Artists in Residence

Iwan and Manuela Wirth invited a handful of artists to take up residencies in Braemar with the intention of creating work inspired by their time in the village, particularly focusing on the community, nature and landscape. Discover more below.

James Prosek

James Prosek is an American artist, writer and naturalist. He spent a number of weeks in Braemar spending time up on the hills and researching the local flora and fauna. He created the Flying Stag which is the motif of Fife Arms’ Coat of Arms and the name of the public bar. James says, ‘As a hybrid creature the flying stag is a manifestation of the hybrid ethos. The hybrid flying stag marries the high alpine habitats and the lower pine valley ecosystem though the union of the ptarmigan (a creature that lives on the highest peaks of the Cairngorms) and the stag (of the forested Dee Valley). Ultimately, the health of one depends on the health of the other—all is interconnected.’

Gideon Summerfield

A graduate from The Royal Drawing School in London, Gideon was invited to complete a series of drawings of local people living in Braemar. Titled ‘Characters of Braemar’; a selection of these sketches are hung in The Flying Stag alongside black and white photographsof Breamar life by local photographer Steven Rennie.

A sketch of a Highland coo (cow) in a suit by Gideon Summerfield

An elderly male resident sketched by Gideon Summerfield

A black and white sketch of a Braemar local resident by Gideon Summerfield

A sketch by Gideon Summerfield of a male Braemar local wearing full Highland regalia

Alec Finlay

Scottish artist and poet Alec Finlay was commissioned to create a poetic guide to the Cairngorms, created especially for the Fife Arms, ‘Gathering’ is an innovative mapping of the Highland landscape in poems, essays, photographs, and maps. The work guides the reader to modest and forgotten places in this complex region. Finlay’s work can also be found carved into the headboards in the Nature & Poetry bedrooms.