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Archive for the ‘Artwork of the Week’ Category

‘Sunlight and Stones, Beinn a’ Ghlo’

Posted by admin on September 14th, 2012
65-sunlight-stones-beinn-a-ghlo-acrylic-pastel-2007-58-x-34cm

‘Sunlight & Stones, Beinn a’ Ghlo’

‘Sunlight and Stones, Beinn a’ Ghlo’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2007, 58 x 34 cm

The paintings I’m currently doing in oil, originate from this small acrylic and pastel piece I did back in 2007.  At the time I felt that this was a move forward, away from the very heavy use of pastel and towards a bolder composition.  I particularly liked the simple broad bands of colour and mark and now, 5 years on, I’m exploring the possibilities that this painting first suggested.

I always liked this piece; indeed, it was one of the 10 pieces I included in my application for the Jolomo Award 2009.  I spent much time trying to work out the best 10 pieces to use for my application but this piece was never in doubt.  The painting was bought a couple of years ago ….so if you’re reading this; I hope you’re still enjoying it.

Why not come along to the Courtyard Studios Open Weekend on Saturday 6th / Sunday 7th October where you’ll be able to see my latest paintings.  Open Saturday11 am – 5pm, Sunday 12 noon – 5pm.

To see some of my new paintings right now …check out this weeks blog and last weeks too.

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New drawing, Pen, 2012

Posted by admin on September 8th, 2012
new-drawing-pen-2012-148-x-210-mm

New drawing, pen, 2012

New drawing, Pen, 2012, 148 mm x 210 mm

While doing battle with the larger oil paintings I’ve had plenty of time to play around with some new little line drawings.  This is one of them that I quite liked and may take further …possibly on a bigger scale and using a soft graphite pencil instead.

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‘Early spring, above Drumochter’

Posted by admin on September 1st, 2012
'Early spring, above Drumochter'

‘Early spring, above Drumochter’,

‘Early spring, above Drumochter’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 80 x 80 cm

Thought I’d use this painting as the work of the week seeing that it is currently hanging in ‘The gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh.  If you go to this week’s blog you’ll see that the gallery has been celebrating ….the first five apprentices at the gallery have successfully completed their two year training.  These young people, along with the staff have helped make sure that this very special gallery is a success.  If you haven’t visited yet and live in Edinburgh then why not get down and take a look.  More info at: http://www.thegalleryonthecorner.org.uk/

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‘Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

Posted by admin on August 24th, 2012
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‘Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

‘Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm

This is the latest of the new ‘Sutherland’ paintings.  It is another view of the breaking cloud as we descended Beinn Griam Beg after a heavy snow shower.  There is something very special about being on a hillside when the cloud starts to break and clear around you.  Holes appear in the greyness and you can peer through to the world beyond.  Sometimes the cloud can fill in again as quickly as it broke and that will have been your one and only view for the day.  On this occasion though, the heavy snow clouds swept by and within about half an hour we were walking down the hill in bright warm sunshine..the snow that had collected in the grass, melting fast.

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‘Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland’

Posted by admin on August 18th, 2012

'Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland'

‘Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland’

‘Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 76 x 23 cm

I did this painting last year but somehow managed to forget to photograph it before I had it framed.  What is more, I didn’t realise this prior to sending the painting, (along with five others) to be exhibited at the Braidwood Restaurant near Dalry.

The painting is based on the view we had as we sat at the south summit of Arkle, looking NE towards the long ridge of Ben Hope.  I had always wanted to walk into this range of mountains and it was a wonderful experience.  We saw no one else that day and the light and colours were just beautiful.

Unfortunately this is a very poor photo of the painting …it is enlarged from a more general studio snap.  However, it gives a reasonable idea and so long as the painting doesn’t sell ….I’ll have a chance of getting a proper record of it when it returns to the studio at the end of the year.  If it does sell,.well, I’ll just have to put it down to experience!

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‘West, from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’

Posted by admin on August 10th, 2012

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‘West, from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’

‘West, from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’, Oil on canvas, 2012, 80 x 80 cm

I finally finished this painting a few days ago ….after much time and work.  Indeed, I think I’ve been working on this piece for over two months.  Anyway, here it is …and I’m quite pleased with it.  It is certainly one of the better of the new oil paintings I think.

