Amsterdam Flowers Andrew Reid Wildman Pillows

Based on the work of Andrew Reid Wildman

Summer Snooze, Amsterdam

An original work by Andrew Reid Wildman which now has a place at the Go Dutch Pancake House in Hull.

A hidden corner that hugs the Water of Leith, on my way to the Botanical Gardens. A day of glorious Scottish sunshine, of a clear blue sky and gentle warmth. The stone radiates gold, brilliant white from the woodwork, with dots of yellow from sunflowers. It is quiet here, with Stockbridge a short walk away. The work is rich in realism and detail, filled with vivid colour; A wonderful souvenir of Edinburgh and a perfect gift.

Original art by Andrew Reid Wildman

The first scene on arrival, full of excitement and joy, and the last scene on leaving, wistful and sad. The Damrak, a body of water flanked by ancient town houses, and bordered on the other side by a wide road of trams and cars, captures a little corner of Amsterdam. Beyond the houses, lies the labyrinth of dreadful delight that is the Red Light District, 17th century houses that ooze ultraviolet light, canals that sparkle with a thousand lights, fairytale-like, the air pungent with enticing weed and hoppy beer. But here, on this side of the houses all is proper, the stock exchange and chic department stores a short walk away. It is ancient, centuries of history, of lives lived in narrow rooms. Birds hover skittishly, a train rumbles int...

The work of Andrew Reid Wildman

Amsterdam, Canal Houses In Soft Light

Young Man Relaxing By Canal

A charming view of Amsterdam by artist Andrew Reid Wildman

Flowers And Houses In Edinburgh Terrace

A walk in Amsterdam brings me to the doors of the main post office building, neo-gothic and redbrick, turrets and towers, shadows cast. I savour the joy of being in the city once again, to hear the tram bells and the cries of seagulls, to inhale the aroma of frying, of roasting coffee and the gentle hint of brine that lingers. A day of freedom awaits, a day to explore the alleys and the shops, alone, unhurried. For now I look up at the post office, transfixed by the symmetry. This work is very rich in realism and detail. It is a fantastic souvenir of Holland, a great gift, a perfect addition to any collection of Dutch art.

Transfixed by a wall of white heat and sky blue shutters, I am drawn. The window invites inwards, an oasis of coolth, whilst outside the sun soaks into stone and earth, dry, and purifying. Bees jump languidly on plump buds of lavender, crickets chirp, birds wait in the shade. My little corner of France. This work is a perfect souvenir of France, a lovely gift for a home.

On a day of intense heat, when the lizards alone ventured out, when the crickets sang, I ventured onto a terrace in Greece. The Mediterranean dazzled me, the sky made me squint. The walls were painted yellow, and some flowers grew in pots. The air was scented with bougainvillea, with oleander and pine. Brewing coffee, fresh pitta, olives. A day of happiness and calm.

On a French island, in the height of summer, I walk along deserted streets. Shutters closed against the heat, against the light that bleaches colour and penetrates the interior. The village is almost silent, as noon approaches. Crickets, bees, the faint keys of a piano. The scent of oregano, thyme, rose and jasmine I love the colour and the texture of the walls, creamy lemon, with shutters of faded blue. Little balconies of wrought iron, overhanging flowers. Paradis indeed.

A corner of Amsterdam. A place where canals and tramlines and streets meet in a cacophony of bike bells and thundering wheels. Yet if we look up, and perhaps move under the shade of the trees that hug the calm murky waters of the canal, we can find a place I call Gothic Corner. I love the architecture of Amsterdam, and this building reminded me of the Centraal Station, or the Rijksmuseum, or of many other more modest buildings of the nineteenth century that hug the Vondelpark. I wanted to paint the reddish, earthy hues of the bricks and the blue of the sky. This work is an ideal souvenir of Amsterdam, a great gift.

Somerset, Houses and Flowers

On a sultry afternoon, by the banks of a French river, I spot this house, a magical house of blue shutters and white walls. Time moves slowly, languid, the air scented with peach, apricot and cherry, with a tang of lemon and the heady perfume of delicate rose. I want only to linger, enjoying a patch of shade. Time moves slowly. Yet soon the hour will come when the sky turns to a delicate pink, and then to raspberry, and then drinks will flow, served with cheese, and bread. The work is rich in realism, infused with heat and light.

A Mysterious Green Door In France

A white cottage, the lapping Mediterranean breaking the silence of midday, along with the gentle hum of bees. The heat is palpable, like a caress, stopping us in our tracks. I am struck by the vivid pink colours in front of me, by the wall of flowers and the matching pink, wooden door. This colourful work makes an ideal gift, a perfect collection starter, a great souvenir.

On the Atlantic coast, where waves crash on white sand and pine trees release their scent, there is a small village. Hibernating, asleep, its houses dusty and tatty, the village awakes in summer. Wooden shutters of peeling paint and creaky joints thrown open, rugs roughly shaken, brushes brandied with vigour. The walls are a beautiful yellow, like lemon cream, like custard, and framed with flowers of purple and pink and red. The work is a wonderful souvenir of France, a great gift, the perfect addition to a collection.

Summertime in France

A small Highland house, perhaps also a state of mind. Tranquility, escape, beauty, solitude. Thick solid, stone walls, painted white, a wooden door, a chimney ready for the roaring fire of a cold night. But today is warm, the sky cloudless and the hills purple with fragrant heather. The woods beckon too, with their promise of shade, scented with pine and moss. This work is rich in colour and detail, a lovely souvenir of the Scottish Highlands and a great gift.

French House in Summer

A house with blue shutters, the table ready for guests, baking outside in the sun. Cushions of blue, turquoise and white, overhanging branches laden with scented foliage, purple and pink flowers, perfumed and fresh, buzzing with bees in search of nectar. The walls are stone, a light hue reminiscent of the ancient world that once stood here, on the pine covered shores of the Mediterranean. We can hear the gentle lapping of the waves, calm and shimmering, hot sand on bare feet and a delicious freedom. This work makes a wonderful gift, a perfect addition to any collection.

Flowers in Princes Street Gardens

An Italian house in summer, a villa of one’s dreams, seeped with cleansing lights, its stone warm to the touch; a house hidden and shrouded with mystery within the embrace of its walls. The garden adds coolness, a veil of delicious greenery infusing the grounds with the citric scent of lemon, and with the sweetness of oleander, honeysuckle and rose. It is indeed the house of one’s dreams, a moment or two of pure joy, the contemplation of promise, that the Italian summer will return again soon. This work makes a wonderful gift, or the perfect reminder of the joys of travel.

A bright and colorful work by Andrew Reid Wildman, depicting flowers at a Greek monastery.

In the Botanical Gardens is to be found the most perfect of Scottish gardens. Flowers and ferns, manicured lawns that remind me of the West Highlands, lavender and heather. Behind is a small house, transported brick by brick from elsewhere. It soothes me here, in this wonderful land of plants and make believe, tucked away behind high stone walls, a domain that existed before I was born and will live on after me. Fleeting memories come to me in the Botanical Gardens, from 50 years ago, of benches where adults sat whilst I deployed my toy soldiers on the flag stones, of wondrous walks through the mini jungles of Victorian hothouses. The work is rich in detail, in colour, and it makes a perfect addition to any collection, a great gift too.

Garden, Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh