counter hit xanga
Studio | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Archive for the ‘Studio’ Category

An interesting week

Finally, after almost three weeks of dark, wet and very windy weather here in Irvine, today has turned out bright and sunny and cold. It’s really beautiful here on the Harbour-side this morning and it makes for a good end to what has been a very good and interesting week.

My working week actually started with a day off!! Can’t be bad eh? That said however, I did feel like I needed one as prior to Monday I’d been in the studio every day for the previous 2 weeks. My day off did include a working lunch however! You’ll remember perhaps that back in the summer one of my paintings, “Breaking mists, on Mam na Gualainn”, won the Probus Club of Irvine Prize at the North Ayrshire Open Art Exhibition. The club, formerly the Rotary Club of Irvine, kindly invited me to join them for lunch at their weekly meeting and asked if I’d give a short talk about my work afterwards. It was a really good deal as on Monday I joined them at a local hotel and enjoyed a fine lunch with them all. I’d taken the winning painting with me, along with two other pieces and after coffee I told them all about my work. It seemed to go down well and I managed just to keep within the time limit! Nita had warned them beforehand that they might need to bop me on the head with a mallet as I tend to talk too much. Me? Talk too much?!

Tuesday included a trip down to the Waverley Gallery in Prestwick to collect nine of my prints which I’d had framed ready for a couple of pre Christmas exhibitions that I’m taking part in. One of these is at “the gallery on the corner” in Edinburgh ….details of this “Winter Print Show”, at the end of this blog.

The other show is a local “Affordable Art Fair at the Harbour Arts Centre here in Irvine which will include work from many of the Courtyard Studios Artists and which will run from December 16th . Until January 8th. Full details slightly nearer the time.

Wednesday was a full day of painting and although it started badly …I completely wrecked a small 30 x 30 cm acrylic and pastel painting that I’d spent about 20 hours on, the remainder of the day went well. After the disaster with the acrylic and pastel piece, I went to work on a couple of my larger oil pieces ….and by the end of the evening at 8pm, I had developed both pieces quite well and I left for home feeling good.

Thursday was something a bit different as Nita and I had been invited along to the Opening of John Lowrie Morrison’s new exhibition, “Jolomo at the Mitchell”. The exhibition was to be officially opened by HRH the Princess Royal and so Thursday morning found me wearing smart clothes…..and a tie! The exhibition is in the magnificent space of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and I have to say that the work looked great in the fabulous space. We had plenty of time to see the exhibition prior to the Royal party arriving and it all made for a very interesting, enjoyable and for Nita and I, very different kind of lunchtime. I think that the show is only on for another week so do pop in to see it if you are in Glasgow over the next few days. Look out for painting No 47 ….a fabulous piece of work I think.

Friday was another day spent painting and I finally finished one of my canvases and moved another one quite close to being finished. I’m really starting to enjoy working with oil at long last and am starting to think that this will be the way forward in the future.

305 'Breaking mists on Mam na Gualainnt', Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 80 x 80 cm

‘Breaking mists on Mam na Gualainn’

Yesterday was a good end to the week as I had some visitors to my studio who purchased the “Breaking mists, on Mam na Gualainn” painting. The lady and gentleman (Nettie and Ted) had earlier this year bought one of my small pen sketches at a charity auction in Ipswich and had then gone on to check out my website. A few weeks ago, Nettie contacted me to say they had seen the Mam na Gualainn painting on the website and really wanted to buy it ….but also wanted to visit my studio and collect it in person. As they live in Essex, it meant an almost 450 mile drive and they rather heroically made it despite their car having a major breakdown in the north of England and it having to be towed back to Essex. They however were determined to get to Ayrshire and so hired a car to complete the journey. They arrived yesterday afternoon along with their five small dogs and we had a very enjoyable couple of hours together. Nettie is a painter too and we had agreed a part exchange of work. We now have one of her beautiful wee paintings on our wall and to cap it all, Ted presented me with a copy of a book his father had written back in the late 1930’s I think. He was an established British climber and with two of his colleagues they produced this fabulous book called “British Hills and Mountains”. I’ve only had a short while to look through it, but it’s full of wonderful black and white photographs….. many of them of hills Nita and I have climbed over the years. What is really interesting is that many of these photos are of angles I’ve not seem before. Wow ….in my element or what! Sadly I can’t see print any longer but Nita has said she’ll read the book to me. So then, a big thank you to Nettie and Ted who, as I type will be driving back to Essex. As I said at the start of this blog ….it’s been a very interesting week.

