Orchids are very definitely shining stars in the plant world and Scone Palace is home to the collection of the Earl of Mansfield, the largest private collection of orchids in the UK, part of which forms the centrepiece for what is now a regular celebration of these gorgeous blooms. Helen Brown talked to palace administrator Elspeth Bruce and to artist Clare Robinson.
The annual orchid festival at Scone Palace has become a popular date for lovers of these stunning yet somehow mysterious plants.
Alongside a selection from the Earl of Mansfield’s own private collection, there will be a wide range of spectacular flowers on show from some of the country’s most prestigious nurseries and suppliers.
Scone orchids will be arranged around the palace’s state rooms for visitors to appreciate and they do, according to Elspeth Bruce.
“This is the fifth year of the festival and it certainly is one of our busiest weekends of the years, with around 1000 visitors each day.
“They tend to be a mix of people who know about and appreciate these lovely plants and those who are just intrigued and interested to see this wonderful collection in this particular setting.
“The orchid houses aren’t open to the public but the displays can be seen in locations throughout the public areas of the main building.
“There are thousands of plants in the collection and for this event, we have tried to choose and showcase those in the peak of condition at the moment. I think everyone has a favourite colour, some of which are so vibrant and vivid, but if you take the time to study each one in detail, they are so fascinating.
“People find them strange and compelling, I think, as well as amazingly beautiful.”
The “in-house” collection will be complemented by contributions from some of the country’s most distinguished growers, many of whom exhibit regularly at such events as the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows. There will be traditional, well-known varieties and also some of the newest and most exotic hybrids from producers such as Burnham Nurseries, David Stead, Peter White and Plested Orchids.
Over the years, displays and events at the festival have also branched out to include all kinds of presentations, this year including food tastings (from The Organic Blending Company from Glasgow) and a barbeque to music and the visual arts.
The Freewheeling Textile Art exhibition will show 10 works, created specially over the past two years, inspired by the orchids and their palace setting.
Elspeth commented, “I saw their work at an event featuring snowdrops which I thought was wonderful, so it seemed like a good idea to see if they would be interested in tackling another kind of flower. The work is so intricate and beautiful, it really does them justice.”
The festival takes place from 9.30am until 5pm on August 7 and 8, with tickets, costing £9 for adults, £7.90 concessions, £6 for children and £26 for a family, also give entry to the grounds and the palace state rooms. There are discounted rates for members of the Royal Horticultural Society and the British Orchid Society.Fancy FreeRunning alongside the annual event is an exhibition of paintings by Scone Palace’s artist-in-residence, Clare Robinson, inspired by Lord Mansfield’s personal collection.
Under the title Fancy Free, it shows a selection of some of the most beautiful, highlighting the colour and vibrancy of these uniquely fascinating plants and flowers.
A textile designer and artist by training, Clare has been working on the show since her appointment earlier this year and has created many of the images in a studio at Scone Palace.
She explained, “I actually came to the Orchid Festival as a visitor last year and noticed how lovely the collection was, how many there were and how individually they were so striking and beautiful.
“At college [Clare went to Loughborough College of Art and Design], I specialised in textile design then print and because it was quite an experimental course, my work developed on quite a large scale. But I’ve always loved flowers I try to grow my own and I’m always looking at other people’s gardens!
“When I saw the orchids here, I wrote direct to Lord Mansfield to ask if I could paint them, came along and showed my portfolio and there you are. The idea was always to aim for an exhibition to match up with the annual show but there are also days when I’m working here that the public can see me painting in the Palace.”
HeartA native of Cheshire, Clare has lived in the Perthshire village of Braco for two years now, after five years in Edinburgh while working as a designer for Scottish outerwear firm Mackintosh. She is still involved in the commercial world, with commissions from companies that translate her images into homewear and fabrics “I enjoy it because you see the end product, the design you’ve created on a teapot or a cushion in a shop” but at the moment, her artistic heart is very much with the Scone orchids.
“There are a huge number of beautiful plants in the collection but working over the past few months, I’ve gone with the ones that are flowering now. They’re all at different stages some don’t flower for a couple of years but there are some rare and special ones that are really amazing.
“They’re so beautiful, the shapes and colour are wonderful. It’s hard to image where else a painter interested in flowers would find this level of source material and have such lengthy access to them.
“There are about 16 large-scale works going into the show but I feel as if I’m just starting. There’s so much I want to do and I’m certainly keen that it should an ongoing process. It would be wonderful to document in paintings not only the orchid collection but the beautiful gardens, the grounds and the wild areas.”
Working on the large scale gives Clare the chance to give a looser, more expressive style to her subjects, combining a strong sense of composition with vibrant, exciting use of colour.Expression”That’s the ideal way to express orchids, I hope. I used to work in very fine, almost botanical detail and for some things I still do but for a project like this, I think you need to go beyond that and really capture what they are about.
“It’s also partly to do with my textile training I’ve always looked at how an image would translate to a piece of fabric, with all its different potential shapes and flowing qualities. I’ve done quite a bit of work for Liberty (the fashion and fabrics company) recently and they have used some of my florals, including roses from my own garden, as print patterns on cotton and voile which will be available on their ranges next year. I think orchids from Scone would be a great addition to that and it’s something I’d love to do.”
Clare’s paintings will be for sale and her images are also being used for prints and cards for sale at the palace. She also has a secret ambition to catalogue the blossoming beauties of the place in book form.
“I think visitors would love that, it would make a great coffee table book! I think it’s just amazing to be able to paint unusual flowers like this and for the project to have so much potential,” she said.
“Living in Perthshire, there are so many beautiful and historic homes in the area and it would be fascinating to document some of their gardens and plants, too. There’s inspiration everywhere here!”
