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Ben Vorlich | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Ben Vorlich’

‘After the storm; the northern shores of Loch Lomond ‘

Loch Lomond Painting

‘After the storm; the northern shores of Loch Lomond ‘

‘After the storm; the northern shores of Loch Lomond ‘, Acrylic & Pastel, 2006, 74.5 x 20.5cm

 

This painting, created nine years ago was one of the many pieces sold for me by ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh.   The gallery, as you may have read in my latest blog, is about to close, but I wanted to thank all the staff, trainees and volunteers at the gallery for helping to promote and sell my work so professionally.

I have always liked this painting and it was one of the first acrylic and pastel pieces I did.  As you know, I have recently been putting a lot of time and effort into developing new oil paintings on canvas and I am thinking of doing a new work based on this early Loch Lomond piece.  It will be interesting to see how the new work looks when it is completed especially as it will be larger than this, the original version.  I particularly like the colours and marks and it takes me right back to the rather scary hour we spent with Guy waiting for a big thunderstorm to pass as we were climbing the ‘Little Hills’ ridge on Ben Vorlich a good number of years ago.  Thankfully we didn’t get struck by lightening and although wet, we were witness to this amazing change of light over the loch as the storm passed.

“All four seasons” – Exhibition at John Muir Trust Wild Space Visitor Centre, Pitlochry

“All four seasons” – An exhibition of work by Keith Salmon at the John Muir Trust Wild Space Visitor Centre, Pitlochry,  1st May – 29th June 2015

'Passing shower, Lochnagar'

‘Passing shower, Lochnagar’ — On display at JMT Wild Space Centre

Trying to come up with titles for exhibitions is always a difficult one I find. My current exhibition at the John Muir Trust Wild Space Visitor Centre in Pitlochry is called “All four seasons” and I think it sums up what my work is about quite well.  The paintings in this show do I think cover all four seasons  and the scenes vary from the Western Highlands and Islands to works created after trips to the Cairngorms, Lochnagar and the Drumochter Hills last year.  The works vary in size from small postcard sized paintings (210 x 148 mm), to the largest at 80 x 80 cm and with prices ranging from £325 – £1250.  I also have a range of prints for sale in the exhibition as well as a number of gift cards.

 'From Gael Charn, the Drumochter Hills'

 ‘From Gael Charn, the Drumochter Hills’ — On display at JMT Wild Space

Nita and I travelled up to Pitlochry last Friday in order to deliver the works and to hang the exhibition.  As I wasn’t too sure how long it would take for us to hang the show, I wanted to get to the centre for 10am when they opened and this meant a fairly early start.  I had spent the previous few days madly wrapping and packing 26 works and so 05.45 saw us at my studio packing them into the car.  It’s quite a time consuming task as with the majority of the works framed behind glass, we couldn’t risk them moving during the drive up north…… arriving with a car full of broken glass wouldn’t have been too good!  We got away from Irvine at about half past six and cleared Glasgow before the roads got too busy.  After that, it was a very pleasant drive on to Pitlochry.   At the time, the skies were almost cloudless and the Perthshire countryside looked really beautiful in its spring colours.  To the west however the mountains of Stuc a’ Chroin and Ben Vorlich looked very wintry with plenty of snow on them.   We arrived in Pitlochry with almost an hour to spare and so had time for a late breakfast before the work began.

'Memories of a winter day, the Cairngorms'

‘Memories of a winter day, the Cairngorms’ — On display at JMT Wild Space

In all honesty, I haven’t hung too many exhibitions in the past and so I was very grateful for the help and assistance we got from Jane, the centre manager.  She obviously knows the space well and made some good suggestions about how the work might be placed.  Even so, it took us until about 15.30 to get the exhibition on the walls.  I’d taken 25 paintings, not really knowing quite how many I’d need and in the end we hung 19 of them.  The Wild Space sells work directly off the walls so having a few spare pieces to replace any ones sold is quite important.