Print show in irvine

Winter Print Show, Irvine

-o-o-o-o-o-

Plans

Yesterday I had a meeting with Alison and Graeme from the Harbour Arts Centre here in Irvine.  The meeting was to start to discuss my plans for the forthcoming exhibition and big drawing project, scheduled for the end of November through until 12th January.

Starting point, the Dom drawing, Speyer 2010

Starting point, the Dom drawing, Speyer 2010

There were a good number of things I wanted to check with them not least the practical side of doing the big drawing.  I wanted, in particular, to check just how much access I’d get to do the work…… creating a 4.5m x 1.5m drawing is going to take quite a lot of time.  Thankfully I needn’t have worried as I should be able to get to work on the drawing for up to 12 hours most days and should be able to work some of the days over the Christmas / New Year period if I’m running late!  This is quite a relief as I was thinking I’d only have about five weeks in which to complete everything…now it seems, I’ll have nearer 6 – 7 weeks.

Test drawings in my studio

Test drawings in my studio

As you know, as well as creating the drawing in the gallery, I’ll also be holding a standard exhibition of smaller works and we’ve decided that on the preview evening, I’ll speak about my work and the drawing project for five or so minutes so that everyone has an idea of what they’re looking at and what will be taking place throughout the course of the exhibition.  Slightly more unusual though is that we’ve also agreed to hold a ‘Post view’ at the end of the exhibition.  By this stage, I should with a modicum of luck and a bit of hard work, have finished the big drawing and it seems a good idea to invite everyone back to see what it looks like.  I’ve also proposed that I donate the finished drawing to the North Ayrshire Council art collection and the post view evening could be the ideal opportunity to formally hand the drawing over.

Among other topics discussed was the idea of setting up a web cam so that we can promote the project to an audience outside of Ayrshire.   Having something that would be ‘live’ however, made us all a little nervous I think and after some thought Graeme suggested that instead, we set up a time lapse camera that would record the work regularly throughout a 7 hour period.  At the end of each day, the resulting footage could be checked and uploaded to a website so that folk could follow the progress of the drawing on-line….but just not ‘live’.  It seems a very good idea and I’ll be very happy with that.  I’m leaving Graeme to sort all this technical stuff out…..needless to say I’m not very good with things like that!

More test drawings

More test drawings

Alison also asked me whether it’d be OK if she arranges for some schools to visit while I’m working on the drawing.  She’s suggested that I could perhaps do a formal talk in the Harbour Arts Centre theatre the same day.  This seems like another good idea and I’m more than happy to do this.  Over the last few years I’ve been asked to speak about my work on several occasions and although it involves quite a lot of preparatory work, it has always been worth while.  Indeed, I’ve recently had two enquiries to work as a guest speaker which is quite exciting especially as one of them is abroad.  Anyway, more of that another time; for the moment I have enough to think about with this project.  As you can see though, things are well under way and I’m really looking forward to starting the drawing in five months or so time.    I’ll keep you up to date on how things progress.

Stretching the legs…..

As you will have noticed, there has been a slight blip on the blog front recently….. that can be put for the most part down to a troublesome computer.   Anyway, I’m back in business now, so, at long last….. a blog.

