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Speyer | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings - Part 3

Archive for the ‘Speyer’ Category

Last week I bought a goat….

Posted by admin on August 17th, 2010

view-from-the-top

View from the top

It’s been a busy week again….so apologies for the very late arrival of last weeks blog. I’ve been trying to get my last few paintings finished and have also been busy socialising….there have been dinner invitations, art events and a meeting with the local press, and I’ve been out walking each of the last two weekends,……oh, and I bought a goat! So then, it’s been quiet hectic but very good fun.

Before telling of the walks I’ve done I feel it only right that I first explain about the goat. On Saturday I was invited to join some friends to see an exhibition of work by a group of young Rwandan artists. This was more than just an exhibition, it was part of fund raising event organised by a charitable organisation working in Rwanda. They were raising money in order to purchase these animals for the communities there. It seemed a simple but effective way of providing help and an interesting way for people to donate something to the charity. The exhibition was good with a number of very striking paintings. There was also an exhibition of photographs, displays of craft-ware and live music and good food …it made for a great evening out.

As I said though, I’ve also been out walking a couple of times …and what a difference a week makes. A week ago I had a phone call from Mike Lauter asking if I’d fancy going for a walk somewhere. It was a beautiful day with clear skies and bright sun.

above-the-forest-late-afternoon

Above the forest, late afternoon

We headed for the hills and after about 40 minutes drive the road we were on started to climb very steeply through the trees, zigzagging its way up hill. At the high point a number of cars were parked and a sign stated we were at a little over 400 m. We headed off along a broad path and as it was quite late in the afternoon, met a lot of people heading back towards their cars. We were then onto a small footpath the gradually climbed through the trees …it was beautiful with the deep shade and bright spots of sunlight. After a while we reached the top of the hill and crowning it was a magnificent ruined castle that gave superb views out over the valley below and across the wooded hills for as far as we could see. Our route back followed another path that went right around the hill, gradually descending to reach the place where we started ….and of course, taking in a small Inn / cafe along the way.

could-be-scotland

Could be Scotland!

Yesterdays walk was to a different place, but was a longer walk ….and the weather …well it could easily have been Scotland on one of its more infamous weather days! Instead of the bright sun and beautiful views, we found ourselves in cloud for much of the walk and rain that fell heavy and torrential for most of the 4 hours we were walking. But as we all said, it was good to get out and stretch the legs and at the outward point of our trip there was conveniently situated another fine inn.

I’m hoping that when I get back to Scotland in a couple of weeks I’ll be able to enjoy a few late summer days walking in the Highlands before the winter rain and gales arrive ….if not, then at least yesterdays walk will have got me back into the swing of cloud and rain and a house full of wet gear!

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Painting from experience

Posted by admin on August 6th, 2010
'Between Creise and the Buachaille, winter'

'Between Creise and the Buachaille, winter'

It’s amazing to think that this time in four weeks I’ll be back in my studio in Irvine. My time here has gone by very quickly and I’m now getting in ‘panic mode’ as my final exhibition looms and I’ve still much work to do!

I’ve now completed eight paintings and have another four still on the go. I’ve also been working on a couple of small ‘Scottish’ pieces for forth coming exhibitions and have a couple more of these on the go too.

It’s been interesting working on the two different types of subject matter…..the bigger paintings based on the cathedral in Speyer and the Pfalz landscape and the smaller Scottish landscapes. It’s made me realize just how important it is to really get to know your subject when it comes to doing a painting. My Scottish paintings are all based on the places I walked (sometimes many times and in all conditions) and so when I get back to the studio I not only have numerous photos and some sketches, but I have many many hours of actually being out observing and experiencing the landscape I’m painting. These experiences are in a way stored in my memory and are used in all my Scottish paintings. As such it has meant that despite my being in Germany for the last three months, I’ve been able to work on these small Scottish scenes with the use of just a couple of photos as memory joggers.

