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Posts Tagged ‘Arran’

Ahead of schedule

Last Wednesday afternoon at about half past four I stood back from the big Glen Rosa drawing and decided that it was probably finished.  When I planned the project, all I knew was that I’d have around 35 days in which to complete it.  To be honest I really wasn’t sure that it would be enough time but there was really no way of knowing.   Over the previous 18 months I’d done eight or nine double A1 size “test” drawings to see amongst other things, just how long it would take me to do this size drawing using graphite pencils.  These smaller pieces took around 5 days work…..so I kind of figured that I should have enough time to do the large piece.

Glen Rosa drawing, detail

Glen Rosa drawing, detail

Regardless of how much I planned, there were however, still many unknown factors when it came to the large drawing.  One of these was of course, how much time I spent talking!  Working in a public gallery in a busy arts centre meant that many people would be walking by watching the drawing develop.  This was an important part of the project but before starting I just didn’t know quite how busy it would be and quite how much time I’d spend talking rather than drawing.  As it turned out, the balance was just about right for me.  There have been plenty of people stopping to look comment and chat but there has also been ample time in between, for me to get down to work.

Glen Rosa drawing detail - 2

Glen Rosa drawing detail – 2

I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed working in the gallery in the Harbour Arts Centre.  It’s a magnificent space and the main wall is just perfect for creating a large piece of work.  The project seems to have generated a lot of interest too and hopefully will have encouraged a few folk with their own artistic endeavours.

Glen Rosa drawing detail - 3

Glen Rosa drawing detail – 3

I’ll be popping into the gallery to tidy up and remove the large piece of paper I taped to the floor to catch all the graphite and bits of rubber.  Then, it will be about done I guess.  Of course, as you know, I do like to give these things a little time and now that I’m ahead of schedule I can let this huge drawing settle while I go back to my studio and start work on the Brazil commissions.  I’ll pop in to see the drawing most days and then, if I feel that there are any parts of it that need a little extra work, I can do this in the final week before the “End view” on January 8th, between 7pm and 9pm.

Finished drawing

Finished drawing

I do hope you’ve enjoyed following the progress of this piece of work…..especially if you’ve managed to get into the HAC to see things for real, or if you’ve been following  the short time lapse videos that Graham, Tosh and the team at Model X Media have been recording and posting on line each day.  You can find out more about this great Ayrshire based company by visiting their website: www.modelxmedia.com .

These blogs have been a little few and far between over the last two months or so but I’ll try to get things back to a normal weekly routine soon.  In the meantime, I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas.

Computer blues …getting brighter!

Glen Rosa, January 2013

Glen Rosa, January 2013

Last week I moaned about having problems with my newly updated computer.  Now then, I have to admit that I’m not the most computer literate person in the world and so trying to get everything back to normal has proved a little challenging!  Thankfully Nita is up for a challenge and she’s been spending a good few hours sat at this machine sorting things out for me. 

As I think I said in a previous blog , I’ve also  just changed the magnification and screen reader  software I use. This new software, Zoomtext, seems to be excellent but again, there’s a lot of new things to learn, so this, coupled with a rather new look Windows 7, is taking a lot of time to find my way around. Nita has done an excellent job and she’s re-loaded most of my software and it seems to be working quite well now…..I think I’ll have to buy Nita some chocolates and a bottle of wine as a thank you for all her work.

I’ve been working on a new painting this week and it’s starting to come on now.  It’s based on a small scene we saw in Glen Rosa last January and I was rather hoping to get back over there again yesterday in order to start doing some serious planning for the big drawing  project.  The forecast had been excellent, calm, dry and reasonably bright ….it would have been the perfect day.  We’d got it all booked and had planned to catch the 7 o’clock ferry over so that we’d get the maximum time to wander through the glen, stopping to do sketches and take some photos.   Unfortunately my plans fell apart on Wednesday when a courier I’d booked, failed to collect!  Ahhhhh!  I’d waited at the studio all day but somehow the courier couldn’t find me!  So, they said that they’d  try again the next day …Thursday.  I’m glad to say that the painting was finally collected, albeit a day late and with a bit of luck …it’ll be delivered safely sometime today.   We’re now hoping that we might be able to get over to Arran this weekend or sometime next week; I’ll be checking the Mountain Weather information Service again and hoping for another fine day

