Martin S. Laird

Artist | film-maker | animator

Tag: The Orkney News

  • Portraits for Peace

    Fair Saturday 2025 – Portraits for Peace For the 2025 Fair Saturday event at Northlight gallery in Stromness I will be contributing to a joint exhibition called Portraits For Peace. This event takes place in association with The Orkney News and has received funding from The Arts and Humanities Council via the University of Glasgow.…

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    Martin Laird
    Poster for the 2025 Fair Saturday exhibition at Northlight Gallery in Stromness in association with the Orkney News, Glasgow University and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The poster shows a blank canvas on an easel which has been desaturated and inverted so that the image is largely white. Exhibition runs 1am-pm daily except Sundays and Mondays from 29th November 2025. Featuring work by Carolyn Dixon, Robinson RR, Susy Shearer and Bryce Wilson

  • HMS Pheasant 1917: book available now

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    HMS Pheasant 1917: Who were the lost men and boys? HMS Pheasant 1917: Who were the lost men and boys? by Fiona Grahame is available to order now from all good book sellers. It tells the stories of the crewmen who were lost aboard the Royal Navy M-Class destroyer HMS Pheasant whilst on patrol off…

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    Martin Laird
    HMS Pheasant 1917: Who were the lost men and boys? by Fiona Grahame. Cover shows a photo of Rora Head on Hoy by Martin Laird where HMS Pheasant hit a mine. Superimposed over this is a photo of WIlliam Bowen, one of the men lost.

  • Kindness

    Fair Saturday Scotland 2024: Kindness For Fair Saturday 2024, Northlight gallery, The Orkney News and the Fair Saturday Foundation are once again teaming up to host an open exhibition on the theme of Kindness. All artists whether young or old, professional or amateur, are invited to bring small cards and artwork to the gallery by…

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    Martin Laird
    Poster for the 2024 Fair Saturday Scotland open exhibition running from 28th to 30th November at Northlight gallery in Stromness. Poster shows artwork made from torn paper, courtesy of Orkney Rape and Sexual Assault Service.

  • 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…

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

  • Passing the Standard

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    Passing the Standard Loosely inspired by stories in Norse mythology about the Raven Banner, which brought victory to the army but death to the standard-bearer. A Highlander carrying a saltire is stabbed in the back. A young girl reaches for the banner amid a sea of jeering men. For additional context you may wish to…

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    Martin Laird
    Passing the Standard. A man in highland dress carrying a Saltire flag is stabbed in the back by a masked woman in red. A young girl carrying a small Saltire reaches towards him. They are surrounded by a horde of angry bald men. In the background the Wallace Monument and forest are silhouetted against a burning sky.

  • The Stronsay Limpet

    Orcadian Stories – Bruce Fletcher: The Stronsay Limpet Bruce Fletcher is the editor of The Stronsay Limpet, a newsletter for the people living on the island of Stronsay in Orkney. Bruce was interviewed for Orcadian Stories, as series of short films which were produced by Martin Laird for The Orkney News for Scotland’s Year of…

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    Martin Laird
    Bruce Fletcher, editor of the Stronsay Limpet. A black and white portrait photograph of Bruce pictured in his kitchen, wearing a chequered shirt and glasses with a calm, but serious expression.