Pittenweem Arts Festival: Fife fishing village to exhibit over 140 artists in annual event

The village of Pittenweem has been transformed into a living art gallery this week.

For 41 years, people in the Fife port town have been giving up space in their homes and businesses to host artworks.

More than 140 artists feature in the event’s 2024 edition – the highest number since the pandemic.

Festival chair Julie Arbuthnott said it’s important for both established and emerging artists.

She told STV News: “We’ve got an event where artists come together after they shut up and we bring them together with food and drink. They love that connection.

“They learn from each other, they can walk around and see how other artists show their work, how they commercialise their work. It’s a really important networking event.”

The festival will showcase over 140 artists STV News

Among those exhibiting her work for the first time is English teacher Kelly Marr.

After putting her paint brushes down for 30 years, she became inspired by Scotland’s pub culture – with her series of portraits taking viewers on a pub crawl across Scotland.

“I came across some very funny stories,” she said.

“One of my favourite places was the West End of Glasgow. I painted a barmaid in the Aragon Bar and all the locals told me about all the funny stories in the bar, like the local legend who has been guaranteed free drinks for life.

“One of my favourite barmaids was in a hotel in the Isle of Skye and she was hilarious. She was so funny.”

Her portraits are proving popular with those she painted, including Christie Hurrell, the manager of the George Orwell bar in Dundee.

Christie said: “All the details, the clothes I’m wearing, my hair, the details in the backgrounds of the wood and the bottles, I think is absolutely fantastic.

“It just really brings the Orwell to life and shows the vibe of what we’re about.

“With a bar like this, it’s the community. It’s not just people who come and go, there’s such a family aspect to it and everyone gets along.

“Within the staff, we become this one great big unit. That’s always a great environment in a pub.”

The Arts Festival will run until Saturday August 10.