GREENLAW.- A brand new, specially-commissioned artwork by Andrew Mackenzie has now joined pieces by Antony Gormley, Eduardo Paolozzi, William Turnbull and David Nash in the rapidly expanding outdoor sculpture collection at Marchmont House.

Visitors can see and learn about these – and many others – in a series of special guided tours between this weekend and 29 August.

The walks round the grounds, and private walled garden, of the magnificent Grade A listed 1750 Palladian mansion near Greenlaw in the Borders, will be led by curator and archivist Francis Raemaekers.

And on 28 and 29 August, to coincide with Marchmont’s next Open Studios weekend, Andrew will join two of the tours to offer an artist’s insights and to talk about his new artwork. His work, alongside that of Frippy Jameson, Charlie Poulsen and Keith McCarter has been selected for inclusion in the Marchmont collection to represent a new generation of “local hero” sculptors working in Scotland today.

Andrew is well known for his paintings which depict landscapes intersected by geometric shapes and the new work, entitled Woodland Structure, has translated this approach into 3D.

It includes angled and rectilinear steel forms that reflect and reference the shapes and sizes of doorways, stair bannisters, skirting boards and other features of the nearby house. These are combined with orange-painted bronze casts of real trees and branches that fell in the surrounding woodlands.

Andrew, who is based in the Borders but also teaches at Leith School of Art, said: “It’s been such a personal project to me, I’ve wanted to create a 3D version of my paintings for years, and now I’ve had the chance.

“The geometric shapes are about how we see space and the landscape, creating ways of seeing it from many different viewpoints. They offer a space to consider our relationships with the place itself.

“And the trees are like ghosts or facsimiles. People assume that they are painted wood and are surprised when they touch them, it’s a bit of a gamechanger when they realise they are bronze.”

The Marchmont collection covers a period from the early 18th century to 2021, and includes abstract work, classical figures, growing works and pieces inspired by the trees and landscape of the estate.

Tours are currently limited to a maximum of 15 people and last around 90 minutes.