'Beinn Dorain from Beinn Odhar, April'

'Beinn Dorain from Beinn Odhar, April'

‘Beinn Dorain from Beinn Odhar, April’, is based on one of the views from the summit of this fine steep grassy 900 m hill and I’ve stood here on a good number of occasions. It makes a good short walk but it is very steep so it gives your legs a good work out – we normally head here in April to tone up the muscles before our two weeks walking holidays in early May each year. The point is that although I haven’t been there this year, I’ve all the memories of the previous times I’ve climbed the hill and all the different conditions I’ve seen it in, the different light and in rain and cloud and sun. If I’d only been out occasionally over the last eight years rather than every few weeks, I’d not have been able to do this painting ….working from a photo on its own is very difficult …even if you have got good eyes to see it.

This is why for the most part I’ve put all my attention on painting the Speyer Cathedral while I’ve been living here. It is the most obvious thing to paint in this city, but as I can’t easily get out into the countryside, it has offered me something which I can visit regularly and get to know. Over the time I’ve been here I’ve built up a mental impression of it …so that I have much more to work on than just a few photos. This is where I’ve had problems trying to produce a couple of paintings of the typical Pfalz landscape. I’ve only been out into the wine growing region a few times and have only experienced it very briefly. I took a few photos and as I’m a landscape painter I wanted to do something before leaving that was of the local landscape …rather than just the man made landscape of the city……and I’ve been struggling! It’s just that I really don’t know the subject I’m trying to paint. The colours and light are very different here and I haven’t got a head full of ‘information’ to fall back on.

I’m not sure whether I’ll complete these two paintings …we’ll see I guess. It’s certainly made me realize how important it is to get out and as I’ve done very little hill walking this year it’s made me determined to find the time as soon as I’m back in Scotland. Fingers crossed for some good September weather in the west of Scotland.

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Almost finished

Posted by admin on July 30th, 2010

wall-painting-the-cathedral-speyer-acrylic-pastel-2010-100-x-140-cm-2

'Wall painting, the cathedral, Speyer'

It’s been a week of painting and rain. The days of painting outside in the shade of the courtyard have passed it seems and instead it’s been a case of working in the studios and trying to get as much artificial light as possible. It’s been very dark much of the time with big heavy showers that beat down on the leaves of the vine and make a real din. The vine apart, it feels a little more like home and certainly the temperature has been more Irvine like. Now of course, having typed this, the sun is coming out …..so perhaps this will be the start of another warm spell.

Anyway, enough of the weather and on to the painting I think. I’ve been working on several pieces this week and have had a mixture of success and failure …so about par for the course I guess. Last week, I received an email from Scotlandart.com inviting me to take part in their ‘New Gallery Artists’ exhibition to be held in late September. They’ve asked for six pieces which with the other commitments I have this autumn isn’t going to be easy. But, of course this is an excellent opportunity and it’s a great set up they have at Scotlandart.com. So then, after thinking about this for two days I decided I really couldn’t miss this chance and therefore have agreed to take part. It’ll mean a few extra shifts and I’m going to start a few Scotland based paintings in the next few weeks so that I don’t have a mad rush on my return to Irvine at the start of September.

The main achievement this week though has been getting my big ‘wall’ based painting near completion. There’s still a little bit of work to be done I think but in general it’s about there. As I said in the blog a couple of weeks ago, the painting is a view of a section of the cathedral wall here in Speyer. But I’ve over-laid the view with a more close up view of the stones. It’s quite a vague image of subtle lines and colours put down in layers of paint and pastel. I’m finding it quite difficult to assess as most of the painting is made of these very fine scribbled marks …and so when I stand back I lose all this and am left with a very vague structure. This though is rather what I wanted to create –somewhat of a ghostly image of this ancient building with all its layers of structure and history.

As anyone who paints will know, it sometimes takes a good while to decide about a piece of work once it reaches this stage. I think this painting is just going to have to sit and stew for a while as I get on with other work. I moved my bed into the studio a few weeks ago at the height of the hot weather (it’s much cooler than my room upstairs) so I’m kind of living with the work! Anyway, I’m putting a photo of this piece up on this blog but even though it’s signed ….it may still change.

