'Every time I walk on to the ferry boat to Iona and watch the island approach, I feel a rush of excitement, it feels like I’m entering a different realm. Thousands of people visit each year, seeking something meaningful on this island with its deep spiritual history. In the painting you can see the tower of Iona abbey and a suggestion of the village.

My Orcadian ancestry goes deep into the past on my dad's side, but I don't feel the affinity for Orkney that I do for Iona. I’d always imagined I’d have my ashes scattered there one day. I never imagined I’d get married on Iona, but I did! In 2023, in St Oran's Chapel. My bridal bouquet was a bunch of wild flowers picked from the hedgerows and my engagement ring was made from Ionian marble from the south of the Island streaked with green serpentine crystal.

Hebridean sailors used to gaze at the green sea, or at green stones before a sea voyage. They believed it would save them from drowning. That particular mesmerising, translucent green of Hebridean sea is thanks to fine shell-sand and north Atlantic light.' - Rose Strang