On Carn Chreag

On Carn Chreag

As I look out of the window now, it’s a grey overcast scene, but for the most of the last week, ten days, it’s been really good weather here in the west of Scotland….. and I’ve been making the most of it.  Being both school and bank holidays, there have been a lot of people down on the harbour side here in Irvine and so it’s been important that I’ve been at my studio.  I’ve certainly had a lot of visitors which has been good and as this has been the run up to the Open Studios Ayrshire event this year, it’s been a good way of promoting that too.  Of course, having my studio open to the public is nothing out of the ordinary for me …when I’m working, the door is always open and visitors are always welcome to call in and see what work is on the go.  However, taking part in an official Open Studios event like this, is very good publicity for me  and I’ve been delighted to get involved and be one of the 47 studios open in Ayrshire over this coming weekend Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th April.  It should be a good event and of course, for many folk it’s the only time of the year when they open the studio door.   If you’re not doing anything else this weekend why not visit some of the many artists and craftspeople taking part this year.  You can find full details by visiting: www.openstudiosayrshire.com .

From the summit of Beinn nam Fuaran

From the summit of Beinn nam Fuaran

But, fine weather is not just about working and being in my studio.  I just had to get out in the hills and we managed three walks in just eight days …which was pretty good for us.   We’d started out by taking a day in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh, (see my last blog), then a very gentle wander up Meall Odhar near Tyndrum last Tuesday.  Finally with the forecast set for almost cloudless skies, we decided we’d have to do a longer walk on the Friday.   I’ve wanted to reach the top of Beinn nam Fuaran, a steep grassy hill that rises to just over 800m but is somewhat tucked out of the way.  In the guidebooks they suggest it can be walked as part of a big circular day taking in five hills in total but I’ve always felt that this would just be a slog with no time to enjoy your surroundings.  So then, over the years we’ve visited these hills individually or in pairs, but Beinn nam Fuaran has always been a little out of reach.  This time however, I was determined to reach its summit…..but not before a good breakfast!

We timed our drive north so that we arrived at the Green Welly in Tyndrum just as they opened their doors at 08.30 and were second in line for coffee and bacon roll.  They really do make an exceedingly fine and well filled bacon roll at the Green Welly.   A five minute drive back down the road took us to a small car park just off the main road on the line of the West Highland Way.  As the crow flies, it’s just over 9km from the car park to the summit of Beinn nam Fuaran but there’s quite a bit of ascent and descent in between.

The air that day was really clear despite the bright sun and the big hills with their splattering of snow, looked especially fine. Streams rushed down the hillsides, full and busy from the melting snow above …it was really quite idyllic.  We did pass a few people on the long crossing between Carn Chreag and Beinn nam Fuaran ….but they had their heads down and were I think doing the five hills in a oner …..best of luck to them …we were going much slower!

We had to descend to about 400 m before the steep pull up to the summit of Beinn nam Fuaran which we reached just before 15.00.  It was well worth the effort, (even the cramping legs on the last hundred feet up the hill).  The views were really big and there was no noise except for the wind, an occasional passing insect and the call of a Raven circling overhead.

Below Ben Challum ....evening light

Below Ben Challum ….evening light

In all honesty we were running a bit late and there was the definite possibility of us finishing our walk in the dark …but what the heck.  As it turned out, we got back to the car about 20.45 and there was still plenty of light.  We even made it back to Tyndrum in time to get some chips and coffees before the chippy closed …so what more can you ask?!  What a day….

How?

scribble drawing

‘Recent sketch book drawing 12 x 12 cm’

Yesterday, for what must be the umpteenth time over the years, I was asked this question. ’How do you do these paintings if you can’t see very much?’  And in all fairness, it’s a good question to ask ….and a very difficult one to answer, especially when I peer around my studio at the, (for me) fuzzy blobs on the wall that are my paintings, or when I remember just the other day, walking down High Street in Irvine trying to find a shop ….and walking instead into a very solid electrical box mounted on the pavement…..or talking to our cat only to find out I’ve been  talking to my Welly boots!  Yes, it’s a very good question and one that I ask myself sometimes too.

Last evening for instance, I was sat in my rocking chair down at the studio, scribbling away at some small drawings in a sketch book.  I was getting quite frustrated at just how difficult it was getting.  Only a few years ago I could still scribble with a little bit of accuracy using a fine drawing pen.  Now, sat in the same chair with the same size small six inch square sketch book and an 8B graphite pencil I was struggling to make out what I was doing.  But it didn’t matter …..I was still drawing, even if in a slightly different manner from a few years ago.  I could still make out the gist of it and if I photographed the small drawings I could then see them on my computer screen using the screen magnification software…..and if needed, print them up to a size that I could use and see more clearly.

