HELLO FROM THE EDITOR / WINTER 2024

COVER IMAGE: Mark Hearld photographed at Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios. Alun Callender.

Welcome

When it comes to writings on winter many can be, frankly, a little melancholy. Less magical mists, more wailing winds. Why not turn instead to words from the great American nature writer Hal Borland (1900–78). Winter, he claimed, ‘is also a wider horizon more clearly seen’. We see further when out on the land. And, venturing indoors, we know winter at The Arts Society is rich for broadening horizons and discovering more about the arts through events, talks and gatherings. This issue will also lead you to eye-opening happenings in the wider arts world. Our planning has focused on colour, an antidote to darker days. Our interview is with Mark Hearld, creator of some of the most vibrant works imaginable. You can never predict how an interview might go, and writer Grant Gibson’s with Hearld had an unpredictable, albeit charming backdrop. Turn to page 14 to find out more.

We also go to unexpected places, travelling underground with Arts Society Lecturer Dr Robert McManners, who leads us to the raw, illuminating art that came from those who worked the coal mines. In contrast we head to the light of Italy, with Arts Society Lecturer Dr Paul Roberts, to discover just how Rome became a city of legends. Another of our experts, Kirsty Hartsiotis, explores a midwinter tradition: that of the winter’s tale. The stories conjured are haunting and mystical; they remind me of the dreamlike works of Evelyn De Morgan (1855–1919). See them this winter in a reimagining of her original 1907 exhibition at the site it was staged at then: Wolverhampton Art Gallery. That first show was remarkable: it was so rare for a female artist at that time to have a solo show. For more outstanding events see our ‘What’s on’ pages inside. They promise an unrivalled season for the arts.

Sue Herdman, Editor

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