Loch this way: 3D mural wows tourists at nature reserve

A 3D mural has wowed tourists at a famous nature reserve and the artist hopes people will photobomb it for years to come.

Loch Leven in Kinross is known for its beauty spots and vast array of flora and fauna.

Artist Chris Rutterford, 48, originally from Edinburgh but now lives in Dalkieth, Midlothian, has painted a three-part design on an outdoor staircase leading up to it.

Artist Chris Rutterford on steps at RSPB Loch Leven. SWNS Matthew Newby via SWNS

The detailed artwork depicts the RSPB nature reserve’s three main kinds of habitats with greenland, forestry and wetlands in one image.

Funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery, the piece took him only two weeks to complete.

Mr Rutterford said: “We were up there every day.

“If I get the drawing right, the mural flows quite easily.

“I like to make murals that bear repeat viewing and this one is interactive as well. We’re hoping that people will be photobombing it in years to come.

Mural on steps at RSPB Loch Leven. SWNS. Matthew Newby via SWNS

“The tops of the stairs are still concrete, so it’s quite a funny feeling when you walk up it.

“The art on the stairs reveals itself as you go, it’s a really 3D experience. You see people walking up gingerly because they are worried about breaking the mural.

“I heard people arriving and cooing in delight and jumping out their skin when they saw it.

“Some people walking down the stairs don’t even realise it’s there and when they come back, they were blissfully unaware of it.

“The grey stairs were totally inappropriate for Loch Leven so this is really underlining their story now and creating theatre for people when they arrive at the reserve.”

Mr Rutterford’s previous project, painting the Colinton Tunnel – Scotland’s largest historical mural – took him a number of years to complete.

By Hamish Morrison