Scotland’s Subtle Soul Explored In New Series

Raumati artist Tania Dally spent the New Zealand winter in Scotland returning with a series of 12 abstract works exploring the country’s subtle soul and spirit to launch at the Kāpiti Coast Art Trail which kicks off this weekend.

Following on from series produced in Vietnam, Portugal and Spain in previous New Zealand winters, Tania was excited about the artistic possibilities that Scotland would have to offer.

However, it took her some time for her to tune into the essence of the new land and therefore to figure out what to paint. “Scotland is certainly beautiful, but it’s a subtle, understated beauty – not always immediately obvious,” Tania explains.

“At first, I couldn’t see past the infinite shades of green and grey, but gradually deeper layers began to reveal themselves, and it all started to make sense. Accordingly, these paintings are not pictorial representations but rather depictions of the underlying themes and the overall mood that the scene left me with.”

The titles of some of Tania’s paintings – like Stirling Castle, Heather, and Tartan – reflect famous Scottish cultural icons, while others – such as Oban Harbour, Barras Market and Kilmaron Farm – focus on more personal experiences from throughout her stay.

One of the paintings is titled Dreich, a Scottish word that describes weather that is dull, gloomy, and bleak, something that Tania experienced much of while she was there. “Before our trip, we were warned about Scotland’s weather,” Tania explains. “But the fact is that Scotland’s wonders are not about the weather.

“Dreich is a wonderfully evocative word that sums up the energy underpinning the weather it describes,” says Tania. “In spite of the cold, there is almost a melting or merging of colours and shapes, and through the inevitable greys, smatterings of deep purple, navy and gold seep through, which I have sought to depict in this piece.”

All 12 paintings are on display throughout the Kāpiti Coast Art Trail at Tania’s Boatshed Studio across the footbridge from the Marine Gardens car park on Raumati Beach and have also been compiled into a 2025 art calendar available during the trail.

Scotland’s Subtle Soul series By Tania Dally

Kāpiti Coast Art Trail: Sat 2/Sun 3 Nov and Sat 9/Sun 10 Nov 10am - 5pm 
Where: Tania Dally Art Boatshed Studio, across the footbridge, Marine Gardens car park, Raumati Beach

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