'Recent sketch book drawing 12 x 12 cm

‘Recent sketch book drawing 12 x 12 cm’

Like everything I do these days, it’s just a question of adapting…..of thinking my way around the problem of how to do something rather than stopping because the way I used to work is no longer feasible.

'Recent sketch book drawing 12 x 12 cm

‘Recent sketch book drawing 12 x 12 cm’

So then, the answer to that inevitable question is that over the years I’ve just very gradually adapted my ways of working to the level of sight I have.  My work is as it is, because of this process, but I like to think too, that it is as it is, primarily, because I’m quite good at what I do ….being a painter that is!  The three little scribbled drawings shown here are not me at my best, but they are part of the process that leads to the better work.

The big tidy-up!

The annual Courtyard Studios Open Weekend isn’t just a great opportunity to promote and sell my work ….it is, by necessity, a great opportunity to clean, tidy and generally re-organise the studio.  I’d like to think I’d do this periodically even without the excuse of getting the studio ready for the Open Weekend once a year ….but well……I guess in all honesty, I would always prefer to paint and the tidying would get put off ….and off and off!

Mayhem in the Studio tidy-up

Mayhem in the Studio tidy-up

The thing is, when and how to do the ‘big tidy’.  There seems to be two opposing lines of thought on this subject.  There are those, (and I’ve been included in this camp before) that leave it to the last minute and have a mad ….and I mean MAD, long day on the Friday before the Open Weekend.  Our studio rep, Brian, is going for this option this year apparently, but I doubt that he can really come close to matching a former tenant, Jamie.  He really did leave it to the last minute and he, being a very prolific painter, really did have a lot of tidying to do each year.  When all the rest of us plodded wearily home around eight or nine O’clock on the Friday evening, Jamie studio would be a hive of activity with much moving of paintings, climbing of step ladders and cursing!  By all accounts this quite often went on into the early hours of the morning.  All credit to him though, he was always there with his studio open on the dot of eleven the next morning waiting for the first visitors….and his studio would be looking great.

The other option, and this is the one I’ve gone for this year, is to take several days getting the studio ready.  It means of course, you don’t get any actual painting done, but it is a bit more relaxed and certainly less stressful.  I started clearing the top of one of my tables on Monday afternoon, did a little bit more on Tuesday and then got into the swing of it properly, yesterday.  I did say to Nita though, that doing it this way, the job does tend to expand to fit the time!  Indeed, yesterday after repainting the end walls, I spent many hours just moving paintings around ….and around before finally selecting and hanging five pieces.

Finally, yesterday evening, I repainted the floor at the far end of the studio.  This is usually the area where I do all my work and so was in a bad state.  Along with all the splashes of paint there was also a good covering of graphite after all the big drawings I’ve been doing.  Needless to say, I painted myself away from the sink which I’d left full of soapy water to clean the brush in!  Hopefully the floor will be dry when I get in later today and I can start moving all the stuff currently stacked everywhere in the front section of the studio, onto the clean floor at the back. Once this is done, I can start painting the main wall and hanging pictures on that.  If I can get this done by this evening I’ll have all Friday to do the final tidying and then go around fixing labels, cleaning picture glass etc.

It always seems a bit daunting when everything is in disarray, but once you get a few paintings up and a bit of the floor looking clean (ish), it all seems worth it.  This year I do actually have a cut off point on Friday evening.  A former college friend of mine is calling in at eight o’clock on Friday evening on his way up to see his mum who lives on the Isle of Bute.  We’ve assured him we’ll both have our studios ready by eight so that we can all go off for a meal in our local Indian restaurant.  It’ll be a nice way to finish off the week of tidying.

