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Archive for the ‘Artwork of the Week’ Category

‘Work in progress – continued – Above Dalwhinnie’

Posted by admin on June 9th, 2011
work-in-progress-continued
‘Above Dalwhinnie’ – work in progress

‘Work in progress – continued – Above Dalwhinnie’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 80 x 80 cm

Last week I posted a photo of a painting that I was working on.  This week I thought it might be interesting to show you the same painting ….but in a more advanced state.  I’ve worked on the painting for a couple of days and I feel that the composition is getting better.  The balance of the painted and drawn marks is much closer now to what I’ve been trying to achieve.

I’ve now got this painting sat against the studio wall where I can see it while I get on with other pieces.  I may return to it in a day or so …or leave it for several weeks before making a decision about it.  Once I’m fairly sure that it’s close to being finished I’ll probably put it into a temporary frame so that I can get a better idea.  It’s strange but I find I can judge a piece better once it has a frame around it….even if it is just one of the old frames I keep in the studio for the purpose.

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Work in Progress – ‘Above Dalwhinnie’

Posted by admin on June 3rd, 2011
work-in-progress-above-dalwhinnie

'Above Dalwhinnie'

 

Work in Progress – ‘Above Dalwhinnie’, Acrylic & Pastel, 80 x 80 cm

I’ve been working on this 80 x 80 cm painting for the last few days.  It is as it says above ….work in progress and has a fair amount of painting still to been done on it.  Once again I’m using several of my smaller paintings as a starting point but I’m trying to develop the marks, the quality of the paint.  I’ve been using heavy body acrylic paint mixed with a gloss medium.  It gives the paint surface more texture but where it is laid down quite thin, it is somewhat translucent, allowing colours underneath to show through.

This painting is already moving away from the earlier smaller pieces and I envisage it changing further still.  This said, although the marks are bolder and chunkier, I want to try and retain much of the subtlety of colour and atmosphere that is an important part of my work.  Getting the balance right is going to be a difficult but interesting problem.

 

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‘The Cobbler from Ben Donich – a damp summer day’

Posted by admin on May 27th, 2011

the-cobbler-from-ben-donich-a-damp-summer-day-acrylic-pastel-2011-76-x-23-cm

 

‘The Cobbler from Ben Donich – a damp summer day’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 76 x 23cm

The Arrochar hills are a fine group of hills all packed into quite a small area.  Although not the highest, the Cobbler is without doubt the most eye catching with its distinctive outline.  We caught this brief view of it the other summer when we were walking Ben Donich the lies just a short distance to the north west of it.  It was quite a damp day if you were over on the Cobbler but incredibly despite the dark threatening cloud that enveloped most of the hills …we remained dry and were able to just stand and watch…..we even caught a bit of sun as we arrived at the summit I seem to remember.  It never ceases to amaze me just how localised conditions can be in the Scottish hills.

 

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‘On Ben Oss, winter afternoon’

Posted by admin on May 22nd, 2011
'On Ben Oss, winter afternoon'

'On Ben Oss, winter afternoon'

‘On Ben Oss, winter afternoon’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 80 x 80 cm

I have almost completed this painting.  Based on a smaller piece I did a number of years ago, this piece tries to develop the more abstract nature of the view.  On the afternoon in question, we’d climbed the hill in driving snow and buffeting winds.  It really wasn’t very pleasant and we came close to turning back at one point.  The forecast though had said the band of snow would be short lived and pass through after a couple of hours.  The snow stopped as we arrived at the summit and after a short while the cloud started to break.  We got glimpses down into Cononish glen and across to Ben Lui and Beinn Chuirn.

I think this piece is finished but I’ll need to let it sit now before I’m sure.  I have though signed it and I doubt there’ll be much more work done on it.  This photo was just a quick ‘snap’ so please excuse the poor image quality ….I’ll get it photographed properly later.

 

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‘Assynt 2011, Quinag sketch’

Posted by admin on May 16th, 2011
assynt-2011-quinag-sketch

'Assynt 2011, Quinag sketch'

 

‘Assynt 2011, Quinag sketch’, Graphite pencil on paper

This is one of the quick sketches I did while up in Assynt and Sutherland during the last couple of weeks.  In the past I’ve always used a black drawing pen, but decided this year to use a soft graphite pencil instead.  The marks are I guess slightly more fluid and less scratchy and I like the quick feel about this little drawing.

Quinag is a big and quite complex hill with a number of tops and three main ridges.  From all sides it looks impressive and I’ve started to think about doing a large drawing or painting based on this hill ….perhaps doing it along similar lines to the large drawing I did of the Dom in Speyer last summer.  In this piece you may remember, I tried to draw the cathedral from different positions as I walked around it.   I’ll try to post up a few more of these simple sketches soon.

