Dramatic and brooding landscapes are all very well.
We certainly have no shortage of them in Scotland.
However, a painting of Ben Nevis isn’t going to make your mouth water or stomach rumble, unlike the series of work that’s being tackled by Gourock-based artist Wil Freeborn.
Over the last couple of months, he’s been on a mission to paint some of this country’s finest bakeries and cafes, while sharing the results on his 26.2k followers on Instagram.
The collection will be part of a 2026 calendar, soon to be available on Etsy. We asked him to tell us more about his work.
Tell us about your background/training/day job?
I work as a freelance illustrator and artist. As well as work for commercial clients I take private commissions to do paintings of houses, portraits and pets. I love painting outside (en plein air) and enjoy travelling on my bicycle and painting different views around the country.
Tell us about your materials and process
My process is really simple as I work in watercolour. With my café/bakery series it’s slightly more complicated as I like them to be pretty precise and detailed as I’ll be working in my studio. I measure everything out and draw it in pencil then I ink the outlines and finally paint it in with watercolour. If I’m painting outside I travel with a tripod, stool and easel and paint the view on site, I’ll occasionally use this study for bigger paintings later in the studio.
Why did you decide to do the series of cafe/bakeries?
This is the second series of café/bakeries I’ve done. The very first one I did was of café exteriors. That was back in 2016 at the same time as the Glasgow Coffee Festival. I felt it was part of the new café scene that started to emerge at the time. I think when I started freelance I worked a lot in cafés and then started drawing in them. This was back in 2015 and it’s something I really enjoyed doing. I initially wanted to do an illustrated book about the scene but as with many projects, the events in 2020 put a pause on it. In 2023 I returned to that project and did my first series of Glasgow café/bakeries and for next year I wanted to go a bit further and cover more around Scotland. This year I’m doing a new calendar as well as a diary planner that features café sketches.
Which painting are you happiest with?
I like the window ones that show all the baked goods displayed. They’re really pleasing compositions that are neatly framed. I think I have favourites for sure. Because they take a while to do, I usually work that out right at the beginning stages.
Any that didn't go as well as you'd hoped, or that you had to redo?
Ha, not so far!
How long does it take for you to complete each painting?
They usually take about two to three days, but this doesn’t include the time to go and visit the café/bakery. If I have time I like to make a day of it. That involves visiting the premises, enjoying some bakes and, if possible, I’ll also do some painting in the neighbourhood. I’ll sometimes do a short film about the day and post it on Instagram.
How have your Etsy sales gone?
I wait until I finish a series and make a calendar that’s available to buy as a pre-order on Etsy. I haven’t fully explored doing prints of the paintings, though I do make them available if I’m asked. It's a bit of a task to do the calendar each year. I collaborate with a super talented designer, Kieran Reilly (The Shine Agency). We’ve worked for a few years on them and try to do a different version each year.
How did you decide on the shortlist of bakeries and cafes, and which ones are next in line?
I think everyone who is a fan of bakeries has a shortlist of places they’d like to visit. The last one in this series is Dunkeld’s Aran Bakery which I last visited in 2018 when I did a painting of the exterior as well. It was really nice to revisit, it was incredibly busy, I think they had their busiest day of the year. For practical reasons, I’ve generally kept to the central area of Scotland. I’d like to do a cycle trip around the whole of Scotland next year and visit more as well as painting and writing byway around the coastline. I would really like to visit more from the borders as well as the islands. At the same time, I’m a huge fan of classic Scottish bakeries that we should also still celebrate.
How many of these paintings do you hope to do in total?
I’ll keep going, since I’ve been drawing cafés, they’re have been some that have closed and new ones open so it's nice keeping a record of the scene.
Did you sample any cakes while at these places - which was most memorable?
Ha, always! My current favourite is Kaf bakery in Glasgow. Their Cubanos is a lovely light pastry that features ham and cheese and is topped with a jalapeño pepper.
To pre-order Wil Freeborn’s 2026 calendar, see www.etsy.com/uk/shop/wilfreeborn
