- #derekormiston#rowanormiston#oldhaa#oldhaamuseum#yell#shetland
- 03 April 2025
The wonderful photos in the Natural History Room have been taken by Derek Ormiston. You can read about his passion for Yell and Shetland as a whole in the text below. Copies of some of these are for sale in the Old Haa.
About Derek, in his own words:- My wife and I have been coming to Shetland since the early 1990s, and we were privileged to have been able to count the late Peter Guy as a friend. Peter and his first wife, Christine, passionately introduced us to their Shetland walks on Yell and Fetlar, and we took over Overby House in Burravoe from Peter and his second wife Catherine in 2012.
Our daughter has grown up with Shetland very much in her heart. A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Rowan has previously exhibited her work a the Old Haa in her own right, and at Shetland Gallery with the kind support of Shona and Alan Skinner.
Sitting on the edge of the world, the wild nature of Shetland inspires us both and is surely reflected in our art - the image of the Hermaness gannet colony was the primary source for 'Solstice', an 80 x 80cm painting in oils.
There is always something of wonder to be discovered here, whether in the sea or on the shore, in the big skies, on the beautiful beaches and broad peat moors, or by the soaring cliffs and stacks. The pencil sketches by Rowan and my still lifes of the bones and shells are all from items encountered on Yell's coastline. The landscapes speak of the wilderness, the weather and the sea, the raw beauty of these islands and the yet small part played by people.