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Exhibitions | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings - Part 5

Archive for the ‘Exhibitions’ Category

A working week

Posted by admin on July 5th, 2013
New framed drawing

New framed drawing

It’s been a fairly quiet week this week, but one during which I’ve got quite a lot of work done. Nita was working night shifts last Saturday and Sunday and has been working twelve and a half hour day shifts Thursday and Friday ….leaving very few opportunities to get back onto the hills. Tuesday really was the only day but this turned out to be very wet and windy. Although a few years ago we’d have gone out anyway, these days we prefer to wait for slightly better weather. With Nita working part time now and me being self employed it means that we generally have far more opportunities to get out and so don’t have to go when it’s bad. It’s also a question for me, of getting my priorities right. The walks are very important to the works I do and as I don’t, generally get that much out of walking along for eight hours in cloud and rain, it makes a lot more sense to stay in the studio and paint when the weather is really grim.

I’ve been continuing to work on the new small paintings for my exhibition at Blairmore Gallery near Dunoon. The work has gone well and I now have four 30 x 30 cm paintings completed and one new 76 x 23 cm piece too. I’ve also started two more 30 x 30 cm pieces and have plans for another two also. The space at Blairmore isn’t vast but in the past when I’ve held exhibitions there I’ve usually included around 17 or 18 pieces including one of the larger paintings or drawings. This year I’m also working on several new small line drawings, (postcard size) and may well include 2 or 3 of these. It’s always about this time ahead of a show that I start to get an idea of what work will be included and an idea in my head of what it will look like. Anyway, I’ve still got 5 weeks so plenty of time to change my mind over and over again ….needless to say, this drives Nita to despair!

New Glen Rosa drawing framed

New Glen Rosa drawing framed

It’s that time of year again and tomorrow we’ll be delivering the two works for the North Ayrshire Open Art Exhibition. As the works to be hung are chosen by a selection panel, you always have an agonising few day wait to see if your own pieces have made it into the show ….a list of selected works is posted on-line later in the week ….it’s all quite exciting. The best thing to do is to try and forget about it ….and keep your fingers crossed! This year, for a change, I’m entering two of my graphite drawings, rather than paintings. I got them back from the framers the other week and have had a chance to see them in the studio for a short while. Hopefully there will be a good response to them but you can never tell ….they may be rejected ….there’s a lot of competition out there and there are always a lot of entries. Full details about how I get on, in next weeks blog.

Our next opportunities to get out on the hills will be from Sunday to Thursday and we’re hoping to make a trip either over to Glen Shee or to Glen Lochy to walk Creag Mhor. We also have to try and fit in a quick trip over to ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh as I have some new work for them…..looks like being a busy busy week ahead.

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Next step

Posted by admin on June 15th, 2013
' A January morning, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

‘ A January morning, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran’

As any of you who visit my Face Book page will know, I’ve been doing some more drawing this last week.  The drawing, to be titled, ‘Rock, snow and water, Harris, May 2013’ is small than the last few pieces and is square as opposed to rectangular.  I wanted it to be similar in size to the 80 x 80 cm paintings I do and so cut the paper to this size.  As you know though, I do like my drawings to have a rough edge and so the actual image size on the paper is 70 x 70 cm, ….give or take few millimetres, leaving a white border all around..

When we were over on Harris last month we had, to our surprise, one day of heavy sleet and snow.  The following day we did a great little walk through a glen between the hills.  The snow was really quite low on the hillsides …less the 100 m and after a few kilometres the path reached a bealach at about 130m.  Even at this height there were several centimetres of snow on the ground and everything looked quite wild and wintry.   By this time though, it was thawing and the streams were really full, cascading down their rocky beds in a mass of white water and it struck me how similar it looked to the patterns made by the snow lying on the rocky hillsides above.  We spent a long time wondering and looking and I decided that I’d have to do some drawings based on this scene and idea.  ‘Rock, snow and water, Harris, May 2013’ is my first attempt and I’m already working on a second piece that will be more abstract, more about the patterns of marks.

'Rock, snow and water, Harris, May 2013'

‘Rock, snow and water, Harris, May 2013’

Anyway, this first piece is finished I think and I’ve decided that it might be fun to enter it for the forth-coming North Ayrshire Open Art Exhibition.  As you can enter up to two pieces, I’ve decided that I might as well enter one of the other recent graphite drawings too.  Of course, the next step is to decide quite how to have them framed.  I normally use a distressed ‘York’ silver frame with a simple mount behind glass, for my smaller paintings and I had at first thought I do with this.  However, I wasn’t sure whether the silver would work with these quite stark graphite images and so went to my framer at the Waverley Gallery in Prestwick seeking some advice and ideas.

