Hello friends... 😊

I'm delighted to finally be able to say that the new Declaration of Arbroath — Burnished Gold Fine Art Editions are now live.

This has been quite a journey.

For anyone who knows my work, you'll know that the Declaration of Arbroath has never just been another subject for me. I live and work here in Arbroath, in the shadow of the Abbey, and over the years the Declaration has become woven into a huge part of what I do.

So getting these editions back into the world — properly, and in a way that I genuinely feel proud of — means a lot to me.

 

 

A new chapter for the Gold Editions

These aren't simply the old editions brought back again.

The reason for the change is actually quite simple. The specialist metallic paper used for the earlier framed editions was discontinued by the external print supplier. That decision was outwith my control, and for a while it left me with a choice: let that chapter end, or work out how to build a new edition that I could produce properly myself.

I chose the latter.

The earlier framed Gold Metallic editions are now part of the history of the project. The new Burnished Gold Editions are a different publication in their own right — built around a new paper, a new printing process and a new way of presenting the Declaration.

I'm now printing them here in Arbroath on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic 340 gsm, using my Epson SureColor SC-P7500 with UltraChrome Pro12 pigment inks.

Moving to an unframed fine-art edition also solved something else that had always been difficult with the large framed pieces: it makes the work far more practical to protect and send beyond the UK. Scotland's story reaches far beyond these shores, and I love the idea that these pieces can find their way to people with Scottish roots, family connections, or simply a deep love of Scotland's history wherever they happen to live.

The surface is quite beautiful in real life.

In softer light it can look quiet, warm and almost velvety. Move the print, change the angle, or let stronger light pass across it, and parts of the manuscript suddenly begin to glow with that burnished metallic character.

There is no gold leaf and no gold ink involved. The effect comes from the relationship between the printed image and the metallic surface of the paper itself.

 

 

Three different characters — Black Onyx, Pewter and Pearl

I've kept the three colourways that have always belonged to this series, because each of them gives the Declaration a very different feeling.

Black Onyx is the darkest and most dramatic. The manuscript, ribbons and surviving seals seem to emerge from the deep black field, and the metallic surface can become incredibly striking when the light catches it.

Explore Black Onyx →

 

 

Pewter is quieter and more restrained, with a cooler metallic background and a lovely balance between the manuscript and the surrounding field.

Explore Pewter →

 

 

Pearl is the lightest of the three — softer, brighter and more luminous, with the manuscript sitting against a pale metallic field.

Explore Pearl →

 

 

A number that can actually mean something

One of the things I really wanted to keep with these editions is the feeling that the piece belongs to somebody.

Each colourway is available in a Collector Edition at £199 and a Life-Size Edition at £299, and each colourway and format has its own numbered edition of 1,320.

But the number doesn't just have to be whatever comes next.

If there's a particular number between 0001 and 1320 that means something to you, you're very welcome to ask for it. It might be a birthday, an anniversary, a family connection, a lucky number, or simply a number that carries some personal meaning.

As long as that number is still available in the exact colourway and format you've chosen, I'll do my best to allocate it to you.

I think that makes these especially meaningful as gifts.

If you're giving one to somebody who cares deeply about Scotland, its history, or their own connection to the country, being able to give them their number makes the piece that little bit more personal.

More than just the print

I also wanted the whole thing to feel like a proper publication rather than simply a sheet of printed paper.

Each Burnished Gold Edition is individually numbered and supplied with its own Certificate of Authenticity. The edition number on the artwork is repeated on the certificate, and the work is supported by paired serialised holograms as part of the authentication system.

There's also an A5 Burnished Gold companion booklet, which goes much further into the story — including historical material, information about the surviving seals, the Latin text, an English translation and the provenance of the edition.

Handling guidance and protective presentation materials are included too, along with sealed black nitrile gloves so the metallic surface can be handled properly.

 

 

Made here in Arbroath

There is something quite special to me about making these here.

The Declaration was written in 1320 and sent from Arbroath Abbey. More than seven centuries later, I'm standing here in Arbroath printing these editions only a short distance from the place whose name has become inseparable from the document itself.

The surviving Declaration manuscript was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2016, and that recognition only reinforced for me just how extraordinary this document is.

For people who feel a real connection to Scotland's history, the Declaration is much more than an old manuscript. It carries ideas of identity, memory, endurance and belonging that still mean something to people today.

That's what I've tried to respect with these editions.

The earlier Gold Metallic Editions

The previous framed Gold Metallic C-Type editions are now part of the history of the project and have been superseded by Burnished Gold.

And to everyone who bought one of those framed editions over the years — thank you. Those pieces are part of the story of this work, and I'm genuinely grateful that they found homes with people who cared enough about the Declaration to live with one.

The new Burnished Gold editions don't diminish those earlier pieces. They're a separate successor publication, born out of a change in production that I couldn't control and a decision to find a new way forward rather than let the series disappear.

If you'd like to see how the work developed from those earlier framed editions into what I'm publishing now, I've kept that story on the website too.

Read the story of the earlier Gold Metallic Editions →

Now live

It's taken a considerable amount of work to get to this point — testing papers, rebuilding the artwork, printing, photography, certificates, booklets, packaging and all the other little details that sit behind the finished piece.

So yes, I'm genuinely delighted to finally have them live.

If one of these speaks to you — whether it's for yourself, for somebody you love, or because the Declaration simply means something to you — you can explore all three editions below.

• Black Onyx — Burnished Gold Fine Art Edition
• Pewter — Burnished Gold Fine Art Edition
• Pearl — Burnished Gold Fine Art Edition

Made, printed and published here in Arbroath.

 

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