I’ve just completed a small painting (30 x 30 cm) that I’ve called ‘Autumn grass, Beinn Inverviegh’*. It’s based on a day a few weeks ago when a friend and I headed for a day in the hills. The day though, was grim, but as it was the only day the two of us could get off we felt we had to get out somewhere despite the dreadful conditions.
The mountain forecast was very poor with winds predicted to gust to 80mph on the summits and prolonged heavy rain. It was certainly not a day for the high tops, or one that involved any kind of stream crossing either. In the end my friend suggested we could walk a section of the West Highland Way. It would be low level on a good path and no navigational problems but we’d at least be out. We decided to drive up to Bridge of Orchy and walk the WHW north for a few miles. This at first climbs gradually up over the shoulder of Beinn Inverveigh before dropping back down to near Victoria Bridge and then on up onto Rannoch Moor. We could go as far as we wanted and then just retrace our steps.
When we arrived at Bridge of Orchy the weather was pretty bad with rain, low cloud and high winds ..but, not as bad as forecast.
We donned the waterproofs and headed off and although it was dull and grey it was good to be out. As we gained a little height and emerged onto the hill above the trees we realised that the cloud had risen a bit and was now just off the top of Beinn Inverveigh at around 650m. The wind too, wasn’t any where near as strong as expected and so after a quick rethink we decided to leave the WHW and instead head up Beinn Inverveigh.
It’s a long heathery broad ridge stretching for several kilometres. The views around to the bigger hills were still limited and very grey, but as soon as we gained a bit more height we realised that much closer to hand, indeed foot, everything was much brighter. In fact the colours of the numerous grasses were quite astonishing, all kinds of yellow, red, ochre and umber, scattered still with occasional patches of bright green and speckled with small late flowers of yellow and white. The textures were impressive too; the grass all matted and woven together by the heavy rain as it fell and drained away.
We reached the small pile of rocks marking the summit and it was a lonely place indeed on that day. By this time the light was already poor and the weather after its brief improvement was filling in again. We didn’t hang around too long and made back along the ridge in increasingly heavy rain and with the cloud now scudding across the top again. But what a day, you go out expecting to see nothing and instead come back with a head full of colours!
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* This painting is currently being exhibited at:Gallery 23
23 Parnie St Glasgow G1 5RJ Tel: 0141 552 6325 Email: artgallery23@btinternet.com |
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On Friday 23rd October my partner Anita and I drove across to Edinburgh in order to hand in the two paintings I was entering for the RSA Annual Exhibition. 
Thankfully it was a beautiful day with bright sun and it was nice just to stand and look at these fantastic buildings. It was also quite fun listening to some of my fellow ‘failed to get selected’ artists moaning and complaining about the long wait! It took about an hour and a half to get to the front of the queue and I felt rather sorry for the people working there, the woman who helped us find my paintings said she hadn’t had a minutes break since 10 o’clock and she looked in desperate need for a cup of tea. There were still many many works to be handed back so it looked like it was going to be a long day for them all, but somehow they were all still smiling and doing a great job. We eventually got back to the studio at around 5pm …both feeling a little shattered. All that effort not to get the work into the show. But that really is the nature of the beast. If you enter these large competition exhibitions the odds are well stacked against you. You know there will probably be several thousand other hopefuls entering too and that your work will be viewed for just a matter of seconds in the selection process. 
I decided then to enter two of these new paintings for the RSA exhibition. Both of them are slightly bigger than I normally work on and this increase in size has allowed me to be a little more expressive in the way in which I put the paint down. The two paintings are:
Well then, the two paintings are now in the hands of the RSA along with no doubt several thousand other hopefuls work. With these ‘open’ exhibitions it’s always a bit of a gamble …you never really know whether your work will be accepted …but it’s always good fun entering. I always say to people who come into my studio and who are entering works in such exhibitions …don’t get disappointed if your painting is rejected. But of course, when the rejection letter arrives, it really is hard not to be just a wee bit aggrieved! 
Well, the Courtyard Studios Open Weekend has come and gone ….the studio is back to normal now …if a little bit tidier and cleaner than it was this time last week. But it really wasn’t the most successful of weekends. The visitor numbers were well down and so were sales. I guess it’s just a sign of the times.
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