Not far from here, on the Tarland road, there's a tiny old stone church perched up on the side of a hill. I've always thought that it looked sad and lonely, with boarded-up windows, but the other day I thought I'd have a closer look at it, because sometimes these old kirks have interesting stone carvings
The old Migvie kirk from the outside
Well, I have NEVER been so startled and amazed as I was when I pushed open the old wooden door. Bright lights flashed on and I found myself standing in a brilliant open space surrounded by beautiful works of art, all with a religious theme. Looking at the works I recognised the names of many local artists and craftsmen. I learned later that the kirk had been restored several years ago by the local laird (the owner of the estate), who arranged for all the works of art to be done by local people
Migvie kirk, inside
I could go on and on about Migvie Kirk and the wonder of finding a place like this in the middle of the barren Highland hills, but that would take pages and pages, so I'll move on to just one of the things that I found inspiring. Among the paintings and carvings, there was this simple little plaque.
The little Migvie plaque
Of course anything with birds on it is going to get my attention, and I liked the simple composition. It didn't take me long to do this version of the same thing. A bit more complicated than the original, perhaps, but it still reminds me of that tiny kirk, suffused by beautiful light and sitting peacefully and silently in the Aberdeenshire hills
The result of inspiration!
It has a peace that we could use now. I wish all blog readers the best possible health, and I hope that you can stay calm and happy among all this stress and disorder
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Your design would fit in the church. Those old churches are so often left to fall apart. How wonderful that one was fixed up.
You are an amazing artist! I love that the desolate-looking building held an overwhelming surprise. The Lord is with us. Peace and health be with you forever and ever…
How peaceful these beautiful birds look, inspiring us all to stay calm, and think of our fellow neighbours whom are not so well.
What a lovely post, so perfect for this time in our lives. My best to you and yours that you all make it safely through these trying times.
Thank you for this post.
That’s wonderful that you were surprised by beauty and love in restoration when you investigated!
And your work inspired by it is beautiful, too. I love the movement in the lines of the birds and I love the colors you chose.
The painted fabric really gives it a light and presence.
Wonderful!!!
What a lovely post for this challenging time.
Thank you and best health for you and yours.
Liz
Thanks for sharing this…we go by one very similar in VA on our way to see our son, but one day we got to the motel (half way) and went there and first explored the graveyard. It was so sad, we were both crying for the people in that community as something bad hit their town as too many young ones had died…Years from now our ancestors will experience the same thing in our graveyards after this global disaster. Love your birds!