I’ve always found selecting a frame very difficult and so to be honest I wasn’t looking forward to this part of the business.  Amazingly though, Tim had the perfect solution …a very simple charcoal coloured frame.  The moment he put it down against the drawing I knew this was the one and although we tried several other options we came back to this first choice.  To retain the ‘rough’ edge of the drawing, there will be no mount, just the glass sitting directly onto the paper.  I’m quite excited and am looking forward to seeing the pieces framed in this way especially as the second piece I’ve chosen is one of the large Glen Rosa drawings.

Well then, that’s about it for this week.  Nita and I are finally starting to get over the nasty bug we’ve had although my voice is still very rough.  Needless to say there have been a few jokes down at the studios about my needing to take up singing the blues instead of painting!  Of course though, we haven’t been out walking for over three weeks now and have been missing all the fine weather which has been most annoying and now that we’re starting to plan our next outing ….the rain is back on!  Hopefully by next week we’ll have made it out onto a hill and my next blog can include a few nice photos of the Scottish Highlands.

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Work on display

Posted by admin on June 6th, 2013
'The Saddle from Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran, March'

‘The Saddle from Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran, March’
-Currently showing at The Framework Gallery-

My apologies for the lack of a blog last week but unfortunately I managed to pick up a nasty bug and although I’ve been working at my studio during the day, I’ve felt too rough most evenings to tackle the computer! In all honesty, I’m still feeling far from good now and so this is just going to be a short ‘picture’ blog this week highlighting a few of the paintings I currently have on display at both The Strathearn Gallery in Crieff and The Framework Gallery in Troon.

I currently have four paintings showing at The Strathearn Gallery in Creiff as part of the ‘New Beginnings’ group exhibition. The exhibition opened on June 1st and runs for a couple of months. To view the exhibition on-line and for further details of the exhibition and gallery, follow this link:

http://www.strathearn-gallery.com/current-exhibition.php

'A hazy spring day, Culter Fell'

‘A hazy spring day, Culter Fell’
-Currently showing at The Strathearn Gallery-

'NE from Stob Ghabhar'

‘NE from Stob Ghabhar’
-Currently showing at The Strathearn Gallery-

I also have four paintings showing at The Framework Gallery in Troon in Ayrshire. For further details of the gallery you can follow the link at the side of this page.

'Sun and snow, in the Blackmount'

‘Sun and snow, in the Blackmount’
-Currently showing at The Framework Gallery-

If you’re living near either of these galleries or fancy a day out why not pop in and see all the work on display.

That’s it for this week. Hopefully by next week I’ll have got my voice back!

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An invitation to exhibit my work in Germany

Posted by admin on April 24th, 2013
Jürgen's work

Jürgen’s work

When I was last over in Speyer in November 2011, (exhibiting a collection of my Scottish paintings in the Künstlerhaus) I got talking to a chap called Jürgen Fischer.  He had come along to see the exhibition with a friend and he told me that several years previously he’d lived and worked on the west coast of Ireland.  He is a sculptor and he’d spent his time creating work from the bog oak he found there.  As we talked we realised we both had a very similar outlook to these wild and rugged landscapes and shortly afterwards he wrote and suggested that we try and hold an exhibition together sometime.

As you know, I didn’t hold any exhibitions last year. I wanted instead, to use the time to try and develop my work.  This year though, I have organised two exhibitions …the first you know about ….the exhibition at ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh back in March.  The second one will take place at Blairmore Gallery near Dunoon from 19th August – 5th October 2013.  I’ll be posting more details about this as the time approaches.  The gallery owners there have kindly invited me to hold exhibitions on a number of occasions over the past 5 or so years and I’ve always enjoyed showing work there …it’s a great little gallery and one that’s well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Jürgen's work

Jürgen’s work

Jürgen's work

Jürgen’s work

Jürgen's work

Jürgen’s work

Jürgen's work

Jürgen’s work

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I received an email from Jürgen asking me whether I’d like to hold an exhibition with him in Germany in the autumn.  Wow ….great stuff ….and of course I’ve said ‘yes’.  The details are to be confirmed, but with a bit of luck we’ll be holding an exhibition together for a few weeks in late September – early October.   It is going to be quite a congested time but well worth it if it all goes to plan.  Anyway, I’ll give full details once I have them, but in the meantime, here are a few photos of Jürgen’s work.  I’m already thinking that I may well do more large graphite drawings for this exhibition …I think they will work well with his sculpture. It’s certainly going to be an exciting few months with much drawing and painting needing to be done!

