Sylvia Wishart – Orkney Drawings (1968-1977)

With topographical and historical texts by Bryce Wilson

In 1968, Orcadian artist Sylvia Wishart was commissioned by J. & W. Tait Ltd, agricultural merchants in Kirkwall, to create a series of topographical drawings of Orkney. Between 1968 and 1977, the artist produced 44 drawings of Orkney views including themes such as lighthouses, mills, piers and farms. The drawings featured on the company’s calendars and introduced the artists’ work to households across Orkney.

This is the first time that all the calendar drawings have been reproduced in full and each drawing is accompanied by a short text by Sylvia’s friend and fellow artist Bryce Wilson. The book maps an important chapter in Sylvia Wishart’s career and provides a unique and timeless record of Orkney’s distinctive land and seascapes.

Sylvia Wishart was a native of Stromness and was, along with Margaret Gardiner, Bryce Wilson and others, instrumental in the establishment of the Pier Arts Centre, which opened in 1979.

The book has been published to coincide with the fortieth Anniversary of the opening of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness in 2019, and the one hundred and fiftieth Anniversary of the formation of J. & W. Tait Ltd. in 2020.

ISBN 978 0 9531131 5 6

Paperback, 118 pages 44 illustrations 297mm x 242mm

Published The Pier Arts Centre 2019 with support from J. & W. Tait Ltd. Printed by The Orcadian