Publications

'A Shepherd's life' centres on Jenny Armstrong, born in 1903 at the farm of Fairliehope, who spent her life working as a shepherd in the Pentland Hills.

In a series of remarkable paintings made over twenty years and based on close observation, Victoria Crowe, one of Scotland's foremost painters, pays tribute to the life and work of this exceptional woman. In spite of their different ages and backgrounds, the two women came to value each other's company and it was through the shepherd that the artist learned how to interpret the surrounding landscape. At the same time the paintings depict an ancient way of living that has been long in decline.

This charming book was published in conjunction with an exhibition of the paintings at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh in 2000.  This special exhibition is being shown again in Flemings, London, in 2009.