In honour of Perth Concert Hall’s 5th birthday, a carnival took place on Saturday (18th September) as part of the Perth 800 celebrations.

It was sunny when I got off the train and as I made my way to the South Inch more and more people walked alongside me. We were in for a good time. The sound of the drums greeted us and last minute preparations were in full swing. Later I realised that the procession was led by Nana Vasconcelos, the world renowned Brazilian drummer.

As I walked around pleased by all the good vibes and bright colours I started taking photos. Brazilian, Nigerian and Scottish influences were everywhere to be seen.

Than it all started in earnest. The Brazil represntatives began to move and the beat of the drums made everyone dance, sway or walk in the rhythm. Next came the African and Alban processions. The African singing was contagious and before I knew it I was humming along. The familiar sound of bagpipes closed the procession.

Not only a feast for the ears, though. There were colourful costumes to be seen in abundance, expressing the traditions, myths and folklore of each of the three countries represented.

All in all a delightful day: sunny, a great atmosphere and well organised.

Perthshire Open Studios is now in its third year, and as neither of us are actively taking part this year, Genie and I took the opportunity of visiting some of the exhibiting artists.

On Saturday we followed the “orange route” as marked out in the brochure, stopping first at Delvine Studios near Spittalfield where a dozen local sculptors are exhibiting their work. Then we drove down to Clunie Schoolhouse to see sculptures and paintings by Nigel Ross and Claudia Wegner. After two cups of tea and a good blether we were directed to Clunie Village Hall, which can be seen from the Schoolhouse. Here Stanislav F. Muller (Stanly) talked us through some of his experimental paintings and sculptures, and I thoroughly enjoyed the paintings by Bohumira Smolejova.

The sun was out and we were having a great time. One more stop before we called it a day: Easter Logie Studio, where twelve painters meet each week and are currently exhibiting some of their paintings and drawings. Great to have an excuse to visit this beautiful old house (Easter Logie)!

Our first stop on Sunday was to see Richard and Evelyn White, who have converted a double garage in Stanley into an airy workshop/exhibition space. This is their first POS event and their enthusiasm is infectious. Both Richard and Evelyn were happy to explain their work and the processes involved in creating it.

The colourful exhibition in the coffeeshop at Upper Stringland (Capability Scotland, Isla Road, Perth) is well worth a view, and given the recent cuts in funding deserves all the support it can get. Buy some inexpensive art and sign their visitors’ book!

Sarah Honeyman’s stained glass exhibition in Scone was our next stop. For the past 18 years Sarah has been making everything from brooches to church windows. Genie is keen to join Sarah on one of her occasional workshops and I can’t think of anyone more suited to teaching the art of stained glass than Sarah Honeyman.

Our last stop on Sunday was at the Potting Shed Studio near Coupar Angus where Roz Arno-Button is exhibiting her mixed media paintings and Judith McCrorie is showing examples of her work in stained, fused and slumped glass.

I can recommend all of the exhibitions we found time to visit, and hope to see more before the current POS event finishes next Sunday evening. Apart from anything else it’s a great excuse to see more of our beautiful Perthshire countryside. Brochures can be picked up at the Birnam Institute and more information can be found on the Perthshire Open Studios website.

Photography by Genie Dee.

Yesterday I attended the opening of Heartwood 2010. It was a wonderful experience. Walking through the woodland at Monkquell (Brucefield Road, Blairgowrie) I stumbled upon an amazing collection of sculptures and objets d’art. It was great fun wandering around and being surprised by yet another surrealistic object. Actually words can’t describe my experience and neither can the photos, because you still lack the wind on your face, the smell of the pine trees and the interaction with the works exhibited. Enjoy this preview and please go there.

Open from 11th – 19th September. For more information see: www.heartwoodartists.com.

Photography by Genie Dee.