‘Winter scene, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran’

282-winter-scene-glen-rosa-isle-of-arran-acrylic-pastel-2013-30-x-30-cm

‘Winter scene, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran’

 ‘Winter scene, Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 30 x 30 cm,

Price £485. To check for current availability please contact me on 07742 437425

 

Well, as I said just a short while ago on my Face Book page (Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist) this morning Nita saw the first snow of this winter over on the mountains on the Isle of Arran.

When I was walking over in Glen Rosa in January and again in March, I started to develop an idea to create a large (4.5 x 1.5 m) drawing based on the idea of walking through the glen in winter.  Over the intervening months I’ve developed the idea and recently put a proposal to the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine ….the idea is to use their large main gallery wall to create this new drawing.  They’ve agreed to let me use the gallery next November / December (2014) to do the work and while I create the piece I’ll also hold an exhibition of my usual smaller paintings.  Anyway, I’ll write more about that nearer the time.

This little painting is one that I did following our walks in Glen Rosa earlier this year. With the new snow once again starting to fall on the mountains around the glen, I’m going to be going back there soon to start honing my idea for the big drawing, spending time looking, planning, sketching and taking photos.  It should be a fun time and I’m really looking forward to the project …this time next year it should be well under way!

‘In Glen Sannox, Isle of Arran’

283 'In Glen Sannox, Isle of Arran', Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 76 x 23 cm

‘In Glen Sannox, Isle of Arran’

‘In Glen Sannox, Isle of Arran’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 76 x 23 cm

This is the latest of my 76 x 23 cm paintings. It can be seen in my studio at present ….although I’m not completely sure whether it’s finished yet and I might still have a bit of work to do on it! For any one who hasn’t been to Glen Sannox, it’s a wonderful place with high rocky ridges on both sides and the dramatic peak of Cir Mhor rising above the Saddle at the end. With my sight a little worse these days, the ridges are probably now a little out of my league, but the glen is still a beautiful place to wander and I’ll definitely be making more visits.

Rosa not Rannoch

Below Cir Mhor, Glen Rosa

Below Cir Mhor, Glen Rosa

Well then, all our plans to go and walk some of the paths out over Rannoch Moor on Tuesday, came to nothing ….the bad weather that has been causing mayhem in most of the UK, finally caught up with us here and although it didn’t sound like it would be anything like as bad as elsewhere, we certainly didn’t fancy setting out on the 90 mile drive north with snow forecast and the roads likely to be bad. Instead then, after a quick rethink, we decided to go across to Arran and do a low level walk there. We’re very lucky here in North Ayrshire in that if ever the road conditions look to bad further north, we can nearly always get the few miles to Ardrossan and catch the ferry over to Arran and its fantastic mountains …some of the finest, south of Glen Coe.

Glen Rosa ...a wild and beautiful place

Glen Rosa …a wild and beautiful place

We got up at 04.00 to find a couple of centimetres of snow everywhere …but it seemed to have stopped and once out of the estate where we live the roads here were fine. First a quick detour to Kilwinning train station to pick up Guy at just after 06.00 and then on to Ardrossan and the ferry terminal …where we had a brief surprise …the ferry wasn’t sitting waiting where it normally does! Instead it was in a second space further away. After getting out tickets we were told that we would be boarding by way of the vehicle ramp …not a gangway. Different. Even more different when we emerged from the car decks to find that the layout of the ship seemed to have changed!!! When we wandered into a completely re designed café, finally it dawned on us that this was a different ship! Apparently the normal ferry was in dry dock having some work done. The breakfast though was up to its usual high standards and we were soon on our way.