Fancy Free is open to view on Friday, August 6 and on Saturday and Sunday (August 7 and 8) in the King’s Corridor as part of the Orchid Festival. There will also be a chance to view The Freewheeling Textile Art exhibition in the Lennox Room, featuring hand-crafted quilted art, using images of orchids and Scone Palace.
Clare Robinson will also be taking part in Perthshire Open Studios from September 11-19 this year at her studio in Braco.HeartA native of Cheshire, Clare has lived in the Perthshire village of Braco for two years now, after five years in Edinburgh while working as a designer for Scottish outerwear firm Mackintosh. She is still involved in the commercial world, with commissions from companies that translate her images into homewear and fabrics “I enjoy it because you see the end product, the design you’ve created on a teapot or a cushion in a shop” but at the moment, her artistic heart is very much with the Scone orchids.
“There are a huge number of beautiful plants in the collection but working over the past few months, I’ve gone with the ones that are flowering now. They’re all at different stages some don’t flower for a couple of years but there are some rare and special ones that are really amazing.
“They’re so beautiful, the shapes and colour are wonderful. It’s hard to image where else a painter interested in flowers would find this level of source material and have such lengthy access to them.
“There are about 16 large-scale works going into the show but I feel as if I’m just starting. There’s so much I want to do and I’m certainly keen that it should an ongoing process. It would be wonderful to document in paintings not only the orchid collection but the beautiful gardens, the grounds and the wild areas.”
Working on the large scale gives Clare the chance to give a looser, more expressive style to her subjects, combining a strong sense of composition with vibrant, exciting use of colour.Expression”That’s the ideal way to express orchids, I hope. I used to work in very fine, almost botanical detail and for some things I still do but for a project like this, I think you need to go beyond that and really capture what they are about.
“It’s also partly to do with my textile training I’ve always looked at how an image would translate to a piece of fabric, with all its different potential shapes and flowing qualities. I’ve done quite a bit of work for Liberty (the fashion and fabrics company) recently and they have used some of my florals, including roses from my own garden, as print patterns on cotton and voile which will be available on their ranges next year. I think orchids from Scone would be a great addition to that and it’s something I’d love to do.”
Clare’s paintings will be for sale and her images are also being used for prints and cards for sale at the palace. She also has a secret ambition to catalogue the blossoming beauties of the place in book form.
“I think visitors would love that, it would make a great coffee table book! I think it’s just amazing to be able to paint unusual flowers like this and for the project to have so much potential,” she said.
“Living in Perthshire, there are so many beautiful and historic homes in the area and it would be fascinating to document some of their gardens and plants, too. There’s inspiration everywhere here!”
Fancy Free is open to view on Friday, August 6 and on Saturday and Sunday (August 7 and 8) in the King’s Corridor as part of the Orchid Festival. There will also be a chance to view The Freewheeling Textile Art exhibition in the Lennox Room, featuring hand-crafted quilted art, using images of orchids and Scone Palace.
Clare Robinson will also be taking part in Perthshire Open Studios from September 11-19 this year at her studio in Braco.HeartA native of Cheshire, Clare has lived in the Perthshire village of Braco for two years now, after five years in Edinburgh while working as a designer for Scottish outerwear firm Mackintosh. She is still involved in the commercial world, with commissions from companies that translate her images into homewear and fabrics “I enjoy it because you see the end product, the design you’ve created on a teapot or a cushion in a shop” but at the moment, her artistic heart is very much with the Scone orchids.
“There are a huge number of beautiful plants in the collection but working over the past few months, I’ve gone with the ones that are flowering now. They’re all at different stages some don’t flower for a couple of years but there are some rare and special ones that are really amazing.
“They’re so beautiful, the shapes and colour are wonderful. It’s hard to image where else a painter interested in flowers would find this level of source material and have such lengthy access to them.
“There are about 16 large-scale works going into the show but I feel as if I’m just starting. There’s so much I want to do and I’m certainly keen that it should an ongoing process. It would be wonderful to document in paintings not only the orchid collection but the beautiful gardens, the grounds and the wild areas.”
Working on the large scale gives Clare the chance to give a looser, more expressive style to her subjects, combining a strong sense of composition with vibrant, exciting use of colour.Expression”That’s the ideal way to express orchids, I hope. I used to work in very fine, almost botanical detail and for some things I still do but for a project like this, I think you need to go beyond that and really capture what they are about.
“It’s also partly to do with my textile training I’ve always looked at how an image would translate to a piece of fabric, with all its different potential shapes and flowing qualities. I’ve done quite a bit of work for Liberty (the fashion and fabrics company) recently and they have used some of my florals, including roses from my own garden, as print patterns on cotton and voile which will be available on their ranges next year. I think orchids from Scone would be a great addition to that and it’s something I’d love to do.”
Clare’s paintings will be for sale and her images are also being used for prints and cards for sale at the palace. She also has a secret ambition to catalogue the blossoming beauties of the place in book form.
“I think visitors would love that, it would make a great coffee table book! I think it’s just amazing to be able to paint unusual flowers like this and for the project to have so much potential,” she said.
“Living in Perthshire, there are so many beautiful and historic homes in the area and it would be fascinating to document some of their gardens and plants, too. There’s inspiration everywhere here!”
Fancy Free is open to view on Friday, August 6 and on Saturday and Sunday (August 7 and 8) in the King’s Corridor as part of the Orchid Festival. There will also be a chance to view The Freewheeling Textile Art exhibition in the Lennox Room, featuring hand-crafted quilted art, using images of orchids and Scone Palace.
Clare Robinson will also be taking part in Perthshire Open Studios from September 11-19 this year at her studio in Braco.