THE FIRST Minister announced he hopes to raise £15,000 for four charities from the sale of the painting and signed prints which featured on his 2009 Christmas cards when he visited an Edinburgh auction house today (Tues).
Alex Salmond asked Scottish artist, Gerard Burns to create and donate a piece of work that would be used as the image for his official 2009 Christmas card and subsequently sell the original to raise funds for charity.
The painting that Gerard Burns presented was of his niece, Hannah McQuillan carrying a Saltire through a frosty backdrop. The First Minister named the piece, A New Journey.
When asked about the concept of showcasing the talents of a Scottish artist on his Christmas card and generating money for charity, The First Minister said: “I suppose when you’re talking about official cards, the temptation or standard is to have the Christmas tree outside Downing Street or the White House or whatever.