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‘October morning, below Goat fell, Isle of Arran’

Posted by admin on April 28th, 2011
october-morning-below-goatfell-isle-of-arran-acrylic-pastel-2011-80-x-80-cm

'October morning below Goatfell, Isle of Arran'

 

‘October morning, below Goat fell, Isle of Arran’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 80 x 80 cm

When you arrive at Brodick, Isle of Arran on the ferry you have two options if youwant to get to Goat fell. You can either catch a bus the couple of miles or so to the start of the main path, or you can walk….either along the road or by one of two paths. We nearly always take the path that starts in Brodick and heads out between the golf course and the sea. It’s a great little walk even if you don’t go on to Goat fell and is a very nice way to get to and from the castle too. All the way along you get wonderful views of Arran’s highest hill, Goat fell and I seem to spend a good deal of time whenever we’re walking this path, just stopping and looking at this wonderful hill through my monocular. It always looks good but it seems to me particularly so in the autumn when the trees are turning and the days are drawing in. This recent painting is based on just such a day.

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‘Assynt skyline, May’

Posted by admin on April 15th, 2011
185 'Assynt skyline, May', Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 30 x 30 cm

'Assynt skyline, May'

‘Assynt skyline, May’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 30 x 30 cm

It’s getting close now to my trip to Assynt.  I’ve been checking maps and working out routes and although it’s still a few weeks away I’m starting to get excited.  This little painting is based on a view we had the last time we were there.  On the occasion we were on the coast looking towards the wonderful hills.  It really is quite a skyline, the shapely hills rising abruptly from the wild loch strewn landscape.  Hopefully we’ll have some more of the blue sky we had that day …but less wind.   I know, I’m not asking for much am I, but heck, I can dream can’t I?

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‘Harbour side, Irvine’

Posted by admin on April 10th, 2011
'Harbourside, Irvine', Oil, 30 x 30 cm

'Harbourside, Irvine'

 

‘Harbour side, Irvine’, Oil, 30 x 30 cm

This is one of the first paintings I did on setting up my studio at the Courtyard on Irvine harbour side about eight years ago.  I decided that it seemed appropriate to include it as Work of the week because as from the middle of last week, this scene no longer exists!  The wonderful old crane has been dismantled and moved to the yard at the Maritime Museum …it’s final fate no doubt depending on available funds.  But I’ve said enough about that on my blog.  This is the view showing the old crane and just beyond on the right, the Courtyard Studios building.  Indeed, my studio is now right at this end of the building.  About eighteen months ago an elderly gentleman came into my studio and after looking around for a few minutes, told me that this used to be his office ….I think he said that he had been a customs officer and the building used to be a customs office in the days that the harbour side was still used commercially.  One of the great things about having my studio ‘open’ to visitors is that you never know who will walk in.  Over the years I’ve met many local people who’ve told me a little of the history of this fascinating area.

 

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‘Ptarmigan, early spring, Loch Lomond National Park’

Posted by admin on April 2nd, 2011
'Ptarmigan, early spring. Loch Lomond National Park'

'Ptarmigan, early spring. Loch Lomond National Park'

‘Ptarmigan, early spring, Loch Lomond NP’, Acrylic & Pastel, 30 x 30 cm

Despite having walked this hill a good many times over the last few years, I’ve only tried to do a painting of it a couple of times.  This little painting, completed several years ago, is based on the view I had looking through my monocular towards the steep upper section of the Ptarmigan ridge on Ben Lomond.  We’d actually been walking on a different hill and had stopped for a meal at Tarbet on our way back.  The early evening sun was catching the snow on the higher slopes of the hill and it looked superb across the waters of Loch Lomond.

Having recently returned from walking the Ptarmigan ridge of Ben Lomond, I’m thinking it’s about time to do another painting based on this wonderful hill.  I’ll be heading down the studio after lunch and so may even start work on it this afternoon.

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‘Above Loch Tulla, passing shower’

Posted by admin on March 25th, 2011
above-loch-tulla-passing-shower-acrylic-pastel-60-x-60-cm

‘Above Loch Tulla, passing shower’

 

‘Above Loch Tulla, passing shower’, Acrylic & Pastel, 60 x 60 cm (work in progress)

With my sight as it is, I rarely get to see rainbows …most are far too faint for me to see. Occasionally though if the skies are very dark and dramatic, I can make them out.

This is a painting I’m currently working on and is based on just such a moment. The rainbow was quite bright and looked wonderful against the dark skies and rich autumn colours of the surrounding hillside. We saw this view several years ago and I’ve already tried twice before to do a painting about it. This is the third attempt …the first two being scrapped. I’m certainly happier with this attempt but at the moment can’t make up my mind abut it ….it’s going to need some time I think. Interestingly as anyone who reads my blog may recall, we were walking on the same hill just a few weeks ago and similarly saw another very bright rainbow over Loch Tulla ….it must be the place to go for rainbows!

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