Latest Glen Rosa drawing, 'Towards Cir Mhor, a winter afternoon'

Latest Glen Rosa drawing, ‘Towards Cir Mhor, a winter afternoon’

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Business & Pleasure…

Posted by admin on March 8th, 2013
On Fell Shin

On Fell Shin

Well then, after many weeks of preparation, my exhibition finally opened last Friday.  Nita and I arrived at ‘the gallery on the corner’ about half an hour before the preview started and I was delighted with the way the work had been hung.  The 18 pieces looked good together I’m pleased to say and we were ready for a good evening.  In short, it was a success, with a very good turn out, four paintings sold and other folk interested too ….so that bodes well for the next four weeks of the exhibition.

Looking across the northern slopes of Culter Fell

Looking across the northern slopes of Culter Fell

A good friend of mine from Iceland told me a few years ago, that in his country, when they hold an exhibition preview, the artist is always introduced and someone always says a few words about the work.  When I went to Germany the other year, I found they did something very similar.  Strangely most of the previews I’ve attended in Britain, don’t do this and so if you don’t actually know the artist or anything about the work, then it’s just a case of looking at the work and drinking a glass of wine and then leaving.

When we were discussing the preview for this exhibition we decided to take the more ‘continental’ approach.  Rob, (one of the assistant managers at the gallery) agreed to do a brief introduction and then I spoke for about five minutes.  I tried very briefly to give some back ground to my paintings and work in general.  It all went by in a bit of a blur, (and that was before I’d had a glass of wine) but folk seemed to think that the evening was better for it and there certainly was a very good atmosphere in the gallery.  Apparently someone was taking a video while Rob gave the introduction and I spoke and this is going to be posted on ‘the gallery on the corner’ Face Book page.  Gulp!  It’ll be interesting to see this short clip once it’s up ….and I can find out exactly what I said.  Anyway, a very big thanks to all at the gallery who made the evening so enjoyable and to all those who managed to get along for the event.  The exhibition runs until March 30th so there’s plenty of time to see it if you live in the area.

Snow on Culter Fell

Snow on Culter Fell

Needless to say, I was keen to get back out walking again.  We hadn’t been out since our trip to the Luss Hills three weeks ago and we’re now reaching the time of year when the days are long enough for me to do a reasonable length walk again.  So then, yesterday was the day, with a perfect weather forecast for the southern uplands of Scotland especially further east.  A good number of years ago we’d gone with some friends from Lanark, to their favourite local hill ….Culter Fell, just to the south of Lanark.  Unfortunately on that occasion one of our friends was feeling unwell and we decided it would be best if we turned back.  We did though see enough to realise that this was a splendid part of the world and well worth returning to at a later date.  Yesterday then, was the date and our earlier impressions were justified entirely.

Culter Fell from Tippet Knowe

Culter Fell from Tippet Knowe

On this occasion we decided to park the car at Coulter village and walk the two and a half miles up the single track road to the base of Culter Fell.  This was probably a good decision as it’s quite a steep pull up and the walk in from the village gave our legs a chance to loosen up before having to get into serious ‘up’ mode.  The countryside hereabouts is gentle but stunningly beautiful.  It reminded me very much of parts of mid Wales.  The glens are steep sided and the hills rounded…..and yesterday morning in the very spring like weather, it was quite idyllic.  As we followed the road up the glen we were accompanied by the calls of Curlew, Oystercatchers, Great Tits, Blackbirds and a Buzzard ….as well as the sheep bleating in the adjoining fields.

We took a circular route, tackling the steep prow of Fell Shin first.  You certainly gain height quickly and the views, even on this very bright hazy day, were lovely.  As we got further up, the angle eased and we had wonderful views across the steep northern slopes of the fell.  Here surprisingly large amounts of snow were still lying and it made the hills look very special indeed.  We stopped regularly to look, take photos and just take in the peace and quiet …it was wonderful.  We reached the trig point that marks the 748m summit of Culter Fell, at about half past one and found a nice spot for lunch.

