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An Teallach | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘An Teallach’

Journey’s end ….a commission completed successfully.

It seems quite a long way from the summit of Mam na Gualainn, (where I first met Richard) to this photograph showing the finished painting he commissioned from me, hanging on his living room wall.   The actual painting took me 5 – 6 weeks to complete but there was quite a lot to work out before I first picked up a paint brush. 

As I say, I first met Richard at the summit of Mam na Gualainn, an almost 800 m high hill rising on the north shores of Loc

An Teallach painting, framed and on the wall

An Teallach painting, framed and on the wall

h Leven in the West Highlands.  I was walking with my partner Nita and our friend Guy and we had just finished lunch and were about to head off east along the broad ridge of the hill when we spotted another walker making his way towards us  We stopped for a quick chat with him  and then continued on our ways

It must have been six or eight weeks later that I received an email from Richard introducing himself saying that he was the chap we’d met on Mam na Gualainn and that he was wondering if he could visit my studio next time he visited Scotland.  This visit took place a couple of weeks later and it was great to meet him again and to hear more about his exploits in the Scottish hills over the previous I think 40 years……very impressive.  Over this time he has not only reached the summits of all the Munros but also all the Munro tops too …. and was now in search of a painting based on the Scottish Highlands that would  perhaps sum up what he had already done as well as looking  forward to further outings.   He’d been searching for such a painting a couple of months before we’d met on Mam na Gualainn and had come across my website ……only to recognise my face on the hill  a  little later in the summer.

While visiting my studio Richard asked whether I would create a painting for him based on one of his photographs….a view from the top of Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill on An Teallach.  Although I’d never used another persons photo as a starting point for a painting, I was intrigued by this as Nita and I had stood at the very same point on Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuil a number of years previously ….and it was certainly one of the most memorable I’ve had on a hill.

After a short time to  consider this  I agreed to try and create the painting for him.  Firstly though I needed to know the kind of painting he was looking for …..as you know, my paintings vary from almost abstract to much tighter more traditional looking landscapes.  We agreed that I would send him a CD containing  40 or 50 images covering a broad range of paintings and I asked him to look carefully through them and indicate which were the kind of paintings he most likes.  He did his homework very well and a week or so later he contacted me with a short list, along with his reasons for liking them …he pointed out certain elements that he particularly liked and made some very useful comments.  He said that he was looking for something that whilst still being recognisable as An Teallach, would  also contain bold marks and the texture that he so much liked in my paintings.

This information was really helpful and allowed me to visualise how the finished piece might look and therefore how to go about painting it.  Sounds easy doesn’t it?!  As it turned out, getting that balance proved quite difficult and in the end I probably erred more towards the recognisable.   Strangely I probably drew as much on my own memories of the day we were up there as on Richards’s original photograph …certainly for the kind of atmosphere and light.  We stood at the summit on a May day under darker skies with little if any sun.  The photograph Richard had taken showed a large area of blue sky at the top and although this made for a great image I felt it allowed the painting to drift away.  I decided instead to add a darker area of cloud at the top of the painting  ….a sort of cap to hold the eye and redirect it back down into the painting.  I think this also had the added benefit that it helped enhance the feeling of height and scale.

I sent Richard a number of images showing the progress of the painting as well as posting a couple of them on my Face Book page, Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist.   In the end though I just sent the finished painting down to him ….no photos of it beforehand.

An Teallach painting finished and framed

An Teallach painting finished and framed

Richard asked  that I supply the painting without a frame so that he and his family could select this.  I know how different a painting can look when it is just there without a frame and so was a little worried that he may not see beyond the raw edges!  I suggested that he spent a good few days looking at it before making any decision but I shouldn’t have worried as about a week later he kindly sent me the photos of it framed and on the wall.  I have to say that I think he selected a good frame and I was very pleased with the final result ….I think Richard is too.  He told me in his last email that he’d bought it as a 60th Birthday present to himself ….so then, Happy Birthday Richard.  I hope you enjoy many more walks in the Scottish Highlands and maybe we’ll meet up again on a hill sometime.  Enjoy the painting.

