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Iwan and Manuela Wirth with two dogs in the woods Exterior of the Fife Arms hotel looking down on to the Clunie Water The entrance to the garden from the Fife Arms hotel A river winds through a rocky shoreline surrounded by dense green trees, with mountains rising in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
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A painting by Lucien Freud hung on an orange wall in the hotel reception The Richard Jackson 'Red Deer Chandelier' on view in the hotel reception A landscape drawing by James Prosek who was one of our first artists in residence Circle Of Pieter Brueghel The Younger (1564 – 1636) in painted room with tables and chairs
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Gideon Summerfield’s ‘Characters of Braemar’

Portraits of a Highland Village

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

In the Scottish Highlands, community is not an abstract concept — it is lived, visible, and profoundly felt. Nowhere is this more evident than in Braemar, a village shaped by its landscape, its history, and most of all, its people.

Artist Gideon Summerfield captures this spirit in his quietly powerful portrait series, Characters of Braemar, a collection of sketches celebrating the individuals who form the heartbeat of this remarkable place.

An Artist Drawn to People and Place

Summerfield is known for his ability to render human presence with rare sensitivity. His work often begins with simple observation: the tilt of a head, the ease of a gesture, the unspoken stories that hover between expression and silence. For this series, he spent time in Braemar meeting locals, listening to their histories, and understanding how each person fits into the fabric of village life.

The resulting portraits — drawn in his signature loose, characterful style — feel immediate and alive. They are not formal studies but moments of connection, each sketch a brief window into the personality of someone who calls Braemar home.

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A black and white sketch of a Braemar local resident by Gideon Summerfield
Portraits of Braemar locals in The Flying Stag
An elderly male resident sketched by Gideon Summerfield
A sketch of a Highland coo (cow) in a suit by Gideon Summerfield

Becoming a Part of the Flying Stag

Within the Flying Stag, the portraits add an extra layer of intimacy to the atmosphere. They echo the conversations happening at the bar, the laughter shared between tables, and the steady stream of locals and travellers passing through the door.

“In every line and shadow, these portraits reveal what makes Braemar extraordinary: a community shaped not by grand events, but by the quiet strength of its people.”

Gideon Summerfield’s Characters of Braemar is more than a collection of portraits. It is a love letter to community, an artistic acknowledgement of the people who make this remote Highland village feel like home. It preserves stories in lines and shading, offering a timeless reminder that places are defined not only by their landscapes but by the individuals who inhabit them.

In celebrating the residents of Braemar, the series invites all who visit to look a little closer — to notice the faces, the personalities, and the quiet strength that make this village unlike anywhere else.

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