Over looking an ancient hill fort, from The Bracs

Over looking an ancient hill fort, from The Bracs

Our descent was by way of Tippet Knowe and then along to The Bracs before a final descent to an ancient hill fort and back down to another single track road leading to Coulter.  It was a very fine circuit and definitely a place we’ll be returning to in the future …there are plenty of equally inviting hills all around.  As we left the village at about half past four we passed a very nice looking pub …with the sign outside reading, ‘No horse in our Haggis!’ …food all day, draught beers’.  Next time we’ll have to get our timing right so that we can pay it a visit too.

Back down to the tree line

Back down to the tree line

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‘In sun, rain, mist and snow’, an exhibition of recent work by Keith Salmon.

Posted by admin on February 28th, 2013
'From the east ridge of Beinn Lui, April'

‘From the east ridge of Beinn Lui, April’

‘In sun, rain, mist and snow’, an exhibition of recent work by Keith Salmon.
‘the gallery on the corner’, 34 Northumberland St, Edinburgh EH3 6LS
Preview, Friday March 1st, 6pm – 8pm
Exhibition runs until March 30th
Gallery open, Tues – Sat, 11.00 – 17.00

Well then, this time tomorrow the exhibition will just about be under way. It’s been a lot of work putting it all together, especially as I wanted to get a number of very new paintings completed in time. But I got there and we delivered the work on time last Saturday.

In the end, I selected 18 paintings; 10 of the 30 x 30 cm acrylic and pastel pieces, 4 of the 76 x 23 cm, 1 of the small 210 mm x 148 mm paintings and 3 of the 80 x 80 cm oil paintings. The choice of the last three larger pieces proved a difficult one. I think I must have changed my mind over which to take, about ten times over the last month or so. Part of the reason was that I was keen to include the new 80 x 80 cm acrylic and pastel painting of Beinn a’ Ghlo, that I’ve been working on. If you’ve been following my Face Book page you will have seen various versions of it ….but as I type I’m still not sure whether it’s finished or not. So then, as realisation dawned that it wasn’t going to be ready on time, I then had to find a substitute. In the end I went for three of the more abstract oil on canvas pieces I’ve done over the last year and I think they should work well and compliment the smaller acrylic and pastel pieces quite nicely.

'Snow shower, on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland'

‘Snow shower, on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland’

Even the selection of the 30 x 30 cm paintings wasn’t quite as straight forward as I’d thought. I’d initially planned to include eight pieces this size, but when they were framed and all together in the studio a few weeks ago, I realised that the selection didn’t sit as comfortably together as I’d hoped. Something wasn’t quite right and after much thought I decided that it was probably the mix of colours that wasn’t working. I decided that to pull them all together I needed a couple more paintings but done in more subtle blues, grey and green…..and so started painting again. Sometimes working under pressure is good and on this occasion it seems to have been so. I managed to complete the two new paintings and I’m very satisfied with both of them. They’ve done the trick too and the ten pieces now work well together I think, …though of course until I see them on the wall tomorrow evening I can’t say for sure!

'Dusk, on Rannoch Moor'

‘Dusk, on Rannoch Moor’

If you read last weeks blog you’ll have seen the seven new drawings I’m including in the show. There wasn’t enough space to hang them framed so I’ve just had them mounted and covered with acetate and they’ll be displayed in a stand. The more I’ve seen these drawings since they came back mounted from the framer, the more I’ve liked them and at £285 I think they’re a bargain! But then again I would say that wouldn’t I?!

Right then, that’s it for this week. The images here show paintings that will be in the exhibition, so if you like any why not either pop along to see them for real or contact ‘the gallery on the corner’, (tel; 0131, 557 8969) …or of course you can contact me.

I do hope some of you can get along to see the exhibition while it’s on and remember, if you would like to attend the preview tomorrow, then you’d be very welcome indeed.

'Memories of rain, mist and melting snow, Beinn Chonzie, January 2007'

‘Memories of rain, mist and melting snow, Beinn Chonzie, January 2007’

Keith Salmon, exhibition poster

Keith Salmon, exhibition poster

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Seven drawings

Posted by admin on February 15th, 2013
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‘Early morning, Rannoch Moor’

Earlier this week I took the seven new graphite drawings down to my framer in Prestwick. I’ve asked them to mount the drawings only as there won’t be enough space in the gallery to hang them. The drawings though will be on display in a stand and will be available for sale should anyone take a fancy to any of them.

