'Working drawing - on Braebag'
It’s amazing to think that this is the eighty second blog …and there may have been a couple that never got a number. Whatever number it is …it’s quite a lot. Number eighty two though, isn’t I’m afraid, going to be a classic …just a short ramble about not very much!
It’s just over a week since we were out on the hill near Loch Tay and apart from yesterday (Thursday) I’ve spent nearly all my time either doing work on the computer or painting down the studio. We had hoped to get out onto a hill again this week, but the weather has, like in most of Scotland and Northern Ireland it seems, been pretty horrendous. My sister living down in Shropshire is complaining about how dry it is there and how she’s watering the garden with the washing up water. No such problems here this last week – I think it rained most days. Add to this a very strong wind including a real gale on Monday and well it doesn’t do much for passing trade at the studio. Surprisingly though I did have one couple visit at the height of the gale on Monday. Donned in waterproofs, they’d made the walk up the harbour side to the sea and I think may have come into the studio to get a break from the wind more than for the art! However, I am doing them an injustice, as it turned out they were sailors and were indeed sheltering from the storm …so, no doubt used to wet and windy weather. Compared with many folk across Scotland and Northern Ireland, we were I guess, quite lucky that day. We retained our power supply and train services and there seemed to be very little damage done …with the exception of a beautiful cherry blossom tree on Bank Street that was split in two during the storm.
'Working drawing - Quinag'
I had planned to go and collect ten framed pictures from the Waverley Gallery on the Monday but decided this might be a little foolish …get caught carrying and 80 x 80cm painting by and 80 mph gust of wind and I’d probably have ended up in Kilmarnock! We picked the work up the next day instead and I’m very pleased with the way it looks. I still have one painting to complete and about five others to go into empty frames ready for the show at Blairmore Gallery. While I’m doing the painting, Nita has kindly agreed to put the other pieces into their frames …so we should have everything ready in time. We’re delivering the work on Thursday 9th June ready for opening on the Friday 10th. I haven’t quite yet decided the exact number and selection to go up but it will probably be around 18 – 20 paintings and drawings.
Last week I said I was hoping to get some ideas worked out for new paintings and I spent one of my days last week playing around with some drawings. I am keen to try and get some paintings done based on both Quinag and Braebag in Assynt. They are very different hills, the former being steep sided and quite complex, the latter just a simple quartz covered whale back ……but both quite magnificent in their own ways. Here are two of the working drawings I did the other day.
Back to the studio now and back to the painting. I have I admit been struggling somewhat with one of my paintings. I think I really ought to leave it sit for a while and get on with new work …but, I may just have to have another go when I get down there in an hour or so! We’re hoping to get out for another walk on Sunday so long as conditions aren’t too bad, so maybe next week I’ll have a little more to report on.
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