My patient guides!

My patient guides!

Guy had been planning on catching the bus to Sannox and then walking up Glen Sannox, then up and out onto the Saddle and down Glen Rosa back to Brodick. When I heard his plans I have to admit that I said a very loud ‘No’. Nita and I had done this a number of years ago on a perfect summer day and although 97% of the route is a straight forward walk, the final section oft the climb up to the Saddle is interesting to say the least, and proved challenging for me even in good summer conditions. The route climbs steeply at the head of Glen Sannox up a very well made path …but it’s a bit misleading. High up this little motorway ends abruptly and the only way to continue is to scrabble up a very steep and eroded gully and then out to gain the final small path onto the top of the Saddle ….the col between North Goat Fell and Cir Mhor. With the prospect of climbing this gully with snow and ice in it …well …No! As Guy said, he can always go back and do that himself sometime. Instead, with forecasts of strong winds higher up, we opted for the gentle route to the Saddle …from Glen Rosa … returning the same way.

Snow covered slopes below North Goat Fell

Snow covered slopes below North Goat Fell

Although we’ve done this walk several times over the years it is always very beautiful and this would be the first time we done it on a real winter day. The snow wasn’t right down in the base of the glen at first but we reached it higher up. Near to the head of the glen, the point where you cross the stream and go up easy slopes to the Saddle, we stopped. We’d spent so long stopping and looking, taking photos and generally enjoying the complete peace and quiet that we were running a little behind time and decided it was far enough.

Looking down Glen Rosa

Looking down Glen Rosa

The mountains look wonderful in the snow, their upper slopes disappearing into the clouds. I snapped away with the camera and more importantly spend long minutes just stood looking and trying to fix in my mind the subtle colours and tones created under these wild and wintry conditions …I’m looking forward to trying to create some paintings or drawings based on what I saw. My two guides, Nita and Guy had a good day spotting wild life too. There were plenty of deer to see and Nita spotted a couple of Golden Eagles …confirmed by a very interesting local gentleman who we met …and who spent quite a bit of time trying to point them out to me. Alas, I never did get to see one of them this time …but with all the excitement of the others …I feel like I did. I’m not sure who the chap was, but he spoke with so much enthusiasm and passion for the glen. He was pointing out the colours and telling us about how they change over the year ….he was a man after my own heart …he might have been a painter too. Hopefully we’ll meet up again another time when we’re wandering the hills or glens on Arran …and I can remember to give him one of my business cards!

A big little walk

Doune Hill from the slopes of Tullick Hill

Doune Hill from the slopes of Tullick Hill

One of the things I love about Scotland is that however well you think you know an area ….there is always something new to explore tucked away around the corner…..it’s great. Glen Douglas is just such a place. It runs from the western shores of Loch Lomond over to the eastern shores of Loch Long and a small single track road runs along its length connecting it to the main roads at either end. For year’s we’ve been driving past the end of this little road heading for other glens, or other hills and we’ve never really noticed or thought about it. On our annual visit to walk Beinn Dubh and Mid Hill however, we do, albeit briefly, get a view down into Glen Douglas …but that’s all we’ve ever seen of it ….until last Sunday that is.

On Tullich Hill

On Tullich Hill

The three hills to the north of Glen Douglas have not been completely out of mind though. I did a short winter walk with my friend Guy about ten years ago ….from Tarbet up steep slopes to the summit of Ben Reoch and it did make me realise what a great view point this group of hills made …especially of the Cobbler and its neighbours. So then, last weekend we decided to go and walk all three of these hills to the north of Glen Douglas ….making an interesting and quite strenuous little day.

Turning off the A82 just beyond the Inverbeg Inn, we were immediately impressed by how quiet and beautiful the glen was….a real little hidden gem. Indeed, in the bright spring morning light …well it looked stunning ….and these very modest hills somehow looked much bigger and more dramatic. The circuit we planned to do took in Tullich Hill, Ben Reoch and Beinn Bhreac, starting and finishing at Invergroin.

