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Mr.J

Blends art insight and Edinburgh's allure, envisioning the city anew through artists' eyes.

29/06/2024

𝒜𝓃𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓇’𝓈 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒, 𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝑀𝒾𝓁𝑒

The close can be traced to 1521, named after The Anchor Tavern; the Crochallan Fencibles met there, including member Robert Burns. The first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica was published here by Smellie’s Printing House.

26/06/2024

𝓑𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓮‘𝓼 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮, 𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵 𝓜𝓲𝓵𝓮

This close has had many names and changed after the separate fires of 1824 and 1700.

Known as St Monan’s Wynd after a chapel that stood Barrie‘s Close, it was also known as Hangman’s Close as the city executioner lived there.

It connects Parliament Square to Old Fishmarket Close, an area that has seen much death and destruction.

20/06/2024

𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌’𝖘 𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊

Closes were named after the most prominent citizens or the most commonly found businesses in the close. Mary King was a well-known businesswoman in the 1630s. At that time, she was a widow and a mother of four who traded in fabrics and sewed for a living.

The close was partially demolished and buried due to the building of the Royal Exchange in the 18th century, and later closed to the public.

There are many tales of haunting and murders in this Close. It was part of an eight-layer labyrinth with different classes of inhabitants sharing the buildings. The rich would have lived in the grand ‘high houses’.

One of the must-visit closes in Edinburgh🤩

16/06/2024

𝓐𝓭𝓿𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓮’𝓼 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮

Dating back to the 15th century, Advocate’s Close was at one time one of Edinburgh’s most fashionable addresses. The name derives from the house of Sir James Stewart who was Lord Advocate of Scotland.
By the 19th century the Edinburgh gentry had abandoned the Old Town and moved to the New Town or suburbs. Streets such as Advocates Close passed to the lower classes and were split into tenements. In this form, given the huge density and dark, narrow streets, the area quickly became a slum. A major part of this stemmed from the lack of sewerage, with waste being thrown out of the window to run down the steep slope.

This piece is what started my whole close series and has a special place in my heart!🤩

28/05/2024

The effects of extreme weather conditions on the skies above this fifteenth century harbour have been a source of inspiration for many artists across time.

The remarkable John Constable RA (1776-1837) was possibly the greatest painter of evolving weather conditions and tumultuous skies. I have derived inspiration from one of his dramatic sky scenes, using it as a catalyst for this tribute to the great British artist.

‘Newhaven Harbour, after Constable’
2024
Mixed media and pastels on archival paper
21 x 29.7 cm

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