Robert Burns Mural

The Robert Burns Mural, designed and created by artist Michael Corr sits on a prominent gable-end wall of the Robert Burns World Federation building, at 3A John Dickie Street, Kilmarnock, KA1 1HW.

It was completed in May 2024.

About the mural

Nature

Robert Burns was born into a farming family. His upbringing earned him the name “Ploughman Poet” and later he was nicknamed “the heaven-taught ploughman”.

Nature features strongly in Burns' work. He found great inspiration in his surroundings. 

Some of his most beautiful and thought provoking poems celebrate nature and wildlife, reflecting his understanding of and love for nature.

Publication of The "Kilmarnock Edition",  which was printed close to where the mural stands, played a pivotal role in his life.

It famously contains his well loved poems “To a Mouse” and “To a Mountain Daisy” which were forward thinking and ahead of their time, touching on universal themes which still apply today.

Colours

Michael Corr's mural design uses a bright and vibrant colour palette that is eye catching and uses its colours to represent many themes:

• browns and greens representing nature throughout – green is also part of the East Ayrshire Coat of Arms
• pink - one of the most common colours in flowers and nature
• yellow - the sun as mentioned in “To a Mountain Daisy”
• gold - a key component of the East Ayrshire Coat of Arms
• blue represents:
  • the flax flower 
    • harvested locally and used in a number of industrial processes in Kilmarnock including weaving, rope making and paper making 
    • a personal connection with Burns. He grew and harvested flax himself and it was also a primary component of  the paper used to print his masterpieces, so it represents the full life cycle of both Burns and the industry and nature which surrounded him.
  • the waters of the Irvine Valley and Doon Valley rivers, which run through East Ayrshire and are part of the East Ayrshire Coat of Arms

Portrait

The mural depicts Robert Burns striking a confident, face on pose, which is a fresh and new way of looking at Burns. His portrait is made up of natural organic shapes and patterns and all reflect his surroundings and work.

Stencils and patterns

The diamonds in the piece refer to the “black diamonds” in the East Ayrshire Coat of Arms, which represent coal, a major industry during Burns' time. 

Diamonds also represent Burns' “diamond point pen” (stylus) with which he etched spontaneous verses on window panes across the country, often in payment for board and lodgings at hostelries as he travelled. The diamonds also make up a tartan pattern, native to Scotland and reflecting the importance of weaving in the area.

Pine cones represent fir trees, again a feature of the East Ayrshire Coat of Arms while the daisy refers to “To a Mountain Daisy” (Kilmarnock Edition).

Wheat denotes nature and his famous “To a Mouse”, which tells the story of harvesting wheat fields and the effect of mans' powers on the natural world. 

Flax seeds provide health benefits and useful products from nature and were a major industry in Kilmarnock during Burns' era. The expressive strokes and shapes reflect organic and natural elements and chime with the ornate patterns decorating his books.

Competitive commissioning process

Michael Corr was appointed after a competitive commissioning process in which 33 artists bid.

Read our press release 'New Robert Burns mural to adorn Kilmarnock'

Michael's successful proposal was a contemporary portrait of Robert Burns, whose career took off thanks to the publication of the First Edition. Kilmarnock's townspeople were instrumental in the success of Burns' career. 

The project was made possible thanks to funding from:

• Kilmarnock Business Association
• Celebrate Kilmarnock
• East Ayrshire Leisure
• East Ayrshire Council
• Robert Burns World Federation

Creating the mural

Watch Michael Corr's video to see how the mural was created.

About the artist

Michael Corr is an award-winning contemporary painter and mural artist, based in Central Scotland.

His work centres around portrait painting with an emphasis on bright and vivid colour palettes, patterns and spontaneous mark making.

Michael has a BA Hons in Graphic Design (2010),  which, combined with his primary interest in expressive art, has developed into a uniquely powerful style of painting and drawing.

His work has featured in both group and solo exhibitions across Scotland over 10 years. His paintings have attracted private collectors both in the UK and internationally.

You can find Michael's large scale mural work around Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Palm Springs (CA, USA). He has significant experience developing and installing work in the public realm. Clients he has worked with include:

• Chivas Regal
• Bacardi
• NCR
• Saatchi Online
• Scottish Music Awards
• Scottish Power
• SEC

He is currently a Daler Rowney Featured Artist. 

Community feedback

Examples of feedback about the mural

Comments from the 'Meet the Artist Event' on 27 July 2023

• "Great idea, will bring people in - a great focal point"
• "Brightens up the place"
• "Love the idea of bringing colour to the town and bringing the history of Robert Burns back to life"
• "Very apt location"
• "Looks very good, modern, striking"

Comments from email correspondence early October 2023

• "This looks absolutely fantastic!"
• "I really like this powerful and evocative portrait and it will certainly engender debate and discussion as well as driving interest in Robert Burns and his place in Kilmarnock history"

Comments from Kilmarnock Standard story on 20 November 2023

• "Love it, well done"
• "Everything he (Michael Corr) does is amazing"
• "Brilliant artwork and a strong bond between Robert Burns and the town of Kilmarnock"
• "Love it! I cannot wait to watch it being painted next year! I’ve waited years for Kilmarnock to get excellent outside art like this!"

Daily Record: Robert Burns mural to be painted in Kilmarnock town centre is finally unveiled

Comments from Facebook

• "Excellent and creative - can't wait to see it - Burns would have loved this I'm sure"
• "I think it looks great -  let's have more of these in the town, brightens it up"
• "Yes, more colour please, more art, more murals, more plants and flowers - those things are so uplifting"
• "Looks great and brings colour to the town - we should have more of these on blank walls around the town and create an art tour a bit like what Glasgow has done"
• "I think it’s lovely - I believe his creative, talented mind would love this version of himself - influenced by the world we live in today, forever changing and forever growing"
• "Love it. We need more art and creativity in the town like this"
• "I think both murals are great and hopefully just the start of many more"
• "I personally think it looks refreshing and gives you something positive to turn and smile at"