The Arrochar Alps from Tullich Hill

The Arrochar Alps from Tullich Hill

Access to the open hillside can be gained through a gate just beyond the bridge at Invergroin and from there it’s simply a case of making your way, at first, gently and then more steeply up the very obvious SE ridge of Tullich Hill. We’d only gone a very short distance when Anita spotted a very large bird …with several small birds following it. I barely saw it but Anita watched it for quite a while with a monocular and she was happy that it was a Golden Eagle she was watching ….a great start to the day. About half way up the ridge a small band of crags appears, but a steep band of grass leads through them and onto easier angled ground. Beyond this the ridge is a little more defined with the ground falling away steeply on your left with increasingly impressive views across to Doune Hill, Loch Long and as the ground eases as you near the summit, all the way to Arran and Ailsa Craig beyond. It’s a steep little climb and we were well glad of a sit down, sheltering from the cold wind behind a rock and just taking in the beauty and quietness of our surroundings.

The North Peak of the Cobbler, Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain from An t'Sreang

The North Peak of the Cobbler, Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain from An t'Sreang

Our next objective was the slightly higher top of Ben Reoch (661m) about 2km to the north east of us. To get there though is no easy stroll ….it involves descending just under 300m to the wild little col of An t’Sreang and then climbing very steep slopes to regain the height …plus a little, in order to reach the next summit. The views across to the Arrochar Alps were superb all the way. The Cobbler and Beinn Narnain had a little snow on them but their bigger neighbour Beinn Ime had a good covering and looked very dramatic against the now darker and mainly cloud covered sky. Near the top of the steep slopes my legs started to cramp and I made an undignified slump to the turf to wait for it to clear. It gave me a good chance to moan ….but then I remembered the views and forgot for a short while, about my complaining legs!

North from Ben Reoch

North from Ben Reoch

As you reach the small cairn marking the top of Ben Reoch, the views in the other direction really open up. The ground drops away in front of you and you can see for many miles up and down Loch Lomond. Across the water is Ben Lomond and to the north east the easily recognisable snow covered summits of Ben More and Stob Binnian.

Towards Beinn Bhreac

Towards Beinn Bhreac

By now it was about half past three and we still had quite a way to go across to our final summit of the day …Beinn Bhreac at 681m. Thankfully there isn’t another steep descent and climb between these two hills, just a gentle loss of height and a wander along a broad gently rising ridge. The final few metres are topped with small crags and the trig point sits atop a prominent little knoll high above Loch Lomond. It’s a lofty little spot and a great end to a fine circuit. The descent on steep grassy slopes back to Invergroin was easy albeit a little long winded ….with me going at my normal snails pace …but the views were still fine and as we got lower the late sun came out to give a bit of warmth and finish the day in style. We were tired though …we’d been walking for just on nine hours …..and as I said …there was quite a lot of up …and down ….Nita’s quote of the day as we walked the half kilometre back along the wee road to the car, ‘I’ve got legs like those of a rubber chicken!’ I knew how she felt …only thing for it was to head to the Inverbeg Inn for some much needed food.

Loch Lomond from the summit of Beinn Bhreac

Loch Lomond from the summit of Beinn Bhreac

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A week of work

'December afternoon, near Cononish'

'December afternoon, near Cononish'

Following our fabulous short day in the snow above Loch Lomond last Saturday, I’ve been down the studio every day since.  The new layout seems to be working much better and I’m already starting to feel more at home now.  The light is still difficult but it is at least fairly constant and that has made a big difference.

Our walk on Beinn Dubh though, did me a lot of good.  Just getting out into the fresh air, bright light and vivid colours on Saturday has given my painting the kick up the ******** that I probably needed.  I’ve said it enough times before, but I don’t think you can really paint the landscape if you don’t get out into it and really experience it.  Almost two months of work and no walking was taking its toll. We’ve already another walk planned for the day after Boxing Day so I’m already looking forward to that.  Mind you, it’s gone very mild here now and the snow over on Arran is melting fast ….it’s twelve degrees here this morning so even up on the tops there will be a bit of a thaw.  Whether there will be any snow left by the 27th I don’t know, but it’ll still look good if there’s a bit of brightness around.  I’ll keep an eye on the forecasts and see what happens.