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Getting out

Posted by admin on July 23rd, 2010
wine-country

Wine Country, Speyer

Last week when my partner Anita was visiting we had the opportunity of getting out onto the local hills. It was another very hot day and so the thought of getting into slightly cooler air was incentive enough regardless of the beautiful forest and the big views. We went to a slightly different area to that which I’d visited with friends a few weeks before. The hills were similar but slightly higher here …perhaps around 600m but still densely shrouded in mixed woodland.

As we drove away from Speyer we left the huge bright fields of ripening crops and got into the vast areas of vines – stretching in broken lines for what seemed miles and miles. We parked at a large mansion situated on the side of a hill overlooking this beautiful patchwork of vines – the building apparently a summer villa for a former king – as I say, a modest little residence! But he’d certainly chosen to build his villa in a place with a fantastic view. Looking straight out the view was big….but it was the lines of vines that caught my attention – each patch set at a slightly different angle it seemed and making a perfect composition for a painting.

At this point we had a surprise for although the afternoon was getting on, Mike suggested we climb to the top of the hill …it’s only a couple of hundred metres of ascent he said. It seemed a good idea but then he led us towards what I thought was a bar …a beer before clambering up the steep hillside?! As it turned out, it was a chair lift but one that was due to close for the day shortly..so we’d get a lift to the top and walk back down. This really is a very civilized place.

Before we knew it we were swinging three or four metres above the ground and creaking our way up through the forest. It was all very peaceful and made even more impressive by the constant birdsong and the appearance at one point of a small deer …seemingly unperturbed by the constant passage of humans as we dangled by above. All too soon we got to the top and were hauled out of our seats by a waiting attendant…..and there was a bar / cafe … with a patio that looked out over the now even bigger views. We had enough time to sit and enjoy the views whilst supping a not very well earned beer ….well, we were carried all the way to the top. It took us about an hour to follow easy paths back down through the steep woods and we saw no one until we were back again to the car park.

I did another short trip out just a few days ago. I had been painting away one afternoon when the doorbell rang and Ingo – one of the members of the Kunstlerbund, arrive and asked if I’d like to do a short trip on a small ferry across the Rhein. It sounded a perfect idea as the heat was getting just a bit too hot in the studio. We drove just a few kilometres from Speyer to one of the inlets that were part of the old Rhein.

storks

Storks, Speyer

It was idyllic, the calm waters reflecting the trees and the small boats moored for fishermen. The main stream of the river was just off to our left and before long a small ferry appeared from this direction and made for a small jetty. I was amazed at how many people and bicycles got off – apparently it’s very popular with cyclists as it saves them crossing the river by one of the busy road bridges.

The hop across the river took just five or six minutes but was lovely in the late afternoon sun. On the other side was a small village and of course a small cafe that was doing a roaring trade with the cyclists. We wandered into the village and on returning towards the ferry a short while later, Ingo suddenly pointed out a large old tree trunk with a massive nest at its top …in which sat three very large young Storks …Wow! The nest was about five metres up off the ground but right close to the road …we’d walked by underneath without seeing them. At such a short distance and with my monocular even I got some amazing views …it really made my day …this really is a very beautiful landscape.

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Speyer Cathedral Wall

Posted by admin on July 16th, 2010

Speyer Cathedral wall

Speyer Cathedral wall

It’s been a great few days recently. I’ve managed to get a reasonable amount of work done and there’s been much happening here in Speyer.

I’ve been working on one of the larger boards for the last few days and am starting to put the piece together. Once again, it’s based on a section of the cathedral wall…..quite a large section perhaps twenty metres high, but it does show some scale as it contains several windows. This particular wall caught my attention as lower down it also has two semi circular recesses that make it look a little like a face ….well, it makes me smile whenever I walk by it!