A lot of work still to do

A lot of work still to do

Anyway, if you live in the area do come down to the Courtyard studios this weekend.  There will be 12 of us taking part and it’s a great opportunity to see the very latest work by some of Ayrshire’s leading artists and makers…..including, painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, stained glass, hand book-binding and jewellery.  Hope to see some of you there.

An invitation to exhibit my work in Germany

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’

-0-0-0-0-

A new drawing….but not of a mountain!

The first of the new Dom drawings

The first of the new Dom drawings

Despite much time spent working on my computer this week and much sitting in meetings, I have managed to do some painting and drawing.  I have even got two pieces close to or perhaps even completed.  The drawing I’ve done is a bit of a look back ….it’s a new Dom drawing.  You’ll no doubt remember that in Speyer in 2010 I did a number of pastel drawings of the Dom, (the huge cathedral).  One of them, as I talked about in last week’s blog, was big, and now hangs on a wall in the lobby of a new hotel and restaurant in Speyer.  I also did three other similar drawings on a smaller scale …about 1m x 80cm and two of these sold and the other I gave to a friend in Speyer.  Anyway, a few weeks ago this friend contacted me to say that a colleague had seen the drawing she had and had asked if she knew whether I had any other similar drawings left over from my stay in the city.  In short, I didn’t, but I said that I’d try working on some new pieces and see what happened.

It was quite strange going back to something I’d not actually seen for over 18 months and although I have the original small working drawings and sketches I did along with a selection of photos ….they don’t in all honesty give me that much information.  Instead, what I do have is the memories of walking around the huge building, its massive bulk and height radiating the intense light of mid summer.  I’ve decided therefore, to try and create drawings that are more about these aspects of the building…..drawings that are slightly more solid than the original ‘big sketches’ I did.  I have as I say, just completed the first of these new drawings and am quite pleased with the way it’s gone.  It’s used up a lot of pastel though and before I can really get my teeth into the next one I’m going to have to order more materials.  It’s a start though and has made a very interesting change.  I’m not sure what the chap over in Speyer will think of these new pieces once they’re done but hopefully he’ll like them…..and if not, it doesn’t matter as I’m having a great time just doing the work…….and that, when all is said and done, is what it’s all about.

Back to Glen Rosa…

Heading into Glen Rosa

Heading into Glen Rosa

You may remember that back in the summer of 2010 when I was working over in Speyer in southern Germany, I made a very large drawing.  On that occasion it was based on the idea of walking around the outside of the huge cathedral that dominates the historic city of Speyer.  It was like a very large, (4 m x 1.5 m) sketch, made using different shades of grey oil pastel.  At the time I thought it might be my only opportunity to create such a large drawing and it was hugely enjoyable working on such a scale.

In Glen Rosa

In Glen Rosa

More recently, I started working on some new small graphite drawings based on the hills and mountains.  I’ve been quite excited by these new drawings but even as I was doing them I felt that they would work much better on a larger scale.  To start with I was really only thinking about moving up from A2 size to perhaps double A1 size, but then when we visited the Isle of Arran and did a walk up Glen Rosa a couple of months ago, I started to get an idea for another really big drawing!  As we walked up the glen that day with the mountains all around and covered with snow, it started me thinking that this was almost the opposite to the Speyer cathedral ….where as the drawing I did of that was about walking around the huge building, here in Glen Rosa it was like walking inside a huge natural structure.  Perhaps, I thought, I could create a big graphite drawing that conveyed something of the experience of being in this spectacular place.

A wild place, Glen Rosa

A wild place, Glen Rosa

The walls in my studio aren’t really suited to doing a large drawing as they are made from concrete blocks and have many pipes and electrical conduits running down them.   It would however be possible to build a ‘false wall’ in front of this to create a large, smooth drawing surface and so this might be the way to go.  The other option though might be to see this not just as a chance to do a big drawing but instead to try and make this more of an event, a way to promote both myself as an artist and the work itself.  To do this I’d have to find a suitable public place to do the drawing and to promote the event as an opportunity for people to see the work in progress.  As I anticipate such a drawing taking at least 4 weeks, it might be good for folk to be able to watch the thing develop, see the changes and mistakes; in short, to see the process.  Taking this idea further, it might also be possible to set up a video cam linked to my website so that a much larger audience could watch the drawing develop.