Of the last four days, I’ve spent two of them working on one of my new 80 x 80 cm oil paintings.  I’m very slow and tentative at the moment …as I’ve said, I’m not really sure what I’m doing with them, but I am enjoying using this different type of  paint and am quite excited by it.

'In Glen Lochy, early winter'

'In Glen Lochy, early winter'

For the last two days, I’ve been working on two very small paintings.  I had no intention of doing anything this small (standard post card size) but received an email from the folk at Scotlandart.com in Edinburgh, saying that they were going to hold a short exhibition of unframed / un-mounted post card sized works in early January ….and asking me if I’d like to take part.   They had a similar show back in January this year and I quite enjoyed doing something for it then.   The show is an opportunity for people to see and purchase small and relatively inexpensive pieces of work by artists they may follow or be interested in.  I guess these small works are there to tempt!  Anyway, I’ve finished the two pieces (see images of them here) and will be sending them off to the gallery immediately after New Year.  I don’t have the exact dates / details of the show yet but will post all the information as soon as I have it.  So then, if you’ve room on your wall for a small piece of work then this could be a great opportunity to find something different.  All the works will be the same size and there should be an excellent choice of different artists work on show.  Watch this space for more details.

Finally, it’s that time of year again so here’s wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas.   I’ll be working at the studio until 8 pm on Christmas Eve and then hanging up the paint brushes for a few days I think.  As well as the planned walk ….probably over on Arran on the 27th, we’re also planning a day over in Edinburgh in order to see the Elizabeth Blackadder exhibition before it closes.  I’ve heard great reports about it and I always like her work ….so am looking forward to that too.

Heading for Goat Fell on the 7am ferry…

'Heading for Goat Fell ...on the 7am ferry'

'Heading for Goat Fell ...on the 7am ferry'

Talk about leaving it a bit late, we took the decision to head over to Arran for a walk up Goat Fell yesterday, after I got back from the studio on Wednesday evening. Not the greatest of preparations but thankfully we had some bread rolls in the freezer and a supply of Lucozade …it wouldn’t be the best packed lunch in the world but good enough.

It’s been pretty miserable up here in Scotland for the last few days with rain and high winds but as we put the rucksacks into the car for the short drive to the ferry …at about 6.15am …there was just enough light to see that the sky was virtually cloud free …it was looking good.

As you may have noticed from the blogs, we haven’t been out on the hill for a good few weeks now.  I’ve just been so busy at the studio that with one thing and another …coupled with many days of low grey cloud and rain …well we just never managed to get out.  I’ve been wanting to go and walk my 50th Corbett but still haven’t decided which hill that will be and so on Wednesday evening we just wanted somewhere to go that would stretch the legs and give great views …what better place to go than Goat Fell over on the Isle of Arran.  On a clear day the views from its summit must be some of the best in Scotland and for us living just across the water in Irvine; it has the advantage of virtually no driving, and the luxury of getting breakfast during the 55 minute crossing between Ardrossan and Brodick.  You arrive in the picturesque little town of Brodick and can see many of the big Arran hills (including Goat Fell) rising just to the north.  You don’t even have to catch a bus to the base of the hill …there is a wonderful path that picks it’s way between the golf course and the sea all the way to below Brodick castle where the main ‘tourist’ path starts and the wonderful Arran Brewery has it’s home.

