The Deveron Valley

A Viewpoint in The Cabrach

The Cabrach holds many memories for many people, both near and far.  For some it is the family connection, the memories of special people in this special place. For others it is the landscape and memories of walking, driving, or cycling through the outstandingly beautiful, picturesque countryside, with rolling, heather laden hills, dramatic skies, and meandering rivers. The Cabrach Community Association commissioned Madeleine Williamson Pires, an artist, to capture this special place perfectly. Her painting centres on the landscape of the ‘The Deveron Valley’.

On a warm summer’s day in August, our community gathered at the Acorn Centre for the unveiling of the painting ‘The Deveron Valley ‘ where Madelaine shared beautiful, vivid insights into the motivation and inspiration she took from her time as a Cabrach local in her childhood.

“What the Cabrach means to me”

By Madeleine Williamson Pires

I lived in Lesmurdie House with my family from December 1990 to April 1996. I consider these my most impressionable years, especially between the ages of 9 and 12. 

The first spring we were here, my mum would find notes I’d written on the kitchen table at 6 o’clock in the morning, saying “gone exploring”.  My favourite thing to do was to roam around the area, finding good trees to climb, wandering through the woods and jumping over streams.  I was so entranced by everything. I made some special hiding places where I brought a book to read or my diary to write in, or a sketchbook. In every season of the year, the powerful presence of nature was so strong, from severe yet enchanting snowfalls to summers that radiated life, sweetness and vibrancy. The landscape in all of its intoxicating beauty, and all of the sounds and smells of wildness and living, growing things….all of this captivated my imagination and woke something up on the inside of me.

A Memory of Summer

There is one memory of a summer evening quite late when I stuck my head outdoors and smelled something different in the air, and the temperature was warmer than usual, yet windy. It was like the wind was calling my name and I had an uncontrollable urge to race out of the door and run into the field, towards the mountains, feeling this warm wind all around me. There was an invisible dance going on, a joyful song that invited me to participate in it, and that moment has never left me.

I started to appreciate art when i lived in the Cabrach, unsurprising given this fascination with just the sheer variation, detail and colour in living things. (I was the sort of child who would admire a pretty leaf and keep it until it dried up!) And this inclination, this act of drawing what I saw and noticed was about recognising beauty, recognising something deeper that runs through all natural and organic things.

My First Watercolour Paint Set

The owner of Lesmurdie before we lived there was also an artist, Jim Barlow, who also gave me my first watercolour paint set. I realise I am just one of many who have found this area inspiring. In 1993 we hosted an art holiday run by our friend, Linda Wheeler, an artist who was a regular visitor. It was here that I did my first paintings and was given so many practical tips on drawing and painting that I remember to this day and am now passing on to others.

This Special Place of Special Memories

I’m sure all of us agree that the land of Scotland carries rare and special qualities. I’ve been fortunate to live in different countries and other parts of the UK, but there is something unique about this part of the world. I’m sure part of it is connected to where our roots are, but you may have noticed the leaves of the trees rustle in a slightly different way in the Cabrach; the rivers flow with their own melody; and the earth and the air seem to resonate in a special way, as if they want to tell us their stories.

From the original canvas there have been 50 limited prints produced  and can be purchased from our website here .

Madeleine also printed 5×7 notecards of the ‘Deveron Valley’ that can also be purchased.