Witches of Scotland memorial tartan takes centre stage

We are delighted to share a striking new portrait of our co-founder Claire Mitchell KC by acclaimed Scottish artist Calum Stevenson, with Claire wearing our Witches of Scotland memorial tartan.

Calum became the youngest and first Scottish artist to win Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2021 and is known for his atmospheric figurative paintings exploring character, colour and light. The original portrait forms part of Centre Stage: Portraits from a Modern World at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum.

Claire Mitchell KC reacts to seeing her portrait by Calum Stevenson for the first time. Photo: Alan Richardson.

The location of the portrait gives the tartan particular significance. Claire is pictured in Edinburgh, close to Castlehill and places associated with the persecution and execution of people accused of witchcraft. Claire’s wearing of our memorial tartan becomes both an act of remembrance and a statement of defiance against the injustice done to those who suffered.

We created the Witches of Scotland memorial tartan as a living memorial to the thousands of people, predominantly women, who were accused of witchcraft in Scotland between 1563 and 1736. Since its launch in 2025, it has travelled around the world in the form of scarves and kilts, worn by people who want to help carry that history forward.

Claire stand with her portrait at the McManus Gallery. Photo: Alan Richardson.

It is a tremendous honour to see the Witches of Scotland memorial tartan captured in Calum’s portrait and become part of the storytelling of this exhibition. The tartan was created to carry the stories of those accused of witchcraft into the present, so to see it represented in another art form feels particularly special.

We are hugely grateful to Calum for the care he has taken in capturing Claire and our memorial tartan in such a powerful setting.

Prints of the portrait are now available directly from Calum Stevenson’s website.