It’s now about 07.15 and I’m rushing to get things completed on this computer as I have to get down to the studio quite early today. Over the last few weeks or so I’ve been posting odd photos of some of the drawings but I thought I’d take this opportunity to show them all together. Of course this has the advantage that I don’t have to write much this morning ….it’s one of those ‘picture blogs’ this week! Anyway, I hope you find them of interest.

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‘East over Rannoch Moor, early morning’

They’re all done on thick off white paper …I think it was 220 g paper and I’ve used soft graphite pencils scribbled down in over lapping layers. I’ve also cut back through the dark areas using a soft rubber and have tried to control some of these marks by light applications of fixative at points throughout the drawing process. They are all A2 size, so not huge …but I think they may well deserve to be taken to a much larger scale.

This is just a thought at present but it would be nice to do something on the scale of the large drawing I did when I was in Speyer in the summer of 2010. That drawing was just over 4 m long by 1.5 m high! It would certainly mean using a lot of graphite sticks.

Anyway, here are the rest of the drawings ….if you can get along to see them for real they’ll be on display at ‘the gallery on the corner’, 34 Northumberland St, Edinburgh EH3 6LS throughout March. The gallery is open, Tues – Sat, 11.00 – 17.00. I must dash now…..

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‘East from Ba cottage, early morning’

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‘Fresh snow, the Ochils’

5-winter-patterns-beinn-dorain-graphite-stick-on-paper-2013

‘Winter patterns, Beinn Dorain’

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‘Winter slopes, Blackmount’

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‘In the Luss hills’

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Well worth waiting for

Posted by admin on February 10th, 2013
Ben Lomond from the slopes of Beinn Dubh

Ben Lomond from the slopes of Beinn Dubh

It’s been over two weeks since we last had a day off to go walking….on that occasion, a wander up Glen Rosa over on the Isle of Arran.  Since then there seems to have been a continuous stream of gales racing in off the Atlantic  There have been a couple of quiet and fine days in between but one or both of us have been working!  This last week has been another busy one and with Nita working this weekend it looked like we wouldn’t get out for a walk until next week at the earliest.

Earlier I’d spent quite a bit of time getting images and text ready for the invitation cards for my exhibition, two new business post cards, and four new greetings cards.  For a number of years I’ve been asked by Steve and Sylvia up at Blairmore Gallery, if I’d have a few greetings cards made for sale at their gallery.  I’d never really got around to looking into it until now but as I had to go to our local printer for the new business cards I thought I might as well ask.  In short, not only could they print the greetings cards, they could also supply them with envelopes and packed in clear cellophane bags.  I’ve decided to have four different cards printed and have ordered 100 of each.  This will allow me to pass some onto the Blairmore Gallery, have some for the forthcoming exhibition in Edinburgh and also have them for sale at my studio and possibly on-line through my website too.  Anyway, as you can imagine, all this took quite a lot of time …probably the reason I’d put off doing it previously if I’m honest.  I got the proofs back from Kestrel Press on Thursday and they look quite good I think ….so have given the go ahead and am now waiting to see what the actual things look like when they’re printed and packaged.  Exciting stuff!

Loch Lomond from the slopes of Beinn Dubh

Loch Lomond from the slopes of Beinn Dubh

As I said, I got the 8 different digital prints back on Thursday and I’m pleased with the majority of them.  A couple haven’t quite come out as I’d hoped but the other six look great and I’ll be taking two copies each down to my framer to get them mounted ready for the exhibition.  Like the greetings cards, this is all rather new and so will be a learning process for me.  It’ll be interesting to see if I’ve made the correct selection of images for the prints and cards….whether the more abstract images are as popular as the others.

In the Luss Hills, from Beinn Dubh

In the Luss Hills, from Beinn Dubh

I’ve now almost decided on the 17 pieces to be included in my exhibition …although to be honest my choice has changed several times already!  I’ve got four paintings waiting at the framers to be collected so once they are back and I have all the work in the studio it should be easier to decide.  One of the big questions is whether to have two of my new A2 drawings framed and on the wall …instead of two of the paintings.  I had planned just to get the drawings mounted and displayed in a stand.  Ahhhhhh …still can’t decide!

