The artists exhibiting in Progressions, the next exhibition at Shetland Arts’ Bonhoga Gallery (7 May – 19 June 2011), are the five winners from the 2010 Shetland Open Portrait Awards.

Young Writers is a hands-on course of advice, mentoring and practical workshops running throughout Scotland in 2011 for young people aged 15 – 25. Closing date to apply is Monday 16th May 2011.

Lau return to the Stables in Cromarty on Sunday May 15th at 7.30pm.

Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney, until 29 May 2011.

The Ceangal project which will bring 10 international visual artists to the NW Highlands in September 2012 to create a variety of art works and interact with the artistic and local communities

LeisureFayre, Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall, Orkney. 29 April, 2011.

Ealain A-Muigh Workshops: A series of outdoor art workshops, taught through the medium of Gaelic with professional artists (Julie Brook & Kath MacLeod). All welcome, regardless of Gaelic skills. Under 8’s must be accompanied by older siblings/adults.

Over the past year HI~Arts (the arts development agency for the Highlands and Islands) has been working with a number of outstanding songwriters, to promote their unique craft and record some of their original material. An industry sampler CD, the MIDAS Highland Songwriters Showcase, has just been completed and features twelve tracks from some of the most talented individuals in the Scottish Highlands. To mark the end of the project and the completion of the recording sessions, HI~Arts is hosting a third Songwriters Showcase gig at the Ironworks Room 2 on Sunday May 15th, with a line-up of some of the artists featured on the CD.

Ok, so stupidly this will be a photoless blog entry. I got so carried away with the moving pictures I completely forgot to get any not moving ones. Lesson officially learned. Although this is very much in keeping with the rest of the entry as it was a day of learning lessons all round. For example, […]

My third visit was to Caroline Dear, in Fangan which is a wee collection of houses a few miles on the other side of Portree if you come from the direction I did. The run to Skye from Fort William was as beautiful as my drive to Caithness and reminded me again that there is […]