'On Goat Fell'

'On Goat Fell'

Everything looked so beautiful as we walked along the beach the final few hundred metres to the start of the Goat Fell path.  The sea was an intense blue and the trees were just starting to take on that autumn colouring.  The path picks its way up and around the edge of Brodick Castle gardens ….heading through a mixture of trees and habitat.  After a while it reaches a small fast flowing stream with a wee bridge over it.  I can remember a few years back when this bridge was just a fairly narrow affaire with no hand rail …I used to shuffle my way over it, worrying that I’d miss the edge and end up getting a soaking!  No worries now …as I say, there’s a proper little bridge in place.  About this point you get to the edge of the trees and the path turns and runs across a fairly level section heading for the shoulder of the hill.  We had seen just two other folk at this time and it was so peaceful as we wandered along the stony path.  Already the views to the south were impressive …but there was also a lot of very low cloud out there and we worried that this was the ‘weather’ that the forecast had said was due in later that day …arrived early as it were.

Once onto the ridge the path is nearly all rock …hours and hours of time and hard work moving greet stones and boulders into place, utilizing the natural outcrops and picking a clever line, have created a fine and safe path all the way to the summit.  You don’t have to follow it of course and you can clamber your way up and through the granite boulders and outcrops if you choose.  The views just get better and better as you gain height but the best is left to the last on this hill.  As the angle suddenly eases you arrive on a boulder and slab strewn summit and suddenly you get the most amazing views…the whole of the rocky, Arran mountains stretch out before you, the narrow ridges, rocky pinnacles and bright sand screes. . .there is just so much to look at.  All around you can see the sea and out to the east is the dark line of the main and Ayrshire.  Further to the south Nita pointed out Ailsa Craig.  We had reached the top just before midday and so it seemed like the perfect spot for lunch.

East from Goat Fell

East from Goat Fell

As we sat looking out over the deep trough of Glen Rosa, the very low broken cloud we’d seen earlier to the south, started to feed in on the breeze.  It bubbled up beneath us heading north up Glen Rosa before briefly shrouding the fine pointy summit of Cir Mhor.  It came and went creating a constantly changing view, different colours, tones and patterns.  The strange thing was that for almost an hour as we watched this wonderful changing show …the cloud never enveloped us on the summit of Goat Fell …the highest point on the island.  Indeed, we were sat in bright sunshine much of the time we were watching the flowing and breaking clouds ….quite amazing.  There was a good few folk on the summit by this time …all transfixed by the scene.  After about an hour the cloud faded away and we were left with an almost cloud free sky.  The ridge over to North Goat Fell looked tempting (we first scrambled our way along and over its stumpy pinnacles way back in 1988 during our first ever holiday together), but we decided instead just to have a leisurely return in the sun.

From Goat Fell ...the summit of Cir Mhor above the cloud

From Goat Fell ...the summit of Cir Mhor above the cloud

As I’ve said before, the Isle of Arran Brewery is situated right at the start of the path up Goat Fell, and as we reached it on our way back …having cut it too fine to catch the 16.40 ferry, we stopped by and bought ourselves a couple of bottles of Arran Blonde from the brewery shop.  They have seats and tables outside and so long as you open the bottles yourself …you can sit and drink them in the evening sun …which is what we did.  Within 15 minutes several other walkers, arriving back after a hot day on the hill, stopped and did like-wise.

A gentle amble back around the bay and just time for some chips before the ferry arrived …then coffee and a kip before arriving back in Ardrossan a little after eight in the evening …what a wonderful day.

A local fisherman ...near Brodick

A local fisherman ...near Brodick

Interestingly on Wednesday evening I also received an email inviting me to take part in a group exhibition at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock…at the end of January.  They asked if I might have any paintings I could include that were local to the area.  I’m thinking I may well be able to do a couple of pieces based on the incredible views we had while at the summit of Goat Fell.  Anyway, more details about this exhibition as and when I know them.

Finally, if you’re reading this and live in Ayrshire and have never made the trip over to Arran …well then …do go and visit.  It is a magical place with something for everyone and as I found yesterday, when you’ve been working hard and are tired and worn out …a day on the island relaxes and restores.

