Kirkcudbright: Artists’ Town

That may be a little sudden in its delivery, but equally bold are the Dumfriesshire town’s twin visual signatures of bright building facades and its frequently exhibited colony of artistic talent.

So anyone with pretentions towards deeper cultural understanding will surely have the town on their must-visit list.

Kirkcudbright has for decades been a magnet for painters and artists. Only comparatively recently has it adopted the civic sobriquet of Artists’ Town.

The theme emerged after 2000 when an exhibition, entitled The Homecoming, was held in Kirkcudbright Town Hall to celebrate the renowned Kirkcudbright School of painters.

Between 1880 and 1980 the town attracted many of the country’s leading artists including the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists. Their presence established Kirkcudbright as one of only a handful of artists’ colonies in the UK.

Contemporary creative Ian Cameron-Smith, of the eponymous Cameron-Smith Designs, feels that the artistic identity of Kirkcudbright is now performing as a useful trade mark. 

“There is a great deal of civic pride,” says the artist, originally from Glasgow but resident in the locale for 35 years.

“Cameron-Smith Designs is a business that my wife and I run together. I’m an interior designer, artist and furniture maker; you have to be versatile to make a living. My wife is a print maker. 

“The main benefit of being here is the natural exposure that you get by being involved in the arts and crafts community here. That in itself is an asset. Kirkcudbright is recognised as an artists’ colony, with exhibition opportunities. There is a huge chance to display our work on a regular basis throughout the year – it’s great.”

The renewed focus on the arts has also attracted some larger scale investment from outside. He adds: “The town has managed to get £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  That’s being spent on the Town Hall, which is in a sorry state, and will be made into a permanent gallery over the next two years that will be stunning once it’s finished.

“It will be showing 300 paintings that are in storage at the moment.”  Works by the town’s most famous son, EA Hornel, are also currently on view at the National Trust for Scotland’s Broughton House and throughout the town there are several galleries, ranging from the High St. Gallery, Harbour Cottage and the Whitehouse – which exhibit and sell fine art, antiques and jewellery to locals and visitors alike – to the virtual Kirkcudbright Gallery, which is run entirely online.

It is not just the artists that approve of the theme. Chris Walker, of the Selkirk Arms Hotel – where in 1794, Robert Burns penned The Selkirk Grace – believes the artistic links do benefit the wider hospitality sector. The bigger issue, however, is getting visitors to the town in the first place. “I think over the years it has been known as Scotland’s best-kept secret, and many a politician has scratched their head and wondered how you get people to turn left at Gretna,” Walker suggests, referring in particular to travellers from England. 

“Our captive audience tends to be Yorkshire and Lancashire. Likewise, people from Edinburgh and Glasgow know the coastline.

“Those who have found us have become regulars. That’s our key.”

There is appeal for family holidays but Walker has noted particular interest from city residents with disposable income from either end of the working life scale – attracted by sporting opportunities and a chance to add to a modest domestic art collection.

“City dwellers have invested in mountain bikes and road bikes,” he says. “It is seasonal in its socio-economic make-up. As a hotel, when the schools go back we do tend to get the retired market coming in. The days of week and fortnight breaks have gone. Young professionals now like little and often – short breaks, perhaps three days, but several in a year.”