Mural Stories Project

Funded by local trusts, OutPost Arts commissioned several murals in and around central Langholm, working with talented artists: renowned artist/illustrator and muralist Paul Leith, assisted by Lydia Leith & Sophie Jarzyna, blacksmith artist Agnes Jones, emerging multi-disciplinary artist Blossom Mccuaig and OutPost's Creative Director/illustrator Lucy MacLeod. 
The mural delivery phase was preceded by a series of community workshops in June 2019 (see photos below), working in partnership with local historians and organisations such as Langholm Primary School, Langholm Academy and the day centre to co-direct the mural's narratives and themes; reflecting real local opinions on local 'cultural heritage'. An exhibition event revealing the process of the progress, including a 'behind the scenes' film launched the project in October 2019 alongside an illustrated 'Art Trail' map illustrated by Nebo Peklo featuring the Mural Stories installations. The map allows visitors to navigate our beautiful town whilst learning about Langholm's people, its rich history and heritage. A film was created by Sian Yeshe following the project's progress.

Paul & Lydia Leith (with Sophie Jarzyna)

Paul Leith is a British illustrator and graduate from The Royal College of Art. His work covers decades of colourful creativity; producing murals, felt artworks, sketches and commercial illustration.
​His experience is reflected in his high profile client list which includes Royal Mail, Penguin Books and The Sunday Times.

Agnes Jones 

Agnes Jones is an exciting female artist blacksmith who makes a range of work, from small home-ware pieces to large public art commissions. Based in Glasgow, she has work all around the UK and the world. 

"As an artist blacksmith, I feel a constant struggle between the functional and the sculptural. Scaling up sketches into wire work and then into large metal work helps to retain the exciting feel and energy of my original drawings, leading to the surprise of finding a drawing in metal which is also has a function. Each drawing can be seen to have a life and character brought out by the use of a single line running through the piece."

Blossom MacCuaig 

Graduating from Lancaster university with a degree in literature and philosophy, Blossom intended to eventually undertake a masters in political science, however she realised that she enjoyed and understood the concepts she was learning much more when illustrating them. Drawing became a way to analyse, deconstruct, adapt and respond to narratives about the human experience. In this way narratives inspire and inform most of what Blossom now creates; designing and delivering murals in both Langholm and Dumfries. Blossom is an active member of Midsteeple Quarter and part of the Blueprint 100 team (The Stove).

Lucy MacLeod

A commercial artists for over 20 years, working mainly in fashion, music and publishing; Her clients include The Guardian, The Times, British Airways, Levi, Warner Bros, Disney/Marvel, Marie Claire and Elle. Lucy is a founding member of OutPost Arts, working with the board of trustees to design and deliver high quality community arts activities. 
Below: Large-scale workshops at Langholm Primary & Academy Schools:
Below Left - Mural Map: Designed by illustrator Nebo Peklo
Below Right - Mural Stories launch event