Looking towards the Saddle

Looking towards the Saddle

It’s all ideas at the moment but on Wednesday we went back over to the Isle of Arran and headed once again for Glen Rosa. A few months ago I was invited to take part in some research work that was being done into the way visually impaired people perceive paintings.  The research was being done by a chap called David Feeney from Edinburgh, and he recently got back to me to ask whether he could visit my studio and bring along a friend of his who is a film maker / photographer.  It was an interesting few hours and to cut a long story short, they then asked if they could accompany Nita and me on one of our walks.  David was interested in seeing the way Nita and I work together as ‘walker and guide’.

 In Glen Rosa

In Glen Rosa

Our original plan was to meet at the Pentland Hills just outside Edinburgh but with heavy snow falling in the east, we decided instead to go over to the Isle of Arran and walk Glen Rosa.  The path up the glen is for me much more difficult than the paths on the Pentland Hills so even though we would not be going up high, David and his colleague Dan would get a much better idea of how the guiding process worked.  Of course it also gave me the opportunity to see the glen again ….and further develop my plans for the big drawing.  Conditions were once again perfect, with snow on the mountains and their tops disappearing into heavy and dramatic clouds.

The walk proved useful for all of us.  Dan got lots of film and photos taken, David asked many questions and I got lots of interesting information from both of them about how I might go about organising my big Glen Rosa drawing.  Nita had an enjoyable walk and took plenty of photos too and we were delighted to find that David and Dan had left us a bottle of wine and some chocolate eggs …..everyone happy!

In need of a good wall!

As with last weeks, I’m once again using this blog to highlight a few of the paintings I currently have for sale at my studio.  My contact details are at the end of this blog ….please get in touch if you need any further information.

 

'From the studio, Irvine harbour side'

‘From the studio, Irvine harbour side’

‘From the studio,Irvine harbour side’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 122 x 61 cm
Catalogue number 196
Price: £1250 framed, £1125 unframed

About this painting
As the title says, this painting was based on the view from my studio window …or it was until I moved to my current space just over a year ago.  My old studio was in the old part of the Courtyard studios that face Harbour Stand across that, the River Irvine and the tidal saltings.  It was a great view and it changed constantly with the tide, light and weather.  This piece is a fairly large and abstract view of this scene.  I exhibited this painting in the large gallery at the  early this year and even though I say it myself, it looked great on the big wall.

____________________________________________

 

'On Beinn a' Ghlo, autumn'

‘On Beinn a’ Ghlo, autumn’

‘On Beinn a’ Ghlo, autumn’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 80 x 80 cm
Catalogue number: 194
Price: £1095 framed, £985 unframed

 About this painting
This is another of the large and more abstract paintings ….this time based on a view we had while wandering the high broad ridges of Beinn a’ Ghlo near Blair Athol.  The hills are heather covered lower down but a mixture of course grass and rock on the upper slopes and ridges. It makes for spectacular walking especially on the kind of day we had ….one of dark heavy clouds just clearing the summits and breaks that created a patchwork of light, colour and shade across the hillside.  This painting has been painted with thick paint using a large old traditional horse hair house painting brush.  Once again it needs a reasonable space …it’s quite big, bright and bold, and certainly one of my favourites.

____________________________________________

 'A walk in the wild. above  Drumochter, winter'

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

‘A walk in the wild.  above Drumochter, winter’, Oil on canvas, 2012, 80 x 80 cm
Catalogue number: 221
Price: £1035 framed, £985 unframed

About this painting
This was the first of my new oil paintings and was created earlier this year.  Once again it is erring towards the abstract but is based on a walk I did with my friend Guy in the hills to the east of Drumochter Pass a number of years ago.  The two Munro’s we walked over that day are really no more than slightly higher points set several miles apart on a huge area of wild moor-land.  Covered with a layer of soft snow it made for a very tiring walk.  Added to this, we were walking into a stiff and very cold east wind, and by the end of the day we were exhausted. It was certainly very memorable!  As with the other two paintings highlighted in this blog ..this painting appreciates a little space around it.

