scottishart #sculpture #strainer #hebrides #islands #benbecula #distillery #art #gaelic

Uibhist a Deas agus Uibhist a Tuath

Working sketches looking North and South

Indian ink

For @macmillanspirits Benbecula Distillery and @supertonic

#gàidhlig
#waysofseeing
#uibhist
#senseofplace
#placebased
#visualinterpretation
#sitespecific
#penandink

Cuairt còmhla...

Deer crowning the summit, a stolen lunch break up Oileasail. First day of the new term and this mum needed some green. Pretty blowy up there, pretty wonderful.

#gàidhlig #placebased #motherartist #lunchbreak

Points of view

Blone sweet blown

#gàidhlig #waysofseeing #placebased #sitespecific #scottishart

Seachdain eile seachad

Another week

Uist distillery project live casting/sheep shearing/boat bailing/studio shot/kelp charcoal/smouldered kelp pigment/garden harvests/cold infused nettle water/first tatties/turnip thinnings/cut flowers

I've not got photos to share of the very wet, very windy, grey days, nor the filming, teaching work I've been busy with. My boys are on their summer holidays from school so it's a bit of a muddle/juggle/puddle!!

#gàidhlig #placebased #growyourown #hebridean #sitespecific #islandlife #gaelic #motherartist

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@mairi_nicgilliosa

MAIRI NICGILLIOSA

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Exploring a sense of place