Martin S. Laird

Artist | film-maker | animator

Tag: acrylic

  • Another Earl Murdered

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    Another Earl Murdered This illustration was created for an Orkney News article about the famed 11th Century Orcadian, Earl Thorfinn the Mighty. Thorfinn’s advisor Thorkell Fosterer murdered rival Earl Einar Wrymouth by stabbing him with a sword and then pushing him into the fireplace after a feast. An Icelandic warrior named Hallvard then pulled him…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    Thorkell Forester, advisor to Thorfinn the Mighty, stabs Earl Einar and throws him into the fire.

  • Northlight Exhibition, now with added tractors

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    Northlight Exhibition, now with added tractors! There are a few days remaining to see some recent work in the windows of Northlight gallery in Stromness. On show are a selection of paintings and drawings on a variety of themes – all inspired by Orcadian history and culture. Plus photographs of tractors. The work includes an…

    Written by

    Martin Laird
    A passing tractor lit up light a Christmas tree. Long exposure photograph with streaks of blue and red.

  • Headhunter (antisyzygy)

    Headhunter (antisyzygy) Headhunter (antisyzygy) is a painting inspired by the extreme survival story of Orcadian Jack Renton, who is sometimes called “The White Headhunter.” Renton was a 19th Century seaman from Stromness who was ‘Shanghai’d’ (abducted) and eventually marooned in the South Seas, drifting for thousands of miles with a few other deserters from the…

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    Martin Laird
    Headhunter (antisyzygy) - a headhunter gazes into water and points a spear threateningly at his own reflection. In the background are dafffodils and trees. Rough impasto acrylic paint texture.

  • Alexander Graham

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    Alexander Graham v. the Royal Burgh of Kirkwall Alexander Graham was a merchant who lived in Stromness, Orkney, in the 18th Century. At the time Stromness was growing from a tiny fishing village to a sizeable town due to its convenient location on the North Atlantic trade routes. This put it in competition with the…

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    Martin Laird
    Alexander Graham protesting unfair tax levied on Stromness, standing behind a wealthy Kirkwall burgher with a protest placard.

  • Lino-cut Starling with stars

    This starling with stars is the first lino-cut I have made for a very long time. It is rough and scrappy and intended to be chaotic. The starling is a very common bird in Orkney, and quite beautiful in its own subtle way. The print was made using a block-printing medium mixed with acrylic paint,…

    Written by

    Martin Laird