History

Fisk Gallery & Workshops was born in 2013 as Summer Isles Studio when Lesley Muir, retired headteacher at the local primary school in Achiltibuie, took over a small, brightly-painted room in her Aunt Aileen’s little craft shop in Polbain and began to show the first of her ceramics fired in a kiln in her garden shed. Her work, inspired by Highland coastal living and the wonderful legacy of traditional Scottish Spongeware, flew off the shelves and suddenly more space was needed. Meanwhile Lesley had realised that workspace for local arts and craftspeople was virtually non existent and that often creatives work better when not isolated in small unheated sheds away from other makers!

A semi-derelict, 1930s built, ex-general stores building (the old ‘Polbain Stores’) just along the road came up for sale in 2016 and Lesley and her husband Iain set to work converting the large loft area into three airy studio workshops, creating space in the old storeroom downstairs for her large toploader kiln and her own studio and lashing up loads of white paint on the existing shelving and wobbly old walls to create an attractive gallery space.

FISK Gallery & Workshops initially sold the work of three local makers who also occupied the studio workshops and who had the full use of them 24/7 for free in return for looking after the Gallery sales area for one day a week all year round. The workshops continue to be used on this basis for a changing group of local creatives.

Just after Covid, Lesley took on a young third-year art student as an Artist in residence, paying a stipend to cover accommodation and setting up the student’s first One-Woman show at the end of her residency. (It is intended to use studio space again to encourage an art student to come and create here for a summer.) Since then, the Gallery has expanded its local makers' list and now shows and sells the work of over 20. The four studio workshops currently house an artefact jeweller, a printmaker, a graphic artist and a decoupage artist - past occupants have included a Booker Prize shortlisted author, painter and a textile artist.

The ethos remains to support the work of local creatives from no more than a 12 mile radius from the boundaries of the Coigach peninsula and now houses the work of a knife maker, wood worker, photographer, painters, textile artists, ceramicists, graphic designers, soap maker, candlemaker, printmakers, leather worker, beekeepers, writers and musicians. It also has a Vintage Room which sells Antiques and Curios, second hand books, vintage jewellery and clothing.

About Lesley Muir - Ceramics, prints and design.

Having lived in her native Scotland, then Ireland and England since completing a Foundation year at Gray’s Scool of Art, an arts degree at Edinburgh University and a Post Graduate Eduction qualification, Lesley has had a colourful employment history: teaching; radio work including packages for the London Radio Service, BBC Scotland, etc; freelance voiceover work, community radio station management and tour-guiding and gardening at the Achiltibuie Hydroponicum.

Her volunteer and community based activities have included being a founder member of S. Cheshire Friends of the Earth, a founder member, contributor and presenter at local Lochbroom FM Radio, Co-Chair of Coigach Community Trust and Vice Chair of Coigach Community Council, instigator and founder member of Coigach Community Rowing which built its own St Ayles rowing skiffs for fun and competition - and which won the St Ayles World Championships in 2013.

Currently Lesley is collating the latest Assynt & Coigach Creative Trail - a map based leaflet which leads visitors around the area to discover the local artisan, art and craft talent in the area.