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Christmas at Drum

Printmaker: Addison, Donald Stuart · 1937-2025Printer: Peacock Printmakers

Christmas at Drum

A few months before Addison's death, his former tutor and friend Malcolm McCoig wrote of this particular image in an article on Addison in the on-line…

A few months before Addison's death, his former tutor and friend Malcolm McCoig wrote of this particular image in an article on Addison in the on-line magazine ArtScot;

"The ‘Christmas at Drum’ print is classic Addison with all his trademark references – clouds, stars, constellations, trees, buildings - here in this quite spectacular print. Long before this, George Mackie had done something similar with Crathes Castle and others, but for me they always lacked that bit of something special, and as Mackie’s former student, I think Don shows him how to really put some life into it.

Let’s just start with the colour – a lovely cold, crisp snowy scene but with soft, subtle warmth in both clouds and castle, standing out against a dense blue wintery sky.

The undulating snow bank seemingly allows the castle to naturally grow out of it, except for a small area below the tower where a base line is evident, and with the nice curving touch of footprints heading for the arched doorway.

The chunky tower, which is the main feature of the castle, with its textured shadow, is such a contrast to the more domesticated architecture with its angles, chimneys, gables, sloping roofs and range of windows. The colour here is a lovely subtle blend of overprinting, creating cooler tones in the shadows; while the long elevation has a warmth to it with a hint of pale green and a smidgeon of almost orange textured wall leading up to the crescent moon lurking in the window.

The three trees are all different, with the large central one using the positive/negative of its branches through sky and cloud to good effect.

But it is the clouds that really make this print sing. Employing almost the same set of colours as the castle and with masterly overprinting, he achieves a most unusual range of colours, some of which blend into the roofs on the right, while others streak across the sky in a dramatic range of shapes and tones, all fitting together in a jigsaw-type fashion, contrasting beautifully with the regimental and logical structure of the buildings. What a brave thing to have done, and it is spectacular.

All that is missing is the signature group of birds, but one of his other passions is plain to see: the sky at night, with its Christmas Star and Orion."

The print was one of a number commissioned by the National Trust for Scotland from Addison of some of their properties in Aberdeenshire.

© The Artist's Estate