It is not surprising to find that the landscape of East Lothian which we enjoy so much today has long been a magnet for artistic inspiration – indeed it was once said of the banks of the Tyne that one had to stroll with caution for fear of tripping over easels or painting kits.

Earlier this year the John Gray Centre in Haddington hosted an exhibition of the work of Robert Noble (1857-1917).

After training in France, Noble settled with his family in East Linton in the 1880s and the exhibition marked the centenary of his death in 1917.

Noble was, no doubt, attracted by the picturesque setting and tranquility of East Linton and its surroundings; indeed it has been recognised that East Linton has made a contribution to Scottish art out of proportion to its size.

John Pettie, Arthur Melville and Charles Martin Hardie all grew up there in the 19th century and Noble himself attracted other artists.

Continuing the theme of celebrating art in East Lothian, Family History Day this Saturday (September 2) at the John Gray Centre is all about ‘Art in the Archives’.

At 11am we welcome back our former development officer and art historian Ola Wojtkiewicz who will give an illustrated talk on Landscapes of East Lothian in Painting.

One of the treasures on display in the John Gray Centre museum is a large painting entitled Hoeing the Fields (1911) by the Scottish landscape artist William Marshall Brown (1863-1936).

Marshall Brown was not a native of East Lothian but like many other artists he was captivated by the coast and landscape of the county.

Although he worked all over Scotland he had a studio at Cockburnspath where he worked on local scenes.

Inspired by the people as well as the landscape, farmworkers and fisher girls feature strongly in his work.

Hoeing the Fields features three young women working in the fields pitting potatoes.

One of the girls wears an ‘ugli’, a sun bonnet which protected her face from the elements.

The ugli was distinctive to East Lothian and the Borders and features in several of Marshall Brown’s paintings.

Join us on Saturday to find out more about the art collection held by East Lothian Museum Service (12.30pm) and where you can see it on display.

There’s a chance to go behind the scenes in the archives (1.30 pm) and see a range of items which are works of art themselves.

Our collections include beautiful notarial signatures; renaissance style seals (including the Great Seal of Mary Queen of Scots); 16th century manuscript music; textile designs; photographs; drawings and doodlings.

We hope that you will be inspired to join our Make Your Own Masterpiece workshop (2-3.30 pm) .

This is an artist-led workshop suitable for adults and children where you can try out lots of different printing techniques.

For a full programme, visit our website at www.johngraycentre.org or contact us on 01620 820695.

We have lots of free children’s activities running throughout the morning including arts and crafts, face painting and the chance to play pictominoes (pictish dominoes) with our archaeological illustrator.

Ruth Fyfe

Archivist

John Gray Centre

Haddington