"Below Mid-Hill, Luss"
‘Below Mid Hill, Luss’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2009, 90 x 60 cm Ref: 129
The walk around Beinn Dubh and Mid Hill above Luss is one of my favourites. The hills aren’t huge but they are steep and in winter can offer a surprisingly challenging few hours. This painting is based on just such a day, when on the tops the wind was gusting 50 mph with a wind chill of around -20C and in the shelter of the glen …it was more like spring. What the difference a few hundred metres can make.
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
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
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!
'On the hill, West Highlands'
‘On the hill, West Highlands’, Acrylic & Pastel, 30 x 30 cm
Even in the summer you can’t avoid the bad weather in the Scottish hills and we’ve spent many a day wandering the tops in the mist. That said though, there is still something very special about the landscape when the clouds are down and moving through the hills and glens. You tend to get small areas of brightness filtering down every now and again, picking out the vivid greens of the moss and grass, or suddenly reflecting off of wet and slimy rocks higher up.
This little painting is a few years old now and to be honest I can’t remember exactly where it was based on – but it does I think capture a little of those damp warm summer days in the Highlands…..just need the midges now!
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.
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 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: 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.
"Forth Fields"
‘Forth Fields’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2006, 30 x 30 cm Ref: 19
The Ochill Hills make for an interesting change of scenery, and offer some great views out over the surrounding countryside. The hills are not particularly high, reaching a little over 700 m at their highest point. They rise very abruptly from the Forth plain just outside Stirling but after the steep climb there are broad undulating ridges of , in places, very rough grass and bog. We’ve only explored a small area but always have a great time. This little painting was based on a summer day a few years ago when we were heading up The Nebbit – a small pointy hill on the very edge of the range. As I say, it’s steep ground and deserves a good few stops to admire the view behind you. And it really is worth while …the Forth plain is stretched out below, a wonderful patchwork of fields and wee roads. It’s really quite beautiful especially in the summer when the fields are a mixture of grass and crops.
View of Speyer across the river
Well, it’s not far short of two years since I first heard about the Speyer scholarship. I’d been working into the evening at the studio in September 2008 when I had a knock on the door and three visitors from Germany came in to see my work. One of them, a chap called Markus, was a member of the Speyer Kunstlerbund and before leaving, told me all about the annual scholarship ….and asked if it was something I’d be interested in…..and I said ‘yes’. The rest, as they say, is history, and two weeks ago I travelled out with my partner Anita. She’s joining me for the first couple of weeks to help me find my way around….and hopefully have a bit of a holiday too.
Being very unused to air travel and all the rigmarole of checking in, security and departure gates …we decided to give ourselves plenty of time. Our flight to Frankfurt left Edinburgh at 1.45pm and so, just to make absolutely sure you understand, we left Irvine at 8.30 am!
It was all a bit strange at the airport but even going at a snails pace we still had time for a leisurely pint, a leisurely look through the bookshop and a leisurely lunch ….and still had a fair wait at the departure gate ….so no rush! The flight was great and luckily Nita had a window seat and took her duties as guide to heart …giving me a full description of everything she could see below. This though lapsed as we came in to land at Frankfurt and my surprise as we touched down was only exceeded by Nita spotting a fox wandering across the grass at the side of the runway ….street wise or what?!
Two of the members from the Kunstlerbund had very kindly driven to the airport to meet us and so we had a great welcome and were driven in style to Speyer and the Kunstlerhaus where I am to live and work during my stay. As we approached Speyer the skies darkened, lightening flashed and the rain started to fall ….quite an arrival although sadly the grand view of the magnificent cathedral as you approach the city, was blotted out by the weather …but it was very dramatic all the same.
When we arrived at the Kunstlerhaus, several other members of the group were there to greet us and we celebrated the start of the scholarship with a glass of wine. The Kunstlerhaus itself is wonderful. It has its own small courtyard and two big light studio / gallery rooms. Upstairs I have a flat and all has been provided for a very comfortable stay over the summer. The fine hospitality didn’t stop there though and we were taken out to a local restaurant for beer and a very fine meal …wow!