Getting to the Wild Space

Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry PH16 5AN
(Find us off the A9, on the corner of Atholl Road and Station Road)

Opening hours for May 2015

Monday               10am – 4.30pm
Tuesday               CLOSED
Wednesday         10am – 4.30pm
Thursday             10am – 4.30pm
Friday                  10am – 4.30pm
Saturday              10am – 4.30pm
Sunday                11am – 4pm

Additional Opening  / Closing on the following days:
Sunday 10 May    Closed

Find out what’s on at the Alan Reece Gallery

For more details about Wild Space and the John Muir Trust visit; https://www.jmt.org/wildspace.asp

Keith Salmon Exhibition - John Muir Trust

Keith Salmon Exhibition – John Muir Trust

Hot, hot, hot…..too hot

On Beinn Each

On Beinn Each

After what had been quite a busy week already, Nita and I decided to make the best of the fine weather and go for another walk.   For quite a few years now I’ve wanted to climb Stuc a’Chroin, the neighbour of Ben Vorlich in the Southern Highlands.  I decided that I would like to climb it via the smaller top of Beinn Each to the south and then along the broad, knobbly connecting ridge.  It would make quite a long day as the only way back would be to retrace your steps back over Beinn Each.

At the summit of Beinn Each

At the summit of Beinn Each

Well then, yesterday was going to be the day.  We started quite early and drove up to the hill under almost cloudless skies ….it looked perfect.  Perhaps though, in retrospect, it was a little too perfect for a long day!  I’d forgotten just how steep a pull up it was to reach the summit of Beinn Each.  Hardly surprising really seeing as we’d last walked this hill perhaps eight or nine years ago and if I remember rightly, it was a grey and misty damp day with little or no views higher up.

Stuc a' Chroin from Beinn Each

Stuc a’ Chroin from Beinn Each

The path itself isn’t a bad one when you can see, but for me it was quite difficult and about half way up where it scouted around the edge, above some good size crags; we went off paste and made our way straight up.  The going was much easier underfoot as we were on a mix of grass and heather but it was very steep in places.  The views were spectacular though in the bright hot sunshine it really was quite sapping on the energy.  As we approached the top and saw the view towards our main hill, Stuc a’ Chroin, our spirits flagged…..it looked a long two and a half kilometres in this heat.

Towards Ben Ledi

Towards Ben Ledi

Having spent the last 20 years learning how to adapt how I do things, I decided that it was perhaps time to adapt our route…..we’d call it a halt here at the top of Beinn Each and instead of having a tiring, hot and sweaty haul to Stuc a’ Chroin and back, we’d make camp here and sit and enjoy the views of it for an hour or so!   I have to say, that Nita was in full agreement and would possibly have mutinied if I’d even suggested trying to carry on!    We sat down, dug out the lunch packs and simply enjoyed the views ….although Nita later suggested I had done so for a short while ……while snoring!

And that is really about that, except for a rather disturbing incident on the way down.  We’d stopped to take some photos of Stuc a’ Chroin when we suddenly had a large insect buzzing around us.  It definitely wasn’t just a large bumble bee as it had a much deeper louder bussing sound.  And it was very persistent.  Nita said that it was large and torpedo shaped…..and it seemed pretty aggressive.  We tried to move away as quickly as possible but this wasn’t too easy for me on what was quite steep ground, especially as I was also flailing my walking poles around trying to fend the bug off!!!   For anyone who was watching it must have looked like that scene out of Mr Bean when he was bothered by a wasp!   The thing came back repeatedly for about five or six minutes I guess before finally losing interest.  Phew!

Christmas Exhibition, the Strathearn Gallery, Crieff, Perthshire

Yesterday we took four paintings up to the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff.  As you know, I’ve shown work at this gallery on several occasions over the last three years and so was delighted to be asked to take part in their forthcoming Christmas Exhibition.

You can get full details of this exhibition at the gallery website ….click on the link at the side of this page.   A visit to the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff makes for a very pleasant trip.  The town is surrounded by the beautiful Perthshire countryside and from which ever direction you come from you’ll be sure to enjoy the lovely scenery.  Yesterday was stunning with the sunshine making the autumn colours particularly bright ….it would have been the perfect day for a walk in the hills above Crieff.  Nita said she could see patches of snow on some of the higher hills to the west ….presumably Ben Vorlich.   As well as the gallery there are plenty of shops and good places to eat and drink ….and plan which painting would best fit on your wall!

