‘Breaking mists, Isle of Arran’
‘Breaking mists, Isle of Arran’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 30 x 30 cm
This little painting, based on a day we spent up in the fabulous Arran Hills is to be reproduced as one of my new gift cards. These should be ready in time for our Open Studios Weekend on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October.
High quality reproductions of this painting can also be obtained through the “Prints for sale” section on my website or directly from my studio.
It has become increasingly more difficult for me to see what I’m doing when I go to the polling booth on election days and so for yesterdays vote on independence, I decided to register for a postal vote. As such, I voted about a week ago and so while record numbers of people went to the polling stations, I had a very normal day.
It was in short, very like many other working days for me and started with an hour or so doing jobs on the computer. Being an artist isn’t just about splashing paint….. It’s also about doing all the things other businesses have to do ….in short, the paperwork! As my sight has very slowly deteriorated, this side of my work has become more and more time consuming. I’m currently writing this blog with the screen magnifier on 8x and the screen reader reading each word as I type it. This is still quite quick but once I’m using email or the internet it gets much more difficult I find. My morning sessions on this computer usually end up with me swearing at the thing as I make yet another mistake. Yesterday however, things went quite calmly for once and I managed to place an order for new gift cards. I’ve sold most of the ones I had printed a couple of years ago and suddenly realised I was down to the last card of one of the four designs…and that sold to a lady who visited the studio with her husband yesterday morning. With our Open Studios Weekend looming it was time to get some new cards made.
Once I’d checked my emails, ( and sent one off to the Harbour Arts Centre to arrange a meeting to discuss promoting my forthcoming exhibition) ….well, I’d had enough of this machine and it was time to do some proper work and get down to the studio. I grabbed a lift with Nita in the car down to town and then walked the half mile along the harbour side to the Courtyard Studios. I had a chance to have a close look at the new entrance-way to the Maritime Museum yard. They have somehow printed their sign directly onto the wall …and it looks very good. Quite how they got it through the local council planning department I haven’t a clue …but well done to them, it’s quite impressive and I certainly enjoyed standing looking at it.
I arrived at my studio about 11am I guess to find several of my colleagues there working away with Alison and David both running classes I think. I have to say that I’m not a quick starter when I arrive at work. First job is always putting on the coffee maker ….one has to get ones priorities right! Once that is bubbling and gurgling away I can relax, put my sign out and sit in my rocking chair looking at the work I did the previous day. This usually lasts a good half hour and only then do I start work. I have four main paintings on the go at the moment and with the paint still wet on the two large canvases, and the 80 x 80 cm acrylic and pastel piece almost finished, I decided I needed to get on with the new 122 cm x 61 cm painting I started about a week ago. It’s still in its very early stages and is based on a view of Buachaille Etive Beag. Unusually for me, the view point is from down low in the glen and the painting is in the more traditional “landscape” format. The early stages of these big acrylic and pastel paintings are pretty methodical work. I just slowly build up alternating layers of thin paint and pastel and this is quite time consuming. It doesn’t need too much concentration though and so I often play music or listen to one of my talking books while painting or scribbling away. Yesterday was just such a day but by the time I left in the early evening I’d got the piece to a reasonable state. Today, when I get down there, I’ll have to start concentrating and the talking book will be turned off!
My immediate priorities now are to make sure I have a good selection of work ready for my exhibition at the Harbour Arts Centre starting on November 27th. Of course, before that starts, we have our annual Open Studios Weekend at the Courtyard, on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October. This actually involves a lot of work as I have to clear all the surfaces, move the tables and hang all the work ….and paint the floor again as it’s really messy now. Some years I spend the whole of the week before the event getting the studio ready but this year I have so many other things to do that I may well carry on working until the end of Wednesday 1st October ….and then have two very mad days getting everything done! If I go down this line I’ll be very tired at the end of it and visitors to my studio over the weekend will probably find me slumped in my rocking chair …oh well, nothing new there!
I left the studio at 7pm and went home to watch the gathering news from the referendum.
Glen Rosa test drawing
‘Glen Rosa test drawing 3’, Graphite stick on paper.
I’ve spent a number of days over the last two weeks creating several of these small graphite drawings. They are helping me to work out the basic composition for the big drawing I’ll be doing at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine between November 27th and January 12th. This recent small piece is about 70cm long and so is a mere sketch compared with the final big piece which will be 450 cm long and 150 cm high. These small drawings can’t possibly show what the larger drawing will look like as the scale of the marks will be completely different ……but they are starting to focus my ideas.. I’ll probably create several more such pieces before I start work on the big drawing in November.
For those of you living within striking distance of Irvine, you’ll be able to visit the gallery while I’m working on the big drawing, watch the progress and let me know your thoughts about the piece. Alternatively we’ll be filming the work each day with a time lapse camera and this will be put on-line at the end of each day so that you can follow the progress from wherever you live.
My big drawing project starts on 27th November 2014 at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine, Ayrshire and will be part of an exhibition of my Scottish Landscape work. I’ll also be doing a talk about the work at some point during the course of the exhibition and I’ll be posting full details a little nearer the time.