Anyway, the original plan was simply to use this as the basis for the painting but then while I was looking at some photographs I’d taken of very small sections of the wall (just a few large stones) I noticed that one of these had a very similar structure to the larger section. I’ve decided therefore to try and superimpose the close up over the larger section ….once again messing around with ones perception of scale, creating a more abstract picture of the wall. The stones contain a whole range of subtle colours; pale yellows, ochre, terracotta, pale greys and umber. The painting is built up using the paint in flat brush strokes to mimic the stone work from a distance, and the pastel scribbled down to try and capture the structure of each of the stones close up……each layer of paint showing a little of the previous one beneath. It’s quite a slow process but one that I can enjoy while working outside in the courtyard here. It’s been very hot this last week again and the studios are really too hot to work in during the day. Outside, the far end of the courtyard has a large canopy that allows light through but creates a shaded area through out the day. It’s the perfect spot to put my easel as the light on the painting is bright but constant.

cathedral-wall-close-up

Cathedral wall close-up

I really seem to have got into these fantastic walls here in Speyer …and not just the cathedral and the old baths. The other week a friend took me to see one of the other beautiful churches here in Speyer …this was the Trinity Church I think …close to the cathedral but built out of wood. It’s a magnificent building, and with clear glass in its windows there was enough light for me to see much of the interior. On leaving we were able to get a look into the ruins of another building at the side of the church. It was great, especially in the bright early afternoon light and with the intensely blue sky…..another painting? Probably.

another-wall-speyer

Another wall, Speyer

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Hot and humid and late!

Posted by admin on July 9th, 2010

'Below Stob Coire Raineach, Glen Coe'

'Below Stob Coire Raineach, Glen Coe'

Well it’s going to be a short blog this week ….it’s very warm and humid here in Speyer today and what with one thing and another, I’m running late. I’ve had a good week in general though and have managed to finish two more paintings which is quite pleasing. I have four more 80 x 80 cm boards primed and ready to go …with one of them started. I haven’t done anything more with the bigger boards. The one I started is going to be the main target for the next few days I think and I’m also planning to start the other big board by the end of next week …so lots on the go.

We’re also starting to make a short video about my stay here in Speyer, the work that I’m doing and the places I’m visiting …something along the lines of the video on my website ….but with a German flavour. Mike is planning to follow the progress of my big drawing ….when it’s started that is….so no pressure then!!!

Anyway, here are the six paintings I’ve currently completed during the first half of my stay in Speyer. Four of them are based on Speyer subject ….three of these about the cathedral …I’m really caught by the shear size and bulk of this old building. The other Speyer piece comes from my visit to the ancient baths in the old Jewish quarter of Speyer. The other two paintings are ‘Scottish’ works. I’ve had plans for these pieces and particularly wanted to do them on a slightly bigger scale than much of my recent works and they work well with the Speyer townscape pieces.

late-afternoon-the-cathedral-speyer-acrylic-pastel-2010-80-x-80-cm

'Late afternoon, the cathedral, Speyer'

170-written-in-stone-the-cathedral-speyer-acrylic-pastel-2010-80-x-80-cm

'Written in stone, the cathedral, Speyer'

168-the-cathedral-speyer-painting-no-1-acrylic-pastel-2010-80-x-80-cm

'The cathedral, Speyer - painting #1'

Anyway, all these paintings will be on display at the end of August when I hold a short exhibition of the work done here ….so if anyone reading this is from Speyer or the surrounding area …please to come along. Of course, as with my studio in Scotland, if you’re passing the door any day ….don’t be afraid to ring the bell …if I’m in, you’re very welcome to come in and see the paintings. For details of the exhibition at the end of August contact: http://www.kuenstlerbund-speyer.de/

the-ancient-bath-speyer-acrylic-pastel-2010-80-x-80-cm

´The ancient bath, Speyer'

'Above Largs, a frozen January morning'

'Above Largs, a frozen January morning'

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Increasing scale

Posted by admin on July 3rd, 2010

new-work-on-the-go

New Work On The Go

The studios here in Speyer are quite large and having so much space in which to work is a real luxury. I decided last week that it was about time to work on a larger scale and make the most of the situation.

Thinking about the practicalities of getting work back to Scotland I decided there would have to be limits to the size of the paintings however ….100 cm x 140 cm seemed ideal and Mike went out and got me two pieces of board this size. Being mdf, it weighs quite a lot but I should be able to get the finished pieces back reasonably cheaply with a bit of luck. I also have a large roll of thick white paper …this is 150 cm wide and the roll is several metres in length and so offers me chance to do some pretty big drawings. These will be easier to send home …I’ll just need to find a cardboard tube to protect them.