I delivered four pieces yesterday.  All are fairly recent works that you’ve seen on my website or Face Book pages before….but just in case you haven’t ….here they are again:

'Approaching snow shower, Ben Loyal, Sutherland'

‘Approaching snow shower, Ben Loyal, Sutherland’

1 ‘Approaching snow shower, Ben Loyal, Sutherland’,

Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 30 x 30 cm, Price £420

'Quartzite screes, Arkle, Sutherland'

‘Quartzite screes, Arkle, Sutherland’

2 ‘Quartzite screes, Arkle, Sutherland’,

Acrylic & pastel, 2012, 30 x 30 cm, Price £420

'Break in the cloud, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland'

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

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

Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm, Price £620

'In the Flow Country, Sutherland'

‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’

4 ‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’,

Oil, 2012, 80 x 80 cm, Price £1035

I do hope that you can get along to see this exhibition ….the gallery always has a great selection of work by a wide range of artists.

Back on the hill

'Loch Tulla and Beinn an Dothaidh'

'Loch Tulla and Beinn an Dothaidh'

It had been a few weeks since we last went for a walk and so when we saw the forecast for Sunday ….dry, cold and sunny ….we just had to make the most of it. As I think I said in a blog the other week, we have been planning to revisit Ghlas Beinn, the small hill on the edge of Rannoch Moor …..that we walked back in December 2009. When we were there that year there was no snow at lower levels, just some up on the high tops. It was though, very cold and the peat was frozen as were the moor-land lochs. This time, after a relatively mild week beforehand, it had once again turned cold and we were hoping to find snow even down to low level.

Our first concern though was the state of the roads ….it’s almost a 100 mile drive to the start point on the A82 on Blackmount and after numerous heavy rain and sleet showers on Saturday, the roads were still wet when we went to bed …it seemed likely that everything would be covered in ice in the morning. Strangely though, when I got up at about six o’clock on Sunday morning and stuck my head outside the front door ….there was virtually no frost and the roads were fine. The walk we planned was not a long one, (probably no more than six or seven kilometres) and there was only about 300m of ascent. There was no need for a really early start and after much dawdling around; we finally got away a little after eight. By that time it was well light and the early cloud cover had already broken and the skies were a clear blue ….it looked set to be a really good day.

'The small summit of Ghlas Beinn'

'The small summit of Ghlas Beinn'

I had expected to see snow on the Luss Hills as we drove up the side of Loch Lomond, but they were completely clear. The only snow was up high …above about 800m on Ben Lomond and Ben Vorlich. It was quite mild too …the car thermometer reckons it was 3 C by the side of the loch. What had happened to the real cold that was forecast? As we followed the road past the northern end of Loch Lomond and up Glen Falloch, there was a very noticeable drop in temperature inside the car and by the time we arrived at Crianlarich …it was -1 C outside and there was a covering of snow everywhere ….we’d gone from spring back into winter a just a matter of five or six miles! Everywhere looked beautiful and it looked like we were going to have a good walk.

We reached our start point, at about 10.30 after a short stop at the Green Welly in Tyndrum en route and there were a good number of cars stopped and people were admiring the stunning view out over Loch Tulla. This is a very popular view point and most of the time there is a mobile tea and burger bar parked here ….and someone playing the bag pipes. No such thing on Sunday …I guess mid February is pushing it a bit …though from the look of it, they could have done a good bit of business even so. By this time a fair amount of cloud had bubbled up but it made for much more interesting colours. We simply crossed the road a short distance to the north of the lay-by and headed up the grassy slopes. As at Crianlarich, there was a slight covering of snow everywhere and with the temperature still below or around freezing, it made that wonderful ‘crump’ sound as you walked on it. A short distance from the edge of the road you are blocked by a fence …not marked on the map. Thankfully at a point where it takes a slight bend, there is a small post driven into the ground ….allowing you to step over the wire without risking damaging it.

'A walk in the wild!'

'A walk in the wild!'

The views of course were stunning from the outset especially as some of the bigger hills were illuminated by bright sun. After gaining a few hundred feet in ascent it becomes obvious that you are on a long broad grass and heather ridge ….ahead were a series of small tops …each one slightly higher than the next. On gaining the first of these the views become even bigger and the ground on the west side drops more steeply. We stopped on one of these first knolls and just sat down to enjoy these amazing surroundings …and of course a cup of coffee. One of the reasons for coming back to this place was the hope that I’d be able to develop new paintings from the experience. With the light snow cover everything looked very different from when we were last up there ….and with the constantly moving clouds, the patchwork of light and shade and the corresponding colours ….the scene around us changed from minute to minute. There was a stiff breeze blowing and it was too cold to draw, but I took numerous photos trying to capture some of these colours and patterns.

