Art History Weekend

Friday 6th March -Sunday 8th 2026

BIRDS IN ART with Amanda Herries

For his final art appreciation weekend Jeremy Carlisle decided to focus on animals in art. He was right to do so – they are a source of endless fascination to artists.

For my first, I thought it would be fun to continue that approach and talk about birds in art. My talks take place in an informal setting and I welcome questions and discussion.

Birds appear worldwide in art from prehistoric aboriginal cave paintings of huge birds prized as a source of food to the divine messengers of the Maya, to mythological Egyptian and Classical contexts, and through Christian religious symbolism to wonderful asymmetric and isometric Chinese and Japanese depictions or the infamous optical distorting and morphing flocks of birds created by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher nearly 100 years ago. Sometimes they are ornithologically perfect, very often they are fantastical and bizarre.
Sometimes, like the legendary phoenix, they reappear and reoccur through different cultures, worldwide, through the millenia.

I can’t possibly do more than give you a taster in a short weekend… but I hope I will give you some signposts to send you off art twitching on your own explorations.

Arrive Friday - check in from 2pm

Meet your host for the weekend Amanda Herries at a drinks and canapés reception in the Burns room at 6pm before your first talk and dinner and a chance to meet your fellow residents attending the Art Appreciation weekend.

First talk 6.30 and your introduction to the weekend

A 2 course dinner with tea or coffee will be served at 7.30pm

Saturday

Breakfast served from 07.15 to 09.15

First talk of the day 10am - 11am - a break for coffee and then 11.30 - 12.45 before a soup and sandwich lunch

The afternoon is free to explore Kirkcudbright and the many wonderful galleries

Pre dinner drinks and canapés at 6pm, 6.30 talk before a 2 course dinner at 7.30pm

Sunday

Breakfast served from 08.00 - 09.30

First talk of the day will start at 10am with the same format as Saturday and finishing with a soup and sandwich lunch.

Price inclusive of dinner, bed, breakfast, pre dinner drinks, talks and soup and sandwich lunches £299 Per person based on 2 people sharing a twin or double room £450pp single room / occupancy