South ….and south again

Loch Dungeon from Millfire

Loch Dungeon from Millfire

I often say to people that I think we live in the perfect location for hill walking despite the fact that it is probably the flattest part of the whole of west Scotland.  We have the idyllic Isle of Arran just an hour away across the water; the southern Highlands starting just an hour’s drive north and the southern uplands just an hour’s drive to the south.  This is all true, but to be honest the majority of our hill walking trips are either in the Highlands or over on Arran …..rarely do we venture into the Southern Uplands.  We’ve visited the Merrick on a few occasions along with the wonderfully named and prominent and craggy little hill of Curleywee.  I also joined Air na Creagan for a long rough walk up over and around Shalloch on Minnoch, (the highest point in Ayrshire I think) but apart from these we’ve only been to a handful of other places south of Irvine.

We had been hoping to get out for another walk last weekend but the forecasts for the west and eastern hills wasn’t great …gales and snow down to 700 – 900 m.  Looking ahead it seemed like Tuesday would be the best opportunity for some bright weather.  So then, on Sunday we decided instead to take a drive south to visit the Scottish Showcase Gallery in Kirkcudbright.  I was invited to show some work there a few months ago and had sent five paintings down …but I’ve been too busy recently to get down to see the gallery.  I spent a lot of time painting last week so taking a few hours off to visit Kirkcudbright seemed a good idea.  It’s about 70 miles from Irvine to Kirkcudbright but the journey takes you through some wonderful scenery.   The weather too was pretty fine …windy but with bright hot sunshine and just the occasional heavy shower ….why hadn’t we thought of checking out the forecast for the southern hills?

From Corserine

From Corserine

We found the gallery close to the harbour in Kirkcudbright and had a good look around.  It has a good selection of work and on this fine Sunday there were a number of folk doing the rounds.  My five paintings are on the wall at the head of the stairs …so if you visit, you can’t miss them.  I’ve never been to Kirkcudbright before and it looked like a busy little place.  There’s a number of galleries and studios along with a castle, harbour and I understand, beach.  We were also directed to a hotel where they served an excellent pint of beer.  So then, it makes for a very pleasant day out if you live within striking distance ….and as we found, the journey to and from it is very enjoyable in its own right with for us, views across to a whole number of different hills.

 

NW from Milldown

NW from Milldown

Perhaps because of this, when it came to deciding where to go for our Tuesday walk, Nita suggested we find somewhere in the southern hills for a change.  It seemed like a good idea and so in bright sunshine we found ourselves driving back down the same road we travelled the previous Sunday.  We turned off the A713 a short distance before St John’s Town of Dalry and headed along a single track road for a few miles to reach a car park near Forest Lodge.  This is probably the nearest point for a walk up Corserine …the highest point along the ridge known as the Rhinns of Kells.  As with many of the hills in this area, the lower slopes are blanketed with conifer forest and getting to the base of the hill involved walking for almost an hour and a half along a series of forestry tracks.  The way was signposted but it was still a relief when we eventually saw open hillside ahead of us and a convenient stile over the boundary fence.  The hillside rose steeply in front of us and in the bright sunshine the colours looked wonderful.  A minor path led away up the hill and picked its way up through a series of crags to reach easy angled slopes.  The views out over the forest grew as we gained height and soon became huge as we reached the large summit plateau of Corserine at just over 800m.  Although we’d had warm sun all the way up, once on the top we were in the strong and cold wind …no wonder they were forecasting snow on the bigger tops to the north.

Our route lay SSE along the undulating ridge, over the craggy little tops of Millfire and Milldown to Meikle Millyea before descending back to the forest via Meikle Lump.  This really was a beautiful and very peaceful walk.  The ridge as I say, was littered with minor rocky crags and a series of minor lochs and pools…..and the views .wow!  It was also exceedingly quiet.  We’d followed two chaps up to Corserine but they must have returned a different route to us and we saw no one for the rest  of the day.  The wildlife seemed to be enjoying the sun as well and Nita spotted numerous beasties including a lizard, and on Meikle Millyea, three wild goats.