‘Towards Glen Coe, late afternoon, January’
‘Towards Glen Coe, late afternoon, January’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2014, 80 x 80 cm
It’s very warm here in Irvine this morning and so here is a cool image to balance things out!
The real reason for using this painting is that it recently sold at “the gallery on the corner” in Edinburgh and I thought I’d say a big thank you to the people who bought it and to the staff at the gallery.
The scene is a view looking towards Glen Coe from the edge of Rannoch Moor on what was a very cold winter afternoon. After all the fine warm weather this summer, this kind of scene seems a long way away but in reality there could be snow falling on the higher Scottish summits very soon now!
This is more of a picture blog; the purpose being to show images of the 10 pieces of work I’ll be exhibiting at the Autumn Exhibition in The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle upon Tyne. The preview is on Friday 12th September 2014 from 6 – 9pm.
I’ll be attending the event along with my partner Anita and I look forward to seeing you if by any chance you can make it along to the gallery that evening….all are welcome. If not, you should be able to view the exhibition on their website soon. Full details below:
‘Below Clach Lethaidh, winter’
‘Below Suilven, a dreich afternoon’
‘Crossing to Harris, a damp April evening’
‘From Conival, May’
‘Heavy down pour, Harris, May 2013’
‘January morning, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran’
‘Snow shower, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran’
‘Sun and snow, in the Blackmount’
‘Sun-lit slopes, Sgiath Chuil’
‘Towards the Mamores, a showery summers day’
The Biscuit Factory, Contemporary Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
Autumn Exhibition – 12th September – 15th November 2014
The Biscuit Factory
16 Stoddart St
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear NE2 1AN
Tel: 0191 261 1103
Email: art@thebiscuitfactory.com
Website: www.thebiscuitfactory.com
The exhibition runs until 15th November 2014 so I hope you can get along to see it.
‘Above Loch Tulla, passing shower’
‘Above Loch Tulla, passing shower’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 60 x 60 cm
Our walk over Ben Inverveigh and Meall Tairbh last Sunday, (see related blog) reminded me of this painting. It was based on a wet but beautiful view we had as we walked the West Highland Way from Bridge of Orchy to Ba Bridge and back a number of years ago. Thankfully the weather on Sunday was much better but it only goes to show that even in bad conditions you can sometimes see the most amazing views.
On the West Highland Way, above Loch Tulla
Not wanting to miss out on yet more fine weather, Nita and I had planned to get out again last Sunday. We’d both been working all day Saturday and so decided to have a day in the Arrochar Alps as they are a relatively short drive from Irvine. Then, however, it dawned on us that it was the August Bank Holiday weekend in the rest of the UK and we reckoned that there would be a lot of walkers heading north for the long weekend to climb a few Munros. The Arrochar hills are very popular at the best of times and so might have been a little too busy for me last weekend! I do like walking in quiet places although whether this is just because I’m so slow and get a little embarrassed when constantly being passed by other walkers, or whether it’s just because I’m an unsociable grumpy (almost) old man …..well, it’s debatable! Thankfully, Nita similarly likes the peace and quiet and so we’re well matched.
From the eastern end of Ben Inverveigh
So then, where to go? A few years ago on a similarly fine summer weekend, we did the circuit of Meall Tairbh and Ben Inverveigh, the two small but rough hills near Loch Tulla. On that occasion we’d parked in a very busy car park near Victoria Bridge but once on our way, we saw none of the other cars occupants for the rest of the day. This then seemed the perfect choice for Sunday.
Rough ground, Ben Inverveigh
Although both the hills are only around 650m high they offer pretty rough walking on generally pathless slopes of grass, heather and rock. This circuit over the two hills with the steep descent and re-ascent of just under 150 m makes for a good walk. This time however, we decided to park the car at the Bridge of Orchy and walk the few kilometres along the West Highland Way to reach the start of the long broad ridge of Ben Inverveigh. It means a slightly longer day but makes for a pleasant easy start and finish with the added advantage that at the end of the day, you are parked by the Bridge of Orchy Hotel…… perfect for an evening meal before driving home.