Of course, working on a large scale means using a lot more materials and although I brought with me a lot of paint, I only brought a fairly small number of oil pastels. But panic not …there happens to be a wonderful art supply company called ‘Boesner’. Their stores are great, the two I’ve been taken to, being situated in large factory units on industrial sites and stocking a HUGE variety of art materials. I’ve never seen anything like it. Mind you, they’re dangerous places …you can end up spending a fortune if you’re not careful! Anyway, I was there to buy pastels. I use “Neopastel” made by a Swiss company I think. They’re fantastic oil pastels, not the cheapest but they’re wonderful colours and are neither too hard or too soft ….perfect I’ve found for working (as I do) on board. “Neopastels” come in a huger range and I was relieved to find the Boesner not only had all of them but also had plenty of each ….this was a serious bit of pastel buying! In the end, I bought just over seventy pastels which should be enough to keep me going while I’m here in Speyer. It may sound a lot, but working with them on board as well as not top of paint, really eats them up, especially when doing large pieces. Anyway, if I don’t use them all here …I’ll have them for the work I’ll be doing on my return to Scotland. Mike Lauter was with me helping to find the colours I needed and he spotted a great little tool for holding the pastels. It’s a bit like an old fashioned cigarette holder and it allows you to use the pastels right down to the end ….should save me having that annoying bag of bits you always end up with! I’ve tried using it and it works well. It allows me to make a greater variety of marks too which is quite interesting.

new-drawing-the-cathedral-speyer-140-x-100-cm

'The Cathedral, Speyer'

So far I’ve used one of the big boards as a drawing board and have completed one drawing this size – a loose and vigorous impression of the one end of the cathedral. As with my hill based landscape work, this isn’t an accurate drawing of the structure, I don’t really see that. It does though try to put over something of the great bulk of the structure, especially when seem from the one end. I wasn’t too sure about the drawing when I completed it, but a few days on and I’m getting quite pleased with it.

I’ve started a painting on the other big board. As I’ve said in the past since I’ve been here, I really like the walls of the cathedral. There’s one section that has two semicircular indents that I really like …it reminds me of eyes. So then, very simply, this painting is about this section of the wall. I’m not quite sure how it’ll end up but it’s going to be interesting and great to work on this scale again.

I’m also working on two smaller pieces (80 x 80 cm), one of which is based on the other end of the cathedral and is a fairly abstract piece. The other is a reworking in paint of an earlier smaller Scottish painting. I’m hoping the two pieces will work well together. They’re both coming on well although there’s much work to be done but it does leave me with no new boards to start …..have to speak nicely to Mike and see if he’ll go get another four for me. Right then, typing finished …back to the paint….

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Into the hills

Posted by admin on June 25th, 2010

agricultural-land-around-speyer

Agricultural land around Speyer

I had an interesting day on Sunday. I was invited to join some friends for a wee tour to see some of the typical local landscape.

We spent the morning looking at some of the very local landscape…..the flat agricultural area adjacent to the Rhine. It’s nearly all crops that are grown here with just a limited amount of grazing. Apparently the humid environment is perfect for the biting insects which can be a real nuisance for both humans and animals alike during the warm summer months. My friends had said the colours of the crops were quite impressive and reminded them of some of my paintings …and they were right. We walked along one path the bordered fields that were just brightly striped with long lines of different crops – different types of lettuce, barley, wheat …and a massive patch of spring onions. It really was quite impressive and I may well try and work a painting out of this strange man made landscape. There were plenty of trees interspersed with the fields as well as villages and further off still …the wooded hills rising several hundred metres and looking very inviting through my monocular.

