Stamps And Letters: Edinburgh Castle Mailart

Edinburgh Castle Mailart

Edinburgh Castle Mailart (1) from Katerina Nikoltsou.

Katerina is a painter and mail artist living and working in Thessaloniki, Greece. She was born in Chicago, USA, and she received her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Chicago, also. She has been a professor of art at the American Colleges in Istanbul and in Thessaloniki. She retired in 2010, after 25 years of teaching at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, where she was awarded a Doctorate in Art Education. Ms. Nikoltsou is a member of the Greek Chamber of Artists and SKETBE, the Artists' Association of Northern Greece. She has had 14 solo art exhibits and has participated in more than 75 group exhibits. She continues to work in abstract acrylic paintings and mixed-media collages and assemblages.

This is Edinburgh Castle, my dream to visit Scotland, you know! Friends tell me that it soars above the homes of Edinburgh and glows serenely in the summer evenings. One hears musical strains from concerts and performances. One is transported back to the Middle Ages! I shall go, one day, and live my dream.

To see more of Katerina's wonderful mailart please take a look at The Blackpool Tower section of Positively Postal's A-Z of The U.K. mailart project and she is also very active on Mailart365.

Edinburgh Castle Mailart (2) from Michael Murray.

Michael is an artist and designer who specialises in supplying and designing photographic art, mixed media art, sponsored artwork, mirrors, posters, corporate art installations, and illustrations to the hospitality, sports, corporate, residential, and healthcare sectors.

I've created many different images of Edinburgh castle in my time as an artist, from various perspectives and using a variety of techniques from digital photographic art to more complex digital illustrations. It just has so many different and interesting angles, due to the huge array of buildings and sections. Many people think its just a small stretch of slightly boring looking buildings that stretch along the wall, but when you get to explore its many areas, or even see it from an aerial view, you can only then appreciate what a unique and special castle this is. To show this aspect off to the general public I'm planning on creating a highly complex digital aerial art piece from a birds eye view looking down on the whole of the castle and its rocky surroundings. I'll be using a combination of 3d modelling and 2d photographic texturing and I envisage the outcome to be very original and striking.This will be like no other view of Edinburgh castle depicted before in a piece of art, and I'm extremely excited to get started here in Positively Postal's mailart of The U.K. project.

Edinburgh Castle Mailart (3) from Amanda Finan of Finan Fine Art Photography.

Amanda lives in central Scotland in the U.K.. She is a Professional landscape Photographer specialising in Scottish landscape. She was born in England in 1975 and lived there until 2011 when she moved to Scotland with her young family. She fell in love with the scenery of the Ochil Hills which she says she is fortunate to see every day of her life. The opportunity of living in Central Scotland is wonderful as it means she can travel to her favourite parts of the country within a few hours.

Edinburgh Castle for me is one of the highlights of visiting Edinburgh, from a photographer's point of view it is a great example of Scottish Architecture and with the right weather looks very imposing over the city below. This is one of the first images I took on my photographic journey and so it is sentimental to me. As I progress on my journey I hope to visit this Castle many times. It has great history behind it and I feel there is just such an atmosphere that comes with viewing this spectacular castle. I will remember this visit with fondness as I am sure many others have before me and will continue to do so over many years. A true classic of Scottish architecture!

Please take a look at these two sites personally recommended by both Amanda and Positively Postal:

Photo4me and Central Arts.

Edinburgh Castle Mailart (4) from Marion Innes, artist, illustrator and frustrated printmaker.

I’m not much of a traveller, and even less of a tourist but there is one place, dramatic, historic, and in our Nation’s Capital that is a must see.

High atop 340 million year old volcanic remains, towering above the City, with over a million visitors each year is Edinburgh Castle. This majestic landmark is steeped in over 1000 years of Scottish history. Pass through the Portcullis Gate and visit the Royal Palace, the Great Hall, and the Crown Room. Marvel at the Honours of Scotland, the nation’s Crown Jewels, buried twice to hide them from Oliver Cromwell [Brave Bad Man] and during World War II in case of a Nazi invasion, the Crown is still in ceremonial use today, present at state openings of the Scottish Parliament.

Visit Queen Margaret’s Chapel, the Prisons of War Exhibition, The National War Museum, and the Scottish National War Memorial. Look out for Mons Meg, one of the world’s oldest Cannons and the deafening ‘BOOM’ of the One O’clock Gun. Sair on the Lugs!

Spectacular views over the City, Pit Prisons, buried bones, pirates, laird’s lugs, and secrets, make the Castle a popular attraction to people from all over the world.

Gift shops, costumed performers, castle concerts, weddings, and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo...Cafes, Tours, Scottish Whisky, History Books, Clan Gifts, Stationery, Tartan, Children’s books and, did I mention Whisky?

If Edinburgh Castle was good enough for Royalty, Cromwell and the likes of Rod Stewart, Bryan Ferry, Simple Minds, Tom Jones, Duran Duran, and The Proclaimers, then it’s good enough for this just-down–the-road-Scottish tourist.