The ridge becomes more of a gentle switch back until after a couple of kilometres, the final and highest knoll ….the summit of Ghlas Beinn, is reached. For a place where there are no paths, this little top has a good sized and well made cairn ….and so it should. From its very modest summit (something a little over 500 m) the views are quite superb….three hundred and sixty degrees of stunning wild beauty. You look down over vast areas of moor land and loch, but are also surrounded by the higher snow topped mountains. Of course, we didn’t see anyone the whole time we were walking. Nita spotted a large herd of deer grazing below and to the east of us….but nothing else. To the immediate west though we could hear the drone of traffic from the A82 as it crosses the edge of Rannoch Moor heading for Glen Coe …but this was the only slight blot on this idyllic scene. Despite starting late, we had plenty of time and so carried on a short distance beyond the summit ….down past two small wild lochs and on to a final rocky knoll overlooking the expanse of the moor ….what a wonderful place to stand …and all this within a few hours of Irvine.

Exhibition of recent work – Blairmore Gallery – June 10th – July 20th 2011

'After the storm, Loch Lomond from Ben Vorlich'

'After the storm, Loch Lomond from Ben Vorlich'

I’ve been exhibiting work at Blairmore Gallery near Dunoon, for the last five or six years and this year I’ve been asked to put on an exhibition of my painting and drawings for six weeks.

The gallery, formerly known as Gallimaufry, is not I guess your normal gallery.  It is a wonderful mix of art, craft and quality giftware ….with the added bonus of serving very fine fair trade tea and coffee too.  The walls of the coffee shop make the space for the exhibitions and so you can sit and enjoy the art while drinking your tea.   It’s a combination that seems to work and the gallery has just won a four star award from Visit Scotland.  The great part about this little gallery is that it is not just a great place for visitors …it really is at the heart of the little community of Blairmore. There is a very friendly ‘buzz’ about the place that makes everyone feel welcome and at ease …whether just calling in for some refreshment or searching for a painting.

I’ll be showing 15 paintings and 4 drawings in this show …the majority of them being recent work, completed either this year or during the last few months of 2010 …so, there’ll be a lot of new pieces to see.  As the gallery space is quite small, the majority of the work will be on the small side …30 x 30 cm paintings and drawings, and three of my 76 x 23 cm paintings.  I am though including two of my new larger 80 x 80 cm paintings along with two 61 x 61 cm pieces.  This will make it quite a challenge for the proprietors Sylvia and Steve, to hang but it should look good I think.

 

'Misty morning, Goat Fel from near Brodickl'

'Misty morning, Goat Fell from near Brodick'

 

 

'On the east ridge of Ben Lui, spring'

'On the east ridge of Ben Lui, spring'

 

So then, if you live within striking distance of the gallery, it makes a great day out.  To learn more about the gallery visit: www.blairmoregallery.com or contact them Blairmore Gallery, Blairmore nr Dunoon | Tel: 01369 840253 | info@blairmoregallery.co.uk .

I hope you can get to see the exhibition.

Work of the Week: ‘After the storm, the northern shores of Loch Lomond’

'After the storm_ the northern shores of Loch Lomond ', Acrylic & Pastel, 2006, 74.5 x 20.5cm Ref: 0.2

'After the storm - the northern shores of Loch Lomond '

‘After the storm, the northern shores of Loch Lomond’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2006, 76 x 23 cm

This painting was one of the first pieces I did using both paint and pastel. As the title suggests, it is based on a very memorable occasion when we were caught in a thunderstorm on the Little Hills ridge of Ben Vorlich at the side of Loch Lomond. We were only about 1000 ft above the loch at the time and the ridge at this point is a kind of broad double ridge with a deep grass filled hollow between. There really wasn’t much we could do as the storm arrived and so we just deposited the walking poles a good distance away and stood waiting for it to pass. The rain was tremendous and everything became very dark, but thankfully there wasn’t any lightening near us and after a while the rain started to ease. As it did, we had this wonderful view of the loch as the returning light started to catch it. Despite being quite an old piece now, this is still one of my personal favourites. It’s currently being exhibited at The Resipole Studios on Ardnamurchan.