For more details about these three larger paintings or to arrange to view them at the studio, please contact me:

Tel: 07742 437425

Email: keith@keithsalmon.org or salmon21@freeuk.com

Hard graft …

It’s been one of those weeks this week …a lot of rushing around, a lot of time down at the studio and a lot of interruptions .so not vast amounts achieved in the way of successful work done.  Oh well, I guess that’s just painting for you.  On top of this, it’s been horrible here in Irvine…no doubt like everywhere else…. I’d have been better owning a canoe rather than walking boots this last week …so much water.  With a lot of commitments too this week, one of the worst weather days coincided with our only ‘free’ day and so once again we failed to get out for a good walk.  On the up side though, in the last three days I’ve had two enquiries about paintings for sale which is very encouraging indeed…..fingers crossed!

So then …..there are not really vast amounts to tell this week and no nice landscape photos to show.  Instead I thought I might as well plug a few of the paintings I have hanging in my studio right now, what with it being that time of year.  You’ll have to excuse my blatant commercialism but well, even painters have to try and make a living.  Anyway, the following three paintings can all be seen in my studio so if you live in the region, do feel free to pop in and see them along with all the other pieces I have on show.  If you don’t live close by but are interested in one of them for a special gift, do contact me as I can always arrange delivery.  The paintings:

 

'Winter conditions, Ben Lui'

‘Winter conditions, Ben Lui’

‘Winter conditions, Ben Lui’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm,
Catalogue number: 260
Price £620 framed, £575 unframed.
About this painting

This is one of four recent paintings I’ve created based on memories of a wonderful walk / scramble on Ben Lui a few years ago.  Despite it being quite late in the winter, indeed, I think it was early spring; there was still a lot of snow higher on this big and craggy mountain.  We tackled the east ridge of the hill but due to my incredible slowness, only managed to reach the level middle section of the ridge.  Even so, this was for me a spectacular and exhilarating day.  Before descending back to the grassy glen below we stopped to take in the very wintry scene before us.  This is a view looking across the main corrie and central gully of the hill …the upper section of the hill remained in the cloud most of the day.

 

'Dusk, on Rannoch Moor'

‘Dusk, on Rannoch Moor’

‘Dusk, on Rannoch Moor’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 210 mm x 148 mm
Price: £285 framed, £245 unframed
Catalogue number: 228
About this painting

You may remember that earlier this year I did a series of small ‘postcard’ sized paintings.  This is one of them, and one, I have to say, that I particularly like.  Due no doubt to my strange sight, I find several colours much more difficult to see …and use.  Green is one of these and so this little piece was quite a challenge.  Anyway, I think this works well and it reminds me of the many times we’ve been walking on the edge of Rannoch Moor in poor light.  It’s a wonderfully wild expanse and I’m just going to have to keep on returning and painting my impressions of it.

 

'Above Glen Coe, late autumn'

‘Above Glen Coe, late autumn’

‘Above Glen Coe, late autumn’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 60 x 30 cm
Price: £620 framed, £575 unframed
Catalogue number 210

About this painting

A couple of years ago we had a fine day walking the two summits of Buachaille Etive Beag in Glen Coe.  It was cloudy as we made our way up to Stob Dubh at the south west end of the hill, but as we sat at its summit, the cloud occasionally broke giving views towards Glen Etive and the head of the loch.  On starting to retrace our steps down the short steep section below the summit, the cloud once again broke around us.  This time clearing to the east side but remaining thick to the west. It only stayed like this for a short time before filling in again and I took no photos. This painting is then, very much about my memory from the day.  Hopefully it captures a little of this amazing place.

For more information about these or any other paintings, contact: Keith Salmon

Tel: 07742 437425

Email: keith@keithsalmon.org or salmon21@freeuk.com

So then, it’s been hard graft this last week.  Being a painter isn’t always quite what it’s cracked up to be ….but I wouldn’t change it for anything!  I hope you can get along to the studio sometime soon.