The painting is based on the views we had back in May, as we walked Beinn Griam Mor in the Flow Country of Sutherland.  As we looked out over the low bog country towards the high ground to the west, there was just this wonderful natural pattern of colour and texture.  I’ve put the oil paint down in broad overlapping bands in an attempt to try and mimic the view out over this wild northern landscape.  The painting is to be framed next week but will then be at my studio for a while should anyone wish to visit and see it.  You can contact me at my studio on 07742 437425.

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‘A walk in the wild, above Drumochter, winter’

Posted by admin on August 3rd, 2012
221 'A walk in the wild. above Drumochter, winter', Oil on canvas, 2012, 80 x 80 cm

‘A walk in the wild. above Drumochter, winter’

‘A walk in the wild, above Drumochter, winter’, Oil on canvas, 2012, 80 x 80 cm

I’ve probably shown this painting on my home page before, but I was particularly pleased with it and recently took it to the Waverley Gallery in Prestwick to have it framed.  The large wooden cream coloured frames I’ve been using with these 80 x 80 cm paintings didn’t work with this piece and so I decided to see if we could find something more suitable and contemporary.  A couple of years ago I’d seen some canvases a colleague had had framed using a simple ‘floating’ frame.  These worked very well and so I decided to ask if they could do something similar for my painting.  The frame is just a right angled moulding that allows the canvas to sit inside it, allowing a gap between the canvas and the edge of the frame.  It is such a simple solution but it works particularly well with this piece.

‘A walk in the wild, above Drumochter, winter’ is now on display along with three other smaller paintings at ‘The Framework Gallery’ in Troon.   If you live near by, pop in and take a look.  I think it is the best of the new oil paintings and it is shown off well in this new frame.  For more details about the Framework Gallery in Troon, check out the link at the side of this page in the section, ‘Art Galleries showing my art’.

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‘Late snow, near Ben More’

Posted by admin on July 27th, 2012
‘Late snow, near Ben More’

‘Late snow, near Ben More’

‘Late snow, near Ben More’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 30 x 30 cm

This is one of my small acrylic and pastel pieces.  I am currently still working on it but thought I’d use this quick image as work of the week.  It is based on a day a few years ago when we went to walk the east ridge of Ben More near Crianlarich.  It was the first week in April and to our surprise there had been a heavy fall of snow the previous night.  It made everything look wonderful but the snow was not good for walking on and instead of reaching the top of the hill we were forced to retreat.  Not that it really mattered; we still had a great day and saw some beautiful sights.  Anyway, if I get this little piece finished properly, I’ll no doubt post another image of it.

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‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

Posted by admin on July 20th, 2012
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‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’ – Draft

‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm

This is the latest of my recent ‘Sutherland’ paintings.  I got it to this stage a couple of days ago and now its sat waiting until I decide whether it needs any more work doing to it.  Anyway, in this piece I’m once again trying to create a slightly more traditional image, using mostly paint with just a little pastel.

If you followed my Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist page on Facebook back in early may, you would have seen a photo of my partner Anita as she led the way off of the summit of Beinn Griam Beg …the ground white underfoot and the snow still falling and lying on her rucksack. This was the latest of several big and heavy snow showers that came rattling in from the northwest during our walk to this lonely little hill.

As we descended though, the shower passed and the cloud broke all around us with areas of blue sky following.  It was a wonderful scene for ten minutes and we just stood and watched the drifting cloud, the changing light and colours and the transformation from snow covered ground back to grass and rocks as the snow quickly thawed.  As we stood there I said to Nita that I would just have to try and do a painting about this ……this might be it or I might have another go …perhaps making a more abstract image instead.

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‘Towards the Lawers group, winter’

Posted by admin on July 13th, 2012
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“Towards the Lawers group, winter”

 ‘Towards the Lawers group, winter’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2007, 30 x 30 cm

I always liked this little piece and in a way, looking back it’s an interesting one too.  At the time I had been busy creating pieces that used a lot of pastel, and this was one of the first pieces where I tried to get a more even balance between the painted mark and the drawn ones.  It was a good move though as it forced me to concentrate on the paint more and I’m certainly a better painter now because of it.

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    Contact Details

  • Tel: 07568 380552 or 01294 216427
    E-mail: keith@keithsalmon.org