Of course I can’t just leave it there …the business part of me has to spring into action now.  Should you be looking for a painting of the Scottish Highlands and be unable to find the right thing, you could  always consider commissioning a painting unique to you.  I’m always happy to consider ideas and am always up for a challenge!

An Teallach commission almost finished

Near the summit of Mam-na-Gualainn - Starting point for a commission

Near the summit of Mam-na-Gualainn – Starting point for a commission

As anyone following my blog or FB Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist page will know, I’ve been working on a painting about An Teallach for a chap we met near the top of Mam na Gualainn back in the late summer.

It’s been a really interesting process and yesterday I decided that the painting was probably finished ….and I signed it!   I’ve been trying to create a painting that captures both, the idea of being at the summit of An Teallach as well as a more general feeling of being up high in the Scottish mountains.

The painting is now on the wall in my studio while I get on with some other work.  I’ll be able to look at it for a couple of weeks and make any final adjustments before declaring the painting finally finished!  It’s a difficult process knowing when a painting is finished or not and you have to give it  some time.  I’ve worked fairly intensely on this piece and as I’ve neared the end there’s been a lot of just sitting and looking rather than wielding of the paint brush.

 The photo here was taken near the summit of Mam na Gualainn …..it’s a strange starting point for a commission ….but a very fine one.  Hopefully the gentleman who we met here and who has commissioned the painting will like it.  More news of this in another blog.

Back to normal

A rather full Loch Lomond

A rather full Loch Lomond

Well then, that’s Christmas by and 2014 well under way.  I hope you all had a good time over the festive period.  I had a very enjoyable few days off as well as a very good few days at the studio.  Nita was working twelve and half hours shifts on 27th & 28th December so I used these to the full working on the An Teallach commission.  After much banging of my head against the wall in the early stages of this painting, I’m at last starting to make headway and had another good long session yesterday that left me feeling quite optimistic that I’ll get it finished fairly soon.  It’s been quite a challenge but I’ve really enjoyed working on this piece and I’ve certainly learnt quite a lot.  I’m also thinking that I may have to revisit this fantastic mountain again sometime before too long…..I think we were last there about seven years ago.

Still no serious walking done recently though.  The weather has been pretty appalling and on the odd day when it wasn’t blowing a gale and falling with rain, either Nita or I were working.  We managed a short wander through the local country park on New Years Day which was nice ….it’s a beautiful mix of grass, bog and trees with lots of bird life and if you’re in the right place at the right time …deer.

Interesting patterns. Loch Lomond

Interesting patterns. Loch Lomond

We finally made it out yesterday we spent several very enjoyable hours wandering along two sections of the West Highland Way on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond.  Have to admit though, that we hadn’t banked on the water level in Loch Lomond being so high and we had to make detours around a couple of sections of the path that were completely flooded by the loch.  It certainly made for some interesting views with the trees and bushes around the edge all appearing to grow out of the water.   It wasn’t a huge walk, just a few miles, but it got the legs working again and we’re already starting to think about getting back onto the hills again next week with a bit of luck.

Ben Lomond from the shores of Loch Lomond

Ben Lomond from the shores of Loch Lomond

Looks like being a fairly busy year this year.  I already have work booked for an autumn show at a gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne  and then have the solo show and big drawing project at the end of the year lined up.  I’ve also just been asked to show a few pieces of work at the Frames Gallery in Perth as part of their spring exhibition, so I’ll look forward to that ….it’s a great gallery.  I’m hoping to do more work with photographer Dan Thornton later in the year.  Walking wise, well, we’ll have to see how it goes but I’m hoping to try and walk a few more Munro’s ….I’ve slipped back into bagging mode again and nine more Munro summits would take my tally up to 120!  I’ve always said I’d never be able to, or want to walk all 284 of them, but I do like the excuse to go and visit places I’ve never been before …so I guess my new target is to do half of them ….I should manage that within a few years with a bit of luck!

Must dash now and get myself down the studio.  My very best wishes to everyone who reads this for a great 2014.