Over the Edge: An Artist’s Window on the Past

The Stromness-based artist will showcase more than 50 paintings of the spectacular dig between 28 July and 10 August at the Northlight Gallery in the town.

The artist, Jeanne Bouza Rose, was invited to be one of the artists in residence at the Ness of Brodgar in 2018. Trained in New York, she spends much of her creative time in Orkney. Her work can be found in many private collections around the world. She has been a key member of a team of volunteers excavating since 2011 and has brought those unique experiences into her expressionistic paintings. Rose is particularly known for her landscapes of sky and standing stones, which are inspired by daily walks within Orkney’s World Heritage Site and its Neolithic archaeology.

The Ness of Brodgar is a prehistoric site located in Orkney's West Mainland. The site is home to a complex of Neolithic buildings that has captivated archaeologists worldwide. They have revealed an unexpected wealth of information about the lives of the people who lived there over 6,000 years ago. The excavations at the Ness of Brodgar have been ongoing for over 20 years but will cease in 2024.

Jeanne Bouza Rose’s paintings of the Ness of Brodgar are created on site with the textures of ‘plein air’ hazards of wind, rain and shifting earth. She has captured the significance of the ruins and celebrates the work of the archaeologists offering a unique glimpse over the edge of the trenches and into the past. The exhibition will be a fascinating opportunity for visitors to learn more about the Ness of Brodgar and to see paintings of a place that has ignited the archaeological world only to be lost again when the project comes to a close in 2024.

Proceeds from sales will be donated to the Ness of Brodgar Trust and Peedie Retreats, a local charitable initiative.