After this we went down to the side of the Rhine …only to be surprised to find it flooding and the path along it’s banks under water in places. This section though was protected by a large dyke about fifty metres from the rivers edge and we were able to walk along looking out across the fast moving and rather muddy waters. Apparently there had been very heavy rain in the Alps recently and we were looking at the results.

from-the-top-of-the-castle
A view from the castle

After lunch we drove south and then west, moving from the flat agricultural areas to rising ground, vines and beautiful old villages of timber framed farm houses. As we gained height the hills stretching right across the horizon to the west, grew more impressive and were clearly heavily wooded. Around us now were just vast areas of vines …it was absolutely beautiful. Within a short time we were getting close to the first of the hills. They were not particularly high, rising to perhaps a little over 400m, but rose steeply from the surrounding areas of vine and their sides and tops were thickly wooded. The road we were on climbed and entered these woods, zigzagging its way uphill to reach a large car park …a popular spot evidently. From here a broad path wandered its way uphill through the trees. It was rich deciduous woodland full of birdsong …but in the dense mass of branches and leaves it was difficult to see the singers!

in-the-hills-sw-of-speyer

In the hills, sw of Speyer

After about a kilometre the forest cleared to reveal a magnificent ruined castle. It was well preserved and sat atop the hill, built into the natural sandstone. The ramparts fell steeply away and offered magnificent views all around….west across numerous low wooded hills towards France, and in the other direction out across the plains towards the Rhine and the slightly higher hills of the Black Forest. The weather was bright but with large white clouds that created deep shadows across the fields and small villages below us …a stunning patchwork of the German landscape. Being one used to the Scottish hills, it was a little surprising to find that there was a bar /cafe here at the top of the hill …but never liking to miss out I enjoyed a very pleasant beer and caught myself wondering whether such facilities at the top of Beinn an Dothaidh or Ben Starav would be a good idea. Possibly after hauling myself up these I might think it was a good idea …but perhaps the peace, quiet and the horizontal rain and gnawing midges would be best enjoyed without a beer tent!

We watched a falcon of some type turn and swoop around the top of the castle and then we headed back towards the car by a different path. It was a great little day and a fine introduction to the regions landscape.

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Finding more

Posted by admin on June 3rd, 2010
Speyer Cathedral Door

Cathedral Door, Speyer

I’ve now been in Speyer for a little over three weeks and the more I look around the city the more I find I’m drawn to the detail. In a city of magnificent and very large buildings this may seem odd, especially when I look at them and I see so little detail. But, as when I’m out on the hill in Scotland, with everything being so big, I need to use a monocular to get a better view of things. This certainly allows me to see more of the subject but of course it creates strange views ….which I really like.

This morning I spent an hour or so just wandering around the outside of the cathedral. As I’ve said before, it’s a vast and magnificent structure and even in my first painting here, I only looked at a small section of it. This morning though, I started to look more closely at some of the smaller elements. In particular I found a great door, presumably constructed of metal that like the roof has oxidized to create rich colours. I was really taken with this but didn’t go up close – I just viewed it through the monocular. It reminded me of some of my landscape paintings and I may well attempt a painting based on it. When I got the photograph I took of it, onto my PC and was able to enlarge it with the screen magnifier I was amazed to find that the door had writing on it.

On the other side of the building I found a section of wall that I really liked. It was a big section made of different finishes of stone …presumably built at very different periods. There was a real abstract quality to it and viewed from a little distance away with the monocular it was difficult to judge to scale ….then panning around I realised that someone had park their bicycle against the wall….and the size of the wall it was leaning against became very evident.

Cathedral and bike, Speyer

Cathedral and bike, Speyer

I’m not sure quite how I may go about using these elements to create paintings, but I have started one piece that may lead in an interesting direction. On Friday (as I said in my last blog) I was taken to see the ancient baths. Rough stone stairs led down into the ground to reach a room. In one of the walls was a large opening and through this you could look down four or five metres to the bath itself. The walls enclosing the bath rose up to above ground level and it was an amazing sight. The stone, reddish sandstone I think had the remnants of what was possibly white paint covering them and everything was beautifully lit from above, creating a very vivid image, especially against the dark green / almost turquoise waters of the bath. I didn’t have a camera with me and so this wonderful image, that immediately suggested a painting to me, had to be remembered as best I could. In its early stages the painting suggests a landscape but I don’t know quite how it’ll end up.

It’s good though to get some work done and I’m already getting a lot of ideas for paintings and drawings – I’ll have to get more painting boards in …I have a feeling it’s going to be a very busy three months.

