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Beinn Griam Beg | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Beinn Griam Beg’

‘Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

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‘Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

‘Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm

This is the latest of the new ‘Sutherland’ paintings.  It is another view of the breaking cloud as we descended Beinn Griam Beg after a heavy snow shower.  There is something very special about being on a hillside when the cloud starts to break and clear around you.  Holes appear in the greyness and you can peer through to the world beyond.  Sometimes the cloud can fill in again as quickly as it broke and that will have been your one and only view for the day.  On this occasion though, the heavy snow clouds swept by and within about half an hour we were walking down the hill in bright warm sunshine..the snow that had collected in the grass, melting fast.

‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

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‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’ – Draft

‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm

This is the latest of my recent ‘Sutherland’ paintings.  I got it to this stage a couple of days ago and now its sat waiting until I decide whether it needs any more work doing to it.  Anyway, in this piece I’m once again trying to create a slightly more traditional image, using mostly paint with just a little pastel.

If you followed my Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist page on Facebook back in early may, you would have seen a photo of my partner Anita as she led the way off of the summit of Beinn Griam Beg …the ground white underfoot and the snow still falling and lying on her rucksack. This was the latest of several big and heavy snow showers that came rattling in from the northwest during our walk to this lonely little hill.

As we descended though, the shower passed and the cloud broke all around us with areas of blue sky following.  It was a wonderful scene for ten minutes and we just stood and watched the drifting cloud, the changing light and colours and the transformation from snow covered ground back to grass and rocks as the snow quickly thawed.  As we stood there I said to Nita that I would just have to try and do a painting about this ……this might be it or I might have another go …perhaps making a more abstract image instead.

New Work

'Approaching snow shower...on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland'

'Approaching snow shower...on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland'

I’ve taken a break from the larger and slightly more abstract oil paintings I was doing and since returning from our holiday up in Sutherland, have been working on several smaller acrylic and pastel pieces.

'Sutherland sketch, Ben Loyal'

'Sutherland sketch, Ben Loyal'

These paintings are based on views we had while walking in Sutherland and are slightly ‘tighter’ than much of the work I’ve been doing recently.  It has made a nice change and I’ve been enjoying working in this manner ….the wild landscape of the Flow Country is still very vividly marked in my head and I want to try and get some of that down while I remember it clearly.

The first painting, ‘Approaching snow shower, on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland’, was based on the very first walk of our holiday.  You may remember that we’d set off in bright sunshine to walk Ben Loyal, the magnificent mountain close to the north coast of Sutherland.  By the time we were clambering our way up the steep slopes towards the main ridge, the cloud had bubbled up all around and we were suddenly enveloped in a heavy snow shower.  It came in so quickly …one minute nothing and the next …heavy large snow flakes falling all around us  …well, whizzing by almost horizontally ..the wind had picked up as the shower arrived and the temperature dropped.  On that day, the cloud descended and stayed low for the next four hours and we decided to head back down and try again another day.  On this holiday of wild and cold weather, the next chance we got was our final day …and we made it to the top …and indeed, all the way along this great hill.

'A Flow Country sketch, Sutherland'

'A Flow Country sketch, Sutherland'

I did manage to do some quick sketching while we were out although not as much as perhaps I should have!  You know the trouble though ….once you start walking …well, you just want to carry on.  The thought, especially when it’s cold, of stopping and sitting to draw, is not always as enticing as striding along on the top of the mountain!  Anyway, here are a couple of the quick sketches I did.

The last two paintings are both based on the same day ….when we went to walk Beinn Griam Beg …one of two small (just under 600m) hills rising in the middle of the Flow Country.  Right from the start we were caught in frequent and at times heavy snow showers that swept in from the northwest and completely shrouded the hills ….and us.  It was quite a long walk  across the bog to the base of the hill and then a fairly gentle pull up onto a broad and in places stony ridge.  These two paintings try and show something of how remote this area is ….and a little about the nature of the conditions we experienced that day.

'From the slopes of Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland'

'From the slopes of Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland'

I’m already planning several more smaller Sutherland pieces ….images of which will go up on my Face Book page Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Painting  …as and when they’re completed….so keep a watch out!

'Snow showers, over the Flow Country, Sutherland'

'Snow showers, over the Flow Country, Sutherland'

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