Meikle Lump is as the name suggests …a bit of a lump, being steep and craggy just above the forest.  We managed to find what seemed to be the steepest possible route through the crags …requiring both of us to resort to sitting on our backsides and carefully lowering ourselves down some slippery rocks and heather.  Then, the difficulties started!

Our map showed the forest edge and various tracks.  When we looked down …the forest had changed somewhat since the map had been printed.  They had been harvesting areas of it, new tracks had been constructed and nothing matched the map!  Suffice to say, it took us an hour and a half  to find our way the two or so miles back to the car.  Thankfully we had the GPS and so got this out and we could monitor our position as we followed the new forestry tracks.  After what seemed a good time we reached one of the original tracks marked on the map and could then head for the car.  We got back to it at half past seven …just nine hours after setting out …and were promptly set on by a swarm of midges …summer had arrived!

Below are the five paintings currently exhibited at the Scottish Showcase Gallery in Kirkcudbright.  To find out more about this gallery visit their website: www.showcasegallery.co.uk

 

 

'From Ghlas Beinn, Rannoch moor'

'From Ghlas Beinn, Rannoch moor'

 

 

'Approaching weather, Glen Carron'

'Approaching weather, Glen Carron'

 

 

'Above Glen Shee, winter morning'

'Above Glen Shee, winter morning'

 

 

'On descending Ben Oss'

'On descending Ben Oss'

 

 

'Autumn hillside, above Crieff'

'Autumn hillside, above Crieff'

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

 

Back in Scotland

'Below Goat Fell, Isle of Arran', Acrylic & Pastel, 2010

'Below Goat Fell, Isle of Arran'

I’m in a strange situation at the moment. I’m living and working here in Speyer yet arranging (with huge amounts of help from my partner Anita in Irvine) a joint exhibition with fellow Courtyard Studios artist, Alison Thomas. The six week long exhibition is to be held at Blairmore Gallery near Dunoon where we had a short exhibition together early last year.

Of course I had to get all the work finished before leaving for Germany back in early May, but several pieces had still to be framed and all the works labelled and wrapped …these jobs fell to Anita on her return to Irvine.

The exhibition opens on Friday 18th and June and Anita and Alison are taking the work up to the gallery tomorrow. This is definitely not such an onerous task as which ever way you go to get there, it’s very pleasant. To drive all the way means a lengthy trip north up the side of Loch Lomond and then up and over The Rest and Be Thankful, before heading south through more beautiful country, to reach the gallery at Blairmore.

'East from Ben Lui, April', Acrylic & Pastel, 2010, 30 x 30cm
‘East from Ben Lui, April’

The other alternative, equally enjoyable, is to drive up the Ayrshire coast to Gourock and catch the ferry across to Dunoon. It’s about a twenty five minute crossing and there’s always something to see along the way – porpoises on one occasion, a submarine on another …and the views of the hills to the west and north are particularly fine from the middle of the Firth of Clyde. From Dunoon it’s just a twenty minute drive around the loch side to Blairmore and its fantastic gallery. I’ve been exhibiting work at the gallery for several years now and it always makes for a great little day out.

The exhibition will include ten pieces of work by each of us. My work will include pieces based on visits to the Isle of Arran, Ben Lui and the Drumochter Hills as well as three recent sketches. I haven’t seen much of Alison’s recent work but although our work is very different, we do have a shared interest in texture, marks and colour which should make for a good show. As I’ll not be getting to see this exhibition, if anyone reading this does see it, I’d appreciate hearing what you think.

The Blairmore Gallery is a great place. It’s in a wonderful location on the side of the loch and it has a fine tea shop in which to enjoy a cuppa and something to eat while looking at the paintings. Hope you like the show……and the tea and fine food too. You’ll be sure to get a warm welcome at the Blairmore Gallery from the proprietors Sylvia and Steve.

'The Ben Lawers group', Acrylic & Pastel, 2010, 76 x 23

'The Ben Lawers group'