The Cathedral, Speyer

The Cathedral, Speyer

Irvine Studio Update
Finally, I’ve just heard that my studio back in Irvine is still in the hands of the builders. The refurbishment works at the Courtyard Studios were going well apparently … and then they started on my space in the old section of the building. The floor was rotten, and the dampness in the rear wall was more serious then expected! Oh well, at least I’m away while it’s been going on. My partner Anita though is going to use the space while I’m away and has been told that it should be ready by the end of next week. It’s going to be quite exciting to see it on my return – dry and draught-free with a bit of luck!

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Of Scotland and Speyer

Posted by admin on June 1st, 2010

When my partner Anita rang yesterday evening to say that she was back in Irvine and that there was bright sunshine and the garden was looking fabulous it certainly made me think of all the wonderful late spring and early summer days we’ve enjoyed in the Highlands of Scotland over the years. It really is a good time to be walking the hills and wild places. I guess you get a little bit both winter and summer, with the last snow patches often hanging on in the high north facing corries, but with the warmth and long hours of daylight that brings the rush of new growth and the explosion of fresh colours.

In the sculpture garden, Speyer, Germany

Sculpture Garden, Speyer

Here in Speyer it’s been very warm most of the last week, indeed, it was very hot for a few days and being so much further south, all the trees and plants are that much more advanced. I’ve done several short trips out into the surrounding countryside and have been really impressed by the large number of trees and areas of mixed woodland. As such, everywhere seems to be full of birdsong – it’s great. Somewhere in the buildings or trees around the studio we have a Kestrel nesting – it perches high on a chimney and makes a real noise whenever any of the Crows or Rooks do a fly-by.

The light over here is very different too, especially now that the warmer weather has arrived. In the heat it is really intensely bright, especially to me, and while we were walking along the side of the Rhein the other week, the light had a strange blue / yellow quality to it that reminded me of some of the Impressionists paintings. It’s all very different from the light in the Highlands which is very special too. I’ve been told by a number of people here that it gets much hotter as the summer progresses and I have a feeling that my paintings will become less distinct as the heat and light develop.

At the moment then, I’m thinking of two places, the hills of Scotland that I so love to explore and this beautiful city with the gentle countryside of the Phlatz. As such, I’m working initially on two paintings. Both are 80 x 80 cm. One is a re-working of a couple of smaller paintings I did based on walks in the Drumochter Hills. I’ve wanted to develop these into a larger piece, using bolder marks and thicker paint. The other picture I’ve started is based on a small section of the cathedral here in Speyer. It’s an incredible building and the dome and several of the roofs are covered in copper that has oxidized into a subtle pale green / blue colour that really caught my attention from the first moment. This may not have been the most imaginative starting point for my work in Speyer but it has allowed me to start work and get some paint on the board……something that is quite important. It was strange not only to have a large empty white painting board, but also a completely empty studio space too ….panic!

work-in-progress-speyer

Work in Progress: Speyer Cathedral

Yesterday it was the Speyer Cultural Evening – a huge event that involves any organisation, group or individual involved in any aspect of the culture of the city. Everywhere is open from 8pm until around 2am and a single cheap ticket allows entry to all events. The members of the Kunstlerbund put on a fine exhibition of work, (paintings, installations, sculpture, and performance) and the show was titled Blue & Blues. There was some great work and much of the work included blue lighting and so looked particularly good as the evening developed and it became dark. But along with the art works at the Kunstlerhaus there was a fantastic blues band playing in the courtyard and food and a bar too. I was given a leisurely tour around some of the events and it was amazing to see how many people were out …the population of Speyer and most of the surrounding area seemed to be out enjoying themselves and everywhere the events were more than well supported – the main museum had a queue of people waiting to get in that stretched right out of the door – at well gone midnight. The highlight of my tour was a fantastic band playing traditional Jewish music and a great guitar recital at one of the galleries.

work-in-progress

Work In Progress: Drumochter Hills

So then, it was an evening to remember. Things finally came to end some time after 2am and everything was quiet by around 4am. Now of course, it’s the day of the great clear up and as I type there is much activity as work is dismantled, wine glasses washed and floors swept. It was a huge amount of work for the members of the Kunstlerbund but a huge success.

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