By the time we got back we were both pretty tired. It had been a long but very enjoyable day …I lay awake in bed not quite believing I was actually in Germany and set up so well for a full summer of painting. All my gear arrived ok as did the materials I’d ordered …so I have no excuses now!
My studio in Speyer Sämergasse
Watch this space!
Below White Caterthun
I think I may have mentioned already that we have the builders in at the Courtyard Studios. They’re creating new studio spaces in the loft area and refurbishing the older studio building. So, when it’s all finished in June everything is going to look good and we’ll have space for a few new artists and craftspeople …so if you’re Ayrshire based and looking for studio space it’d be worth contacting WASPS …see the link at the side of this page. Of course the work is creating a little bit of mayhem as everyone has to move out and into a spare space while their studio is done. It’s going pretty well though and the new studio spaces are looking good. As I’m going to be away soon, the work in my studio is not starting until next week, but with all the jobs still needing to be done prior to my trip to Speyer, I decided it would be easier to clear my studio a week early …taking everything home. It’s surprising just how much junk you can accumulate in a couple of years and my studio was no exception. It took Anita and I most of last weekend to clear the space and cart all of the stuff home …and today I passed the keys over to the builders. The work will be finished by the end of May and so Anita will be using the space for a couple of days a week while I’m in Germany….she can be the first one to splash paint on the newly refurbished studio!
With the removal work all completed, my next job was to pack some of my painting gear and get it sent across to Speyer. This actually turned out to be easier than expected (well, if the stuff arrives OK that is) and yesterday a large old banana box full of paint, pastels and brushes was collected from my house and is as I type winging it’s way to Speyer. With a bit of luck it’ll be waiting for me on Tuesday next and I’ll be able to ‘hit the ground running’, as they say.
From the White Caterthun, Angus
On Thursday we decided to take a wee break and drove up to see our friend Norma who lives in Angus. We do a walk or two with her most years and she is the coordinator for the ‘summer mountain skills course for visually impaired’ that is run at Glenmore Lodge by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. It’s a fantastic course that is now in it’s tenth year …if you’re interested in learning more about the course, check out the Glenmore Lodge website …a quick ‘Google’ should find it.
Anyway, we had a great little visit and on Friday morning Norma suggested we do a short walk over a couple of local hills – the White and Brown Caterthuns. These wee hills sit on the edge of the Angus hills and each has an ancient hill fort at the top. Apparently they’re of different ages and the White Caterthun is very obvious, being a very large circle of piled stone. The weather last Friday morning was pretty fine with lots of sun but large shower clouds brewing. As we reached the top of White Caterthun and started to wander around the old fort or dun, we found ourselves being rained on…quite heavily! One of these big shower clouds had crept up on us. It didn’t last long and the views out across the Angus countryside were really beautiful. The Brown Caterthun lies a couple of kilometres away but to us, there didn’t really seem to be much sign of the ancient fort when we got there …but then again as both Norma and I are registered as blind, that’s not saying much!
The Angus countryside from White Caterthun
It wasn’t the biggest walk I’ve ever done but it really was very enjoyable. Just getting out in such beautiful countryside does a lot of good especially in such a busy and hectic time. As we walked past a wee coppice of trees I heard the first Willow Warbler of the summer ….what more can you want?
'Lost Building'
‘Lost Building’, Oil, 2003, 86 x 86 cm
I haven’t always painted the hills and mountains. When I first moved to Scotland I spent my time working on pictures that were based on the man made landscape of Irvine. One of the buildings that really grabs your attention from most parts of the town is the big church that sits on the side of the River Irvine near what used to be one of the main bridges over the river. Sadly the bridge was demolished for a new shopping mall but the church remains. It’s quite a stunning building that seems almost too steep for its own good. Sadly unused for either its original purpose, or any other, it is still a beautiful landmark at the centre of the town and one which I did a number of paintings and drawings about.
