Citadel Bookshop, on Montrose Terrace, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh

Paintings from the ‘Wells of Arthur’s Seat’ series will be on exhibition at the Citadel Bookshop, Edinburgh, from now to mid-August (see map below).

I’m really pleased about this as it’s great to have the paintings viewable ‘in the flesh’ as it were – especially as I’ll be away up north for the whole of July, so they wouldn’t otherwise have been on exhibition.

You can see the paintings online Here

And here’s a map showing the location of the Citadel Bookshop ..

The Citadel is run by poet Alan Spence and his wife Janani and is open 1pm to 5pm Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays). Drop by for a chat (they’re both very friendly!) and enjoy a peruse of their excellent book collection, which includes many rare or unusual poetry editions among an eclectic selection of general literature.

Alan Spence

You’ll likely find several books relating to spirituality, meditation and Zen practice since Alan and Janani ran the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre in Edinburgh a while back. (read an interview with Alan  in the Scottish Review of Books Here )

Alan was named Edinburgh’s Makar in 2018 (Makar is the Scots word for learned poet). His work explores Japanese culture and spirituality, including Zen traditions and Haiku poetry. In recognition of this, Alan was recently awarded the Decoration of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Government of Japan). 

I collaborated with Alan and cellist Atzi Muramatsu on the ‘Wells of Arthur’s Seat’ project these last two months. It was a pleasure to work with Alan for the first time – he and Atzi (with whom I’ve collaborated since 2013) brought much creative sensitivity and invention to the project.

I recommend a watch of the 2-minute video below, which features poetry, cello and painting about a frog in Hunter’s Bog on Arthur’s Seat ..