The Luss Hills, from the summit of Beinn Dubh

The Luss Hills, from the summit of Beinn Dubh

Loch Lomond from Beinn Dubh

Loch Lomond from Beinn Dubh

With all this on the go, it was a great pleasure to hear my partner suggest that we take advantage of a dry day on Friday to get away from it and out into the hills for a few hours.  As you know, we like the Luss Hills and they are about the closest to get to from Irvine.  They’re steep but not very high so they make an excellent work-out even though you can still have quite a short day.  This was just what we needed.  With Nita working 12.5 hour shifts today and Sunday, she didn’t want a long drive or a too exhausting walk.  We’re regulars to Beinn Dubh and Mid Hill but the views out over Loch Lomond and the surrounding hills of the southern Highlands are just so good you can keep on going back time after time.  Yesterday there was a little snow higher up which made everything look extra special and we had a slow haul up to the top, avoiding much of the path so that we could get better views into Glen Luss.  This also had the advantage of keeping off of the increasingly frozen and quite slippery path.  Higher up though we were back to the path and I came a cropper ….slipping on some ice hidden under some powdery snow.  I landed rather heavily on my backside but thankfully I was just shaken …nothing more.  I should have stopped to put on my ‘spiders’ earlier but had planned to do that at the top so that I had them for the more difficult descent.  What a prat …I should have known better after all these years.  There we are, no real harm done. except perhaps to my confidence and pride!  Back out again next week if we can catch another good day.

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Preparations

Posted by admin on February 3rd, 2013
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‘ One of the new paintings for the Edinburgh exhibition’

It would have been the perfect day to go walking today …its clear blue skies outside and a heavy frost. Alas, both Nita and I are working! Our friend Guy has gone out to have a wander around one of the two local wind farms …and I would have joined him if I hadn’t been so busy. This certainly would have been the day to do our long walk with him on Rannoch Moor but we’ll just have to wait for another opportunity.

Basically this last week has just been work. I’ve now got just over three weeks to get everything finished, framed and organised for my exhibition at ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh. We deliver the work on the 26th ….but I’m getting there. The most important thing I guess is making sure I’ve got the paintings ready and this side of things has gone well this last week. I’ve completed the two new 76 x 23 cm paintings and so have enough new work for the show. We took these two paintings along with two new 30 x 30 pieces to the Waverley Gallery in Prestwick yesterday to get them framed and collected five other pieces that I took for framing a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t have time to look at these yesterday so am looking forward to getting down the studio in a couple of hours and unwrapping them. I always find it a bit nerve wracking seeing paintings in a frame for the first time …occasionally it can be the moment that you realise a piece is not finished! Hopefully I’ll be happy with these once I get them up on the wall.

I still have several more drawings to complete. I’m planning to take around half a dozen A2 sized graphite drawings to the exhibition. I’m not going to get them framed, just mounted and covered with a sheet of clear acetate. These will then be displayed in a separate stand in the gallery along with some new small prints I’m having done.

After returning from Prestwick yesterday we jumped on the train and headed through to Edinburgh. The gallery had recommended using their local printer to get the work done. We arrived in Edinburgh to be met by dark skies and a very cold wind (it had been sunny in Irvine when we left!) and we had a decidedly cool half hour walk over to the printers. Anyway, they were very helpful and I’ve ordered two copies of each of eight images to be printed on two types of paper … one smooth and white, the other off white and with a slight texture. I’m not really sure how these will come out but it’ll be interesting to see and give me a better idea whether I want to go down the prints ‘line’ in future.

It was then straight back on the train to Glasgow and after portion of fries and a rather tasteless cup of coffee on the station we rushed over to Millers, the big art supply store ….and spent an hour or so wandering around ….spending the tokens I’d won back in July in the North Ayrshire Open Exhibition. I wasn’t very sure whether I’d be able to spend them all ….but I shouldn’t have worried. In the end it was quite good as I found a selection of different types of sketch book, squares rather than rectangles and in a range of different papers. A few pastels and a large bottle of acrylic gloss medium / varnish and I’d used up my tokens …great stuff. Normally when I buy art materials I get just what I know I need …yesterday I felt free to try out a few different things. Thanks then rather belatedly, to Millers for sponsoring the prize at the North Ayrshire Open Exhibition and to the judges who awarded the 2012 Millers Prize to yours truly. That’s another good reason to get down the studio today ….I can’t wait to get everything I bought out of the bag. As I think I said in my last blog or Work of the Week, I’ve wanted to do more drawing again and so with all these great sketch books I’ve got no excuses not to!

