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I’m delighted to be co-facilitating this session with designer, illustrator and wildlife artist Ed Harrison. Join us on March 18th to craft, create, and connect with each other and with the theme of hope. Be part of this guided craft and writing session, share with others on the day and with Helderberg Hospice, South Africa through our exciting collaborative project.

Free to attend but registration is required, email: arts@stcolumbashospice.org.uk

#PalliativeArts
#StColumbasArts #ArtsTherapies #Dramatherapy #WildWingsofHope @edharrison

I’m delighted to be co-facilitating this session with designer, illustrator and wildlife artist Ed Harrison. Join us on March 18th to craft, create, and connect with each other and with the theme of hope. Be part of this guided craft and writing session, share with others on the day and with Helderberg Hospice, South Africa through our exciting collaborative project.

Free to attend but registration is required, email: arts@stcolumbashospice.org.uk

#PalliativeArts
#StColumbasArts #ArtsTherapies #Dramatherapy #WildWingsofHope @edharrison

HOPE & CONNECTION. Two things the world urgently needs right now 🕊️

Join us for this free Wild Wings of Hope workshop, where we’ll craft flocks of paper barn swallows with artist @edharrison and interweave African rhythms and stories with master folklorist Chief Gift Amu—inspired by the hope and resilience of migratory birds across borders.

• St Columba’s Hospice | The Fidra Room
• Tues 27 Jan | 11–12.30pm
• No experience needed
• DM @edharrison or @st.columbas.hospice for bookings, or email arts@stcolumbashospice.org.uk

In partnership with @st.columbas.hospice & @nationalmuseumsscotland
Supported by @creativescots and @fedrigoni_uk

🎥 Film: @maxdlsmith @lukeripley_ @the6th.studio
🎶 Music: @kerim_kalyon

#WildWingsOfHope
#EdinburghWorkshops
#CreativeWellbeing
#ArtForWellbeing
#CommunityConnection

“It’s at times like these that we need art more than ever.” 🎨💫⁠
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Wild Wings of Hope celebrates the swallows and swifts that migrate between the UK and Africa every year — and reminds us that hope takes flight when people come together. 🕊️⁠
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Led by artist @edharrison , and joined by storytellers Chief Gift Amu and Cara Silversmith, this project uses art and storytelling to connect communities with nature and each other. 🌍❤️⁠
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Support this brilliant project at our link in bio, or just comment "Support" and we'll send you the link!

Many thanks to:
@creativescots
@carasilversmith
@the6th.studio
maxdlsmith

Prototyping barn swallows in the studio. Captured beautifully by @alexsedgmond. These birds hold a special place in my heart, and will forever remind me of home.

Huge thanks to everyone who has donated to the Crowdfunder (link in bio), @creativescots for supporting this project, and @fedrigoni_uk for donating the beautiful paper to help bring these pieces to life 🕊️

Prototyping barn swallows in the studio. Captured beautifully by @alexsedgmond. These birds hold a special place in my heart, and will forever remind me of home.

Huge thanks to everyone who has donated to the Crowdfunder (link in bio), @creativescots for supporting this project, and @fedrigoni_uk for donating the beautiful paper to help bring these pieces to life 🕊️

Prototyping barn swallows in the studio. Captured beautifully by @alexsedgmond. These birds hold a special place in my heart, and will forever remind me of home.

Huge thanks to everyone who has donated to the Crowdfunder (link in bio), @creativescots for supporting this project, and @fedrigoni_uk for donating the beautiful paper to help bring these pieces to life 🕊️

Prototyping barn swallows in the studio. Captured beautifully by @alexsedgmond. These birds hold a special place in my heart, and will forever remind me of home.

Huge thanks to everyone who has donated to the Crowdfunder (link in bio), @creativescots for supporting this project, and @fedrigoni_uk for donating the beautiful paper to help bring these pieces to life 🕊️

Prototyping barn swallows in the studio. Captured beautifully by @alexsedgmond. These birds hold a special place in my heart, and will forever remind me of home.

Huge thanks to everyone who has donated to the Crowdfunder (link in bio), @creativescots for supporting this project, and @fedrigoni_uk for donating the beautiful paper to help bring these pieces to life 🕊️

This month Wild Wings of Hope launched at @nationalmuseumsscotland as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival and Black History Month. Here’s a snippet from behind the scenes in the run up to the event, which brought together papercut crafts, wildlife conservation, and storytelling to celebrate the awe-inspiring migration of barn swallows, swifts and winged insects between the UK and Africa each year. It’s been truly inspiring to have the opportunity to collaborate with Gift Amu and @onenaturestories, conservationists at @rspb.scotland and @bc_scotland, and of course the ever inspiring entomologist @ash_whiffin and the whole team at @nationalmuseumsscotland. Huge thanks to the support of @creativescots @fedrigoni_uk @tracscotland and all the collaborators on the film @maxdlsmith @lukeripley_ @kerim_kalyon @the6th.studio and of course @alexsedgmond for his photography wizardry and @james.f.harrison for his screenprinting skillz. Follow the link in my bio to donate to our Crowdfunder and stay tuned for more 🙏 #wildwingsofhope

After a bit of radio silence on here, I’m excited to share that behind the scenes I’ve been carving a new direction for my practice — one rooted in tactile craft, nature-based storytelling, and cross-continental collaboration.

I’ve been quietly working away in the studio, laying the foundations for Wild Wings of Hope — a project close to my heart that finally feels like it’s beginning to take flight thanks to the generous support of @fedrigoni_uk @nationalmuseumsscotland @tracscotland @nationallotterygoodcauses & @creativescots

More coming soon 💙✌️

🎥 by @maxdlsmith 🎶 by @hanread

#wildwingsofhope #naturebasedart #papercutart #rewildingthroughart #creativecollaboration #fedrigonipaper #scottishnature

Spring is officially here. The barn swallows have settled into their homes across the UK. Here is a sketch of one my favourite migratory birds.
📸 by @alexsedgmond

Weaving hazel with @alexsedgmond’s wee lad at the beginning of last years growing season 🌱 It was such a joy to take him through the process, starting with crafting the teepee infrastructure before moving onto the seed planting. I’ll be sharing some more of of Sedge’s beaut photos he took, capturing the whole story in his raw, authentic style. Legend 🙏

Swallow eggs, collected with my mum @janeharrisonart over the years. Happy Easter everyone! 🐣
Photo by @alexsedgmond

Today, wherever we look, we’re confronted with a growing number of urgent issues. Trump’s decision to open marine protected areas to commercial fishing is yet another blow—one more assault on fragile ecosystems already under threat across the globe. It reflects a continued prioritisation of extraction and profit over the urgent need to live in harmony with nature, and to nurture a planet that can sustain all forms of life.

In many ways, it feels as though the world is moving backward. Yet to keep hope and beauty alive, we must continue to act, to speak out against injustice, and to remember that the shortsighted, misguided decisions of certain world leaders and billionaires do not represent the will of most people. I truly believe that the majority of humans want to live well—lives that are in balance with one another and with the natural world.

Artwork created for @wwf @rspb and @mcs_uk in their campaign to eliminate bycatch and overfishing.

Cuttin shapes in the studio 🕺 Big thanks to @fedrigoni_uk for the beautiful paper samples and @alexsedgmond for his photography (and beautiful beard) 📷

The journey of a moth in papercut metamorphosis—from cocoon to caterpillar to moth. With @savebutterflies using @fedrigoni_uk paper.
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Photography by @alexsedgmond