Scottish Collection

Ash Wednesday today, the first day of Lent, so our service this morning included Ashing (when did that become a word?).

After I got home, as the day was bright and not actually raining, we finally made it into town today with time to spare and went back to the Scottish Collection in the National Gallery. I love the setting and the space they've created. The light and lighting is so much better too with not so many pictures suffering from reflections as has often been my complaint.
So many old favourites are on display, the collection of images of Edinburgh is like a giant game of i-Spy, but yet again I found myself being drawn to the Phoebe Anna Traquair works. They range in size from less than a foot square, to the four larger than life size embroideries of the Journey of the Progress of a Soul. a recurring theme in her work. My blip is of "Victory", the final of the four embroidered panels and dates from 1904. The workmanship is stunning and the colours magnificent. Apart from the beautiful work on the skin and faces, I find the leopard's spots, which if you zoom in, appear to be skulls, quite fascinating. It's hard to believe it's been sewn and is not a painting.
The paintings stand next to another favourite, St Bride by John Duncan which was painted just 10 years later. Just across the passage though is another of my favourite Traquair works, a painting this time but again 1904, entitled The Awakening, it's my extra. The colours in the rainbow are unbelievably bright and glow in a way which is almost metallic.
We spent a good couple of hours in the gallery with a break for a coffee in the middle as my back hurt from standing for so long.
I can't recommend the gallery (and restaurant) highly enough if you are visiting Edinburgh, there's just so much to see, with a familiar image around every corner.
Coincidentally I was watching the STV news at 6 this evening and there was an interesting item about the Sick Kids hospital development. I waited patiently, hoping to hear what has happened to the Mortuary Chapel there - it was decorated by Phoebe Traquair and moved with the hospital from a previous site. Infuriatingly though, the item cut off abruptly and moved to half way through an item being broadcast by the Glasgow team. Does anybody happen to know what has happened to the chapel?
Other than that, today being St Valentine's Day (as well as Ash Wednesday) we had a delicious cook at home three course meal from Côte this evening, they are always delicious.