Gathering the full picture of Flodden
Published 24 Feb 2013 09:30
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TALES from Flodden are being gathered ahead of the 500th anniversary of the bloody battle.
A series of new paintings planned to commemorate the anniversary of one of the great clashes of the Scottish and English borderlands.
Well-known Scottish historical artist Iona Leishman is now appealing for help to uncover traditions and stories surrounding the battle.
Iona became interested in the battle and its legacy during her time as Stirling Castle's first ever artist in residence in 2011. And she hopes to spread the net wider to catch an even greater picture of Flodden, which cost 10,000 Scots lives in 1513.
Iona said: "With this year being the 500th anniversary of the battle I want to create some new paintings to help give a sense of the scale of the tragedy and the shadow it cast over Scotland and the borderlands.
"I have heard a number of tales about the battle which are really intriguing and would very much like to discover more - if people could help me by telling me the stories and traditions which they know about it would be an enormous help for my work."
Iona has painted a series of images which throw a fresh light on great and famous people, places and events of the past. These include striking paintings of Edinburgh Castle, Linlithgow Palace and of the infant Mary Queen of Scots.
On February 23 and 24 Iona will be running a special course where people can join her for the rare opportunity to spend a weekend painting and drawing in the castle - taking in the palace built by James V and the King's Old Building, constructed by James IV in the 1490s.
And later this year she intends to spend time in the Borders to find out more about Flodden and how it is remembered today. If anyone has stories or information about Flodden they can contact Iona by email at iona@ionaleishman.co.uk.
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