Jim Goodall North Fife

Self portrait at Sparrow Craig.
This is how Jim portrays himself, of himself he says, "My paintings are a way of fixing where I am; a way of understanding the environment around me, the people, their beliefs and a way of scratching the surface of the cultural richness of Vietnam." This awareness and way of seeing is now being applied to Newburgh, drawing on memories of boyhood and the joys of being on his home patch. These sketch book pages illustrate his unfolding mind. The resultant artwork will be published soon.

Jim Goodall was born in Scotland, Lived in Newburgh North Fife as a boy. In 1971, after graduating from Edinburgh College of Art and completing a post-graduate scholarship, he left Scotland to live in Denmark where he worked as a painter and illustrator of educational material before joining the Danish development aid programme, DANIDA, as an education adviser - the job that ultimately brought him to Vietnam in 2000.
Jim Goodall now works in the Hanoi lakeside suburb of Tay Ho and exhibits regularly with Art Vietnam Gallery, Hanoi Studio Gallery and in Hong Kong. He has contributed to the British Council’s new centre in Hanoi and the Hue Festival of Arts and recently to ‘Of this and other Worlds’, new Vietnamese art, Bankside Gallery, London.
Jim Goodall web site.

The best oiled gun in town, a man well know to Jim.

Man with Ferret who lived in Newburgh.

Clatchard, Bell Bros, owners of what is now Enstone Thistle quarry, Newburgh, North Fife.

Snuffy PC 249, the local bobby.

Music Night Bear Tavern

Music Night Bear Tavern Newburgh North Fife. Traditional Scottish Folk Music being played by an Ad Hoc mix of musicians that varies each week depending!! A very relaxed venue being recorded by Perth Royal Infirmary hospital radio service. This is a wee snippet of the evening.
Music Night at the Bear Tavern Newburgh North Fife. Unaccompanied folk singing By Jimmy Hutchison.

North Fife History. Cupar: A History History of North Fife Cupar. North Fife Property. Tour Scotland. North Fife Maps. St.Andrews and East Fife: Cupar, Anstruther and Crail (Explorer) Rent a Cottage in North Fife Scotland.

Cattle Creich North Fife

Cattle Creich North Fife. This Field was once a defensive marsh around Creich Castle. View.

North Fife History. Cupar: A History History of North Fife Cupar. North Fife Property. Tour Scotland. North Fife Maps. St.Andrews and East Fife: Cupar, Anstruther and Crail (Explorer) Rent a Cottage in North Fife Scotland.

Suckler Herd North Fife

Suckler Herd North Fife. This part of north fife is of mixed farming, this portion of a herd is at Mountquhanie not far from Belhelvie where Aberdeen Angus and Sheep are reared, meats are for sale at the farm shop.
North Fife History. Cupar: A History History of North Fife Cupar. North Fife Property. Tour Scotland. North Fife Maps. St.Andrews and East Fife: Cupar, Anstruther and Crail (Explorer) Rent a Cottage in North Fife Scotland.
I remembered Sandy.

White Tara North Fife

White Tara frame drawing. This design which takes its inspiration from a story, Buddha's Law amongst the birds also incorporating the 8 auspicious symbols was engraved into silver with White Tara within the frame. Bejewelled and Gold plated, about A4 in size. Sponsored by Ani Pema, it was offered to H.H. Karmapa on my visit to Rumtek Monastery at Losar time in 1980. It was amongst the first precious metal artefacts that have been produced here in North Fife.

Tchu Singe (water lion)

Tchu Singe (water lion) Traditional roof ornaments on Temples in Tibet and China, protectors to the four quarters. In the building of Samye-Ling many volunteers laboured to bring about its completion by the 8th of the 8th 1988. One of my roles was to model in clay a Tchu Singe, a cast was made and four made from it in glass reinforced resin. Looking ok after 20 years though I noticed Jackdaws had nested in the mouth of one, something that I'm sure H.H.Karmapa would appreciate.

16th Karmapa

The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpei Dorje performing the Black Hat Ceremony at Dakpo Kagyu ling, Le Moustier France in 1977.
It was here that I first met His Holiness Karmapa, wheeled into a room and guided before him, feeling alert yet at total ease. Leaning across, His Holiness removed the hand book for a 16 mm movie camera from my coat pocket and tossed it away. After awhile everyone in the room left suddenly like a flock of birds, myself alone in the room. My attention was drawn to a very beautiful jade, silver, jewelled, engraved stem cup. The outcome was that I forgot to put the frame gate on the movie camera and the Black Hat Ceremony remains not filmed. A year later, in Rumtek monastery Sikkim, when working on a large format photographic archive, through an unsolicited process of divination by His Holiness Karmarpa and Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, part of which was to choose a hand, my choice revealed a lump of charcoal, it transpired that I should become a maker of Dharma objects and learn how to purify gold. Well, I do and can refine gold, not so sure about progress in the spiritual dimension. It was a very transformative time. Below is His Holiness supported by Lama Gendun and Atchi, his translator. Along side is Mr Benson who gave his lands to the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Black Hat is ( I was later able to examine ) a most exquisite example of goldwork, fine and really skilfully made, bejewelled and topped by a huge natural uncut ruby.


Visiting the centre from along the valley was Pawo Rinpoche, another stunning human being, and I'm sure even on your PC you will detect a particular twinkle in his eye.


All of this is a long way from north fife yet deep in my being.

Phil Kay at The Big Tent

Phil Kay at The Big Tent Falkland North Fife, Scotland's Festival of Stewardship. Here in an ad lib situation as we wait for the Peatbog Faeries. Well somebody has to do it.

Falkland Big Tent North Fife

Falkland Big Tent Festival is growing from year to year, set in the lush and verdant grounds of Falkland Palace. Here visitors are being greeted by one of the fairy's in attendance.

The Chipolatas at Falkland North Fife

The Chipolatas at Falkland North Fife, Brilliant, A well polished and entertaining act as performed at Scotland's Festival of Stewardship in the grounds of Falkland Palace in North Fife.

Voices del Sur at Falkland

Roots Latin American Music in Falkland Palace grounds at The Big Tent Festival, North Fife