A lonely loch, below Meall Tairbh
And well, yes, it all worked according to plan….just! We’d been rather casual and had decided to leave a little later than normal in order to reach the Green Welly in Tyndrum in time for breakfast. Then however, we found the main road out of Ayrshire closed at Beith. We headed across to the old Glasgow road at Lugton only to find that this was closed too!!! The sat-nav put us right but we must have spent a good half hour driving along small country roads before finally bobbing out in Paisley. Still, this was not a problem as we had plenty of time and so after a relaxed if slightly late breakfast at the Green Welly, we drove the few miles to Bridge of Orchy and were walking by about half past ten. It was however, incredibly beautiful with the air being very clear for a summer day. The views were stunning and even I could make out some of the more distant peaks. Of course, of course, we just had to keep stopping to look and take photos and so didn’t reach the summit of Ben Inverveigh until after 13.30. Still, no problem, we had plenty of time! We were still on course when we reached the summit of Meall Tairbh at about 16.45 but it did seem a long way back to the West Highland Way. The final few kilometres to reach this famous path were over very rough and boggy ground but in the past we’d picked up a path of sorts. This time however, we decided to head over to the river as Nita reckoned she could see a path along its bank that also led back to the WHW. This in retrospect was not a good idea. The ground was even rougher and wetter and our pace went from slow to almost full stop. Time however did not stop and still short of the WHW by some way, we realised we were starting to get a little late. When we did finally reach it, it was just after 19.30 and we still had the walk back to Bridge of Orchy to do in fading light. Nita, who had already done her usual great job of guiding me, had her work cut out as we descended the rough track in what for me was very poor light. Wow, quite a day and we didn’t see anyone from the point where we left the WHW in the morning to the point where we re-joined it in the evening! It’s good to be sociable!
‘On Beinn a’ Ghlo’
‘On Beinn a’ Ghlo’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 80 x 80 cm
As you’ll see if you read the current blog, my mind is firmly on our forthcoming Courtyard Studios Open Weekend and as it suggests, it can be quite stressful getting everything organised. At such times however, I have to remind myself why I enjoy the event so much and why it is so good for my own practice and the Courtyard as a whole. The event is an excellent way to promote the Courtyard Studios as a centre for professional and quality art in the region as well as a great opportunity for visitors to view and buy the very latest work being produced here.
So then, with that in mind, I thought of this painting. It was bought by a lady and gentleman from Glasgow at the start of our Open Studios weekend last year and I’m very glad to say they visited my studio again a few months ago and are still enjoying this scene from Beinn a’ Ghlo.
I’m currently working on several new pieces which should be ready for this year’s event on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October. Open: Saturday 4th, 11am – 5pm, Sunday5th 12 noon – 5pm. Entry free, all visitors welcome. I hope you can get along to see some of my new paintings.
Courtyard Studios, Irvine
I’ve been awake for the last few hours trying to decide what to do about this years Courtyard Studios Open Weekend. As you probably know if you’ve been following the last 234 blogs, every year we have an Open Studios Weekend. This always takes place on the first weekend of October…..this year, (our 12th such event I think) will be on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October.
The event was originally set up by WASPS back in 2002 I think, with each of their studio buildings taking part. I’ve obviously only been involved with the Courtyard in Irvine but, over the years, we’ve slowly honed the event to meet our needs and it has generally been a very worth while thing to do, especially in terms of promoting the Courtyard as a venue for professional and quality arts in the region, and to some degree, as a means of creating opportunities and sales for the participating artists.
A successful event each year doesn’t however just happen, it takes a lot of hard work organising and promoting it. Over the years first with WASPS help and then more recently off our own backs, we’ve created something that people in the area know about and support ….in the last couple of years we’ve had close on 300 visitors through the door over each of the weekends……but as I say, it does take a lot of work. In the past Anita and I have always taken an active part in helping to organise the event at the Courtyard and we’d said that we’d do the same again this year. However, back in July WASPS announced that they were developing the event further this year with plans for extra money for workshops, artists talks and promotion and that they’d be looking for an official ‘Open studios rep to co-ordinate things this year. This will involve a lot more work than normal for whoever does the job.
As you know, I have been busy recently getting paintings ready for The Biscuit Factory autumn exhibition and now that they’re away, I have to put most of my efforts into preparing for the big drawing event and exhibition that I’m holding at the Harbour Arts Centre starting on 27th November. This is still three months away but there is a huge amount (both creative and organisational) to be done for it. As such, I told those attending the Open Studios weekend meetings, that I’d not be able to take on the extra work now involved in being official rep for the event and asked that someone else volunteer to do it this year.
Surprise, surprise however, just yesterday Anita and I received an email from WASPS asking what was happening re the Open Studios Weekend at the Courtyard and whether we were going to be co-ordinating things again this year and as such, act as reps for the event. This is why I’ve been awake half the night! I really can’t take on the extra work now involved this year and it would be great if one of my colleagues would pick up the reigns. Here’s hoping…..! Oh well, whatever happens, we’ll get there in the end and it will as usual be a great event, so make sure you put it down in your diary:
Courtyard Studios Open Weekend
Saturday 4th / Sunday 5th October 2014
Open: Saturday 11 am – 5pm, Sunday 12 noon – 5pm
Hope to see some of you there.
‘Towards the Mamores, a showery summers day’
‘Towards the Mamores, a showery summers day’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2014, 76 x 23 cm
This recent painting is just one of ten pieces that I delivered to The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle upon Tyne on Thursday. The work will be part of their Autumn Exhibition that opens on September 12th. I’ll be posting full details a little nearer the time.
This painting is based on a view we had almost exactly a year ago when we took some friends for a short walk up the Devil’s Staircase in Glen Coe. From the high point we had a wonderful view out across to the Mamores which were visible amongst broken clouds. The whole scene made a wonderful patchwork of colour, light and shade.