So then, the preparations for my forth coming exhibition are well under way and with a bit of luck I should have everything done and ready in time. Next week I have to get invitation cards printed and a press release written …and go back over to Edinburgh to collect the prints…that’ll be interesting. If I’m happy with them it’ll then be another trip down to Prestwick to get them all mounted. I haven’t had an exhibition since October 2011 (at the Queens Gallery in Dundee and also at the Künstlerhaus in Speyer) and although it’s quite hectic, I’m really enjoying being back in the thick of it. I do hope some of you can get along to see the exhibition during March. Full details soon. If anyone wants an invitation to the preview please just let me know.

Posted in Exhibitions, Galleries with Keith Salmon artwork, New Artworks Tags: , , , , , No Comments »

Looking for paintings

Posted by admin on January 12th, 2013
Cononish Glen

Cononish Glen

It’s been a week of painting for the most part.  As I think I’ve said before, I’ve been invited to hold an exhibition of my work at ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh during March.  The exhibition preview is on Friday March 1st and the show will run until the end of the month.  I’m looking at providing around 17 pieces of work for the exhibition including a good selection of the smaller acrylic & pastel paintings.  After three months of quite good sales in the lead up to Christmas, it’s meant that I’m a little short of the smaller paintings now and I’ve been working on some new pieces recently.  I’ve completed four 30 x 30 cm paintings and have several more on the go.  I’m also working on a couple new 76 x 23 cm paintings too.  All of these are based on our most recent walks, to Rannoch Moor, The Ochil’s and I’m hoping, from the walk we did in Cononish Glen yesterday.  On each of these walks we’ve had superb conditions creating beautiful colours, patterns and contrasts.  Each day was different but very atmospheric in its own right.  The latest small piece to be completed is based on the view we had looking across from the Ghlas Beinn ridge towards Achaladair a few weeks ago.  Needless to say, it was cold and as we wandered along the broad grassy ridge a line of low cloud crept along the glen below us.  This painting is my current ‘Work of the week’, ….just click on the ‘Home’ link to see it.

Cloud breaking around the base of Ben Lui

Cloud breaking around the base of Ben Lui

Our walk yesterday had similar conditions, except that we were down in the base of the glen, (Cononish Glen) and the banks of cloud and mist were drifting along at different levels, some at ground level, some higher, skirting around the hillsides like a tide-line.  It made for strange and interesting scenes.

Below Ben Oss

Below Ben Oss

I had actually planned this easy walk for quite a time, hoping to see the main big corrie on Ben Lui close up and under snow.  But of course, the best made plans and all that!  Instead of snow covered mountains as I’d hoped for in early January, we found almost no snow.  The exceptionally mild conditions since New Years Day had meant a rapid and almost complete thaw, leaving just a few obstinate patches high up on most of the bigger hills and none whatsoever on the smaller ones.  This said however, Ben Lui is one of the bigger mountains and rises to around 1100 m and its huge and magnificent corrie does face east …or north east ..I’ll have to check the map!  But whatever the exact direction, it does mean that the corrie and the big gullies leading up from it, do tend to hold on to their snow a good deal longer than elsewhere.  This was the case yesterday and although there wasn’t much snow, the big gullies leading up from the corrie into cloud and towards the summit, were still full and created a marvellous pattern against the dark rock of the upper mountain.

Below Ben Lui

Below Ben Lui

Our walk yesterday was really just one for looking, taking a few photos and trying to come up with ideas for new work.  It normally takes us just under two hours to walk from Tyndrum up Cononish Glen to the end of the estate track directly below the bulk of Ben Lui …the point where normally we’d ford the stream and start heading up.  Yesterday though, we took nearer three hours!  There was no rush and we could just wander along taking in the wonderful changing scene before us as the banks of mist and cloud came and went, sometimes dark and threatening, at other times,  light, wispy and translucent as it moved across the hillside caught in a brief shaft of sunlight.  Strangely, although I was hoping to get ideas for new paintings, I actually came away with ideas for some new graphite drawings!  Not quite what was planned, but if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that you have to be flexible!  After a great little walk, now all I have to do, is the work.

Looking east from Cononish

Looking east from Cononish

Beinn Chuirn

Beinn Chuirn

-o-o-o-o-

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    E-mail: keith@keithsalmon.org