📷 Photo by Somhairle MacDonald
My new album and most recent exhibition at An Talla Solais in Ullapool.
Interestingly, the previous blog I wrote for the Traditional Music Forum in 2020, also had a timing theme. (A flashback to the sudden luxury of time that Covid restrictions afforded us and how that inevitably led to slowing down.) So, it seems I have been interested in the concept of time for a number of years now. The result of all this contemplation is my new album Tìm, and my latest painting exhibition at An Talla Solais art gallery in Ullapool.
Time is a precious commodity in today’s society and, sadly, all too often we hear of folk never having enough time for the things they love. I am happiest and most relaxed when time feels slow and there is no rush. Writing music and painting often transports me to that mindful state. They are a form of meditation for me and I feel so fortunate to have this in my life to bring me to the here and now, being present and in the moment. I wanted this exhibition and album to invite people to do the same, to encourage them to pause, look and listen, bringing them into that exact moment in time.
When I think of time I think of history, of aging, of rusting, ruins, weathered objects, of place, of rocks, of maps, of time passing, of weather, of the people I most want to spend it with, and of the things that matter the most.
In preparation for the show, I spent a lot of time at Badentarbet, in my native Coigach, painting en plein air. It is one of my favourite places to be and there is so much ancestral history there, most notably my Great Great Grandmother, Anna Bhàn, was from there (named in one of the few successful Highland Clearance stories of a resistance led by women. Please do check out the album, Anna Bhàn, that I made in collaboration with my cousin, Rachel Newton, which was released in 2024.)
The rusted buoys, anchors and boats on the shore at Badentarbet are objects that have witnessed times gone by, providing a link from the past to the present and they are such a visual feast for a painter. There is a rusted sense of colour and texture in the resulting finished work, and a depth of mark-making that invites a slow study. Another nearby location, the NatureScot site of Knockan Crag has also been a special place to literally see time, through the geology of the rocks. Maybe this album will be a big hit amongst geologists!
In essence, my work is a visceral response to each moment in time, turning up every day, enjoying the process of creative interpretation, the stillness versus the movement, appreciating the small, the slow changes in landscape tones, and the ever-shifting skylines. I used a variety of media for the work, mostly mixed media and acrylics, some watercolour and some pencil drawings. Sadly, the exhibition is now finished but if you would like to see more of my artwork, please do get in touch to visit my studio in Ullapool. (See contact details below.)
The music I have written is gentle and meditative. We know that music is a marker of time, and my immediate inspiration has tended to be appreciative of a specific place and a singular occasion. For example, the song about sitting at Old Dornie watching the boats takes you there for that moment (see lyrics below) or, as in another composition, the quiet watching of the incremental weather changes in Ullapool from my kitchen window.
Significant inspiration to this theme has been Ceòl Mòr (known as Piobaireachd, meaning, ‘big music’ in the tradition of the Highland bagpipe), the variations inherent in its structure being both meditative and grounding. It sounds as old as it sounds contemporary, and it relates as much to this moment as to the past through the use of low-fi recording techniques and timeless instruments such as the small pipes.
I recorded the album at Gloworm Recording Studios in Glasgow with Iain Hutcheson. We have worked together on many previous album projects so we have a good understanding and similar approach to recording. Just as well, as we only had six days to record the music! It was a tricky balance, working on the visual art and the music at the same time. Thankfully I had written all the songs and was pretty organised, but moving back and fore between the two disciplines did push my capabilities to the absolute max!
The music played alongside the visual art in the gallery space throughout the show, and it was a special treat to perform the music live with Mike Vass in the gallery to celebrate the launch of the album. We are going on tour this August, so please do come and see us! (Ticket links below.)
The exhibition extended into new audiences, by way of me giving a couple of artist talks at the gallery and through me delivering some school workshops. I found preparation for the artist talk really interesting: it made me consider the mechanics of the process in so much depth. I started with the composition side to immerse myself in the theme of time and followed it with an artist residency at the Salmon Bothy at Badentarbet in September 2025. I find that getting away from home and escaping everyday interruptions to thought is really necessary to create headspace for a project.
Text became an important part of the work, with some of the song lyrics ending up on the album and printed on the gallery walls.
Old Dornie
Down to Old Dornie
Where the little boats shine
All out of time
Strung on a line
They are anchored together
Like pearls on a string
And no-one’s in sight x2
All flotsam and jetsam
Of what’s left behind
A magpie’s delight x2
My feet walk off starboard
Westerly homewards
Down the flag iris shore x2
Down to Old Dornie
Where the little boats shine
All out of time x3
Lyrics by Jan Kilpatrick
I Swallowed The Sky
I swallowed the sky
It didn’t even try to stop me
I coughed up the clouds
They laughed out loud
To warn me
I can taste the hot sun
It’s that strong one
To save me
I’ll breathe through the wind
It’ll brush against my skin
To show me
I’ll put the sea on my plate
It’s not too late
To fill me
I’ll never be full of this land.
Thankfully there are still folk who enjoy having an object to treasure and so who buy a physical album. I certainly am one of those people and so I was keen to print the song lyrics in the CD booklet to enhance that experience that goes beyond the digital. You can order the CD from my bandcamp page or my website here mairearadgreen.co.uk.
If you are also someone who would prefer to see my artwork in real life and would like to visit my studio in Ullapool, please do get in touch at [email protected].
And now to the live show – another ‘in person’ experience that is good for the soul! As I mentioned, I will be on tour with Mike Vass in August and below is a list of where we will be, with a link to buy tickets.
This project has been so wonderful. Creating work for the exhibition and the album has been mind expanding and incredible learning experience. Making work on this scale has only been possible with support from Creative Scotland. Thank you very much to them and to everyone who has bought my work along the way.
Thank you for taking the interest to read this, and for supporting my art and music. I hope to see you either at my studio or at a live show in August.
‘The older I get the more I appreciate time and have a much clearer idea of how art and music never can be a waste of my time.’
Thanks so much,
Mairearad x
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AUGUST TOUR
01 August 2026 – 7.30pm, The Tolbooth, Stirling
06 August 2026 – 8pm, The Barn, Banchory
07 August 2026 – 7.30pm, The Glad Cafe, Glasgow
28 August 2026 – 7.30pm, Seall Events, Minginish Community Hall, Skye.
29 August 2026 – 7.30pm, Coigach Community Hall, Coigach
Website: mairearadgreen.co.uk
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mairearad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mairearad/
Bandcamp: https://mairearadgreen.bandcamp.com