This painting was done when I was still using oil and tries to capture a little of the buildings splendour when illuminated by the late evening summer sun. I’ve started to look at these earlier paintings again as I’ll be in Speyer next week and will be thinking about doing paintings based on its magnificent architecture.
‘Lost Building’ is currently on display at the RNIB Education & Employment Centre in Edinburgh.
'Below Liathach, Torridon',
‘Below Liathach, Torridon’
Some of my earliest memories of Scotland are of this magnificent mountain. Back in 1965 my family stayed in a cottage on the shores of Loch Torridon and we spent a number of days sat by the stream underneath this giant of a hill. A few years ago my father joined us for a short holiday in Gairloch and we decided to take him back to Torridon.
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t good and as we drove down the glen the hills were all thickly shrouded in cloud. We stopped underneath Liathach and looked at the steep terraces of sandstone that disappeared up into the clouds above our heads. Even though we couldn’t see the full beauty of this mountain it was still a very dramatic and atmospheric view.
'Assynt coast line', Pen, 2009, 28 x 21 cm
As I think I’ve said in the past; when I’m painting, the door to my studio is always open. I really like the idea that people can come into the studio and see work being produced. Of course it leaves one open to all sorts of criticism and comment, but that really doesn’t bother me and indeed people often come out with some very interesting ideas.
A couple of weeks ago though, I heard a chap who’d been looking doubtfully at one of my new very simple pastel on gesso line drawings, say, “What’s this all about then”? I guess it might be a good idea to try and put down here a few of my thoughts about the drawings I do.
Drawing is for me a fundamental part of everything I work on. There are many facets to it but the most important one for me is that it is about looking and the way in which I interpret what I see. When I was fully sighted, I did a lot of observational drawing, working on still life, life drawing and outdoor subjects. I’ll be honest, I was never the greatest draughtsman but like most students at the end of their art degree, I knew one end of a pencil from another and could produce some reasonable drawings.
'From Conival', Pastel on gesso, 2010, 45 x 46 cm
The practise of having to look and think made drawing a very important activity for me. In doing this, one tends to look in a different way. You side-step your brain a little and instead of seeing structure as you think it ought to look (associating it with it’s name or use) you look at what it actually is, what it’s constituent parts are. This way of looking has helped me appreciate beauty in so many things. I look at everyday objects and enjoy them simply for what they are. In art, I love Carl Andre’s infamous bricks and the stunning simplicity of Richard Sera’s ‘Berlin block for Charlie Chaplin’….a huge cube of rusting forged metal.
Drawing then, helped me to look at things in a slightly different way. As my sight started to deteriorate, the view I had, became much more simplistic. After all this time trying to teach myself to look beyond the immediate detail, I suddenly found that this bothersome detail no longer existed …the world I now saw was made out of simpler rather vaguely shaped structure and space. Through the many years of drawing, I’ve become used to thinking about my surroundings in this way and so it wasn’t so difficult adapting to my new view. In a strange way, drawing has actually helped me come to terms with my visual impairment.
'On Rannoch Moor', Pen, 2009, 28 x 21 cm
The simple line drawings I do are done for a number of reasons. When working outside using a pen, the primary purpose is to make me look at the landscape I’m in. As I said on the short video, it’s quite a bazaar process. Having just a little bit of sight in one (my right) eye, I have to hold a monocular up to this eye with my left hand and then try and sketch with my right hand …occasionally looking down to see what I’ve got. The finished sketched are rather hit and miss, but as scribbled as they are they do help me remember the scene for future reference and some of them in this rather random way are beautiful in their own right. The pastel on gesso drawings are worked from these outdoor sketches and are about my trying to create simple but beautiful compositions in line. Although I like to do these drawings for their own sake, they are also used to work out the compositions for my paintings.
'Winter slopes, Glen Lyon', Oil pastel, 50 cm (w) x 54cm (h)
Drawing then is something that is embedded in most of what I do. It helps me see my surroundings, it has taught me to appreciate beauty in simple structure and it allows me to record these things. Above all, drawing a line has taught me about composition – possibly one of the most important things in my work.