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“Listening to Arran”, or “Us humans are very noisy you know”

Posted by admin on February 6th, 2015
Approaching the Isle of Arran

Approaching the Isle of Arran

Yesterday Nita and I spent five hours over on the Isle of Arran.  We weren’t up in the snow covered hills, or enjoying the wilds of Glen Rosa or Sannox however, instead we simply took our time wandering along the shore-line from the ferry to Brodick Castle gardens and back.  Now then, I know I haven’t been getting out walking much this last few months, but even I’m not that unfit that it takes me five hours to walk this relatively short distance!

If you follow my Face Book page, (Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist) you’ll have seen that I’ve been pondering over how I might develop my work if the little bit of sight I currently have, deteriorates.   Apart from the obvious solution, to return to making sculpture, I have over the last couple of years been thinking about the possibilities of using sound in some way to compliment the paintings and drawings.

You’ll remember that when I created the big Glen Rosa drawing last month, I had arranged for a time lapse camera to be fitted to record each days work.  This was done by Graham Byron and his team at Model X Media and as Graham is the sound engineer at the Harbour Arts Centre, Nita suggested to me that I ask him for advice about how I might create outdoor sound recordings.  I spent some time explaining what I was thinking of trying to do and he very kindly offered to lend me some recording equipment and show me how to use it.

So then, the purpose of yesterday’s leisurely stroll around Brodick Bay to the castle and back was for me to tryout the small recorder Graham lent me.  I’d already tried it out a couple of times along the harbour side here in Irvine and so had, I thought, a rough idea of which buttons to press.  Well, it wasn’t quite that easy. When you can’t read the screen and are basically a bit of a technology dork…. even four buttons can be a bit confusing when you’re out there in the field!!  My first attempt at recording some sound, (at the point where the path crosses a wee bridge very close to the sea shore) was a bit of an epic.  Needless to say I couldn’t get the recorder to work!  Nita came to the rescue and pointed out that the batteries were flat.  After that, with a new set of batteries, I was off and running …or stumbling.  I thought it would be nice to record the twin sounds of the waves breaking on the shore to my right and the water slopping around in the stream to my left.  Simple…..only I’d forgotten that the path over the bridge was a popular one and after just a few seconds of recording, a small school party on bicycles trundled by. Not too bad you’d have thought, only that one of the children fell off their bike, (luckily no damage done) but there was much kafuffle.  It was amazing ….the wee microphone caught it all!

We continued along the shore with me stopping regularly to record some more sounds.  After two or three attempts I was fairly confident that I was pushing the right buttons and I started to think more about the sounds around me and how I might use them with my work.  The microphone was really quite sensitive and picked up a very broad range of sounds ….giving great depth to the recordings.  Of course, I found that there was a huge amount of “noise pollution”, (not all of it made by me I hasten to add).  However, at one point in the grounds of Brodick castle I thought I’d try record the sound of a very small stream of water that was trickling over some rocks.  No sooner had I started the recording than a fishing boat out in the bay, fired up its marine diesel, a vehicle came along the road behind us and a plane flew overhead on its way to Prestwick airport …..and I started swearing! We humans are very noisy!   Of course though, it didn’t matter.  I was just out to see what the machine would do and what kind of problems I might encounter ….it was all good fun.

A fuzzy Beinn Nuis ....I think!

A fuzzy Beinn Nuis ….I think!

On our return to the ferry, I’d made about 20 short recordings and the whole process had started to make me think about my work in a slightly different way.  I still haven’t a clue how I might use sound in my work, but I’m very excited after this first day out with the recorder.  I think there are a lot of possibilities.  I now have to ask Graham to show me the next step, of downloading the recordings onto my PC and how to edit them.  This blog is therefore; very silent ….but watch out, future blogs could get very noisy!

Posted in Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, Personal, Photography, Sound Recording, Visual Disability Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »

Glen Rosa – a working walk

Posted by admin on February 9th, 2014

Don’t be too shocked, we finally got the boots on again and made it across to the Isle of Arran yesterday. As you know, I’ve wanted to get back to Glen Rosa for the last couple of months but the extremely poor weather has until yesterday, kept us at bay.

Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran

Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran

Have to say that it didn’t look altogether promising as we disembarked from the ferry in Brodick at eight o’clock yesterday morning ….it was absolutely pouring down with rain and we got quite wet just getting the 100 metres to the waiting room where we’d planned to don the waterproofs. Of course by the time we had all the gear on the rain had passed and as we walked along the promenade the first breaks in the dark cloud were appearing.

It’s always a good walk from Brodick to Glen Rosa and well worth doing just for the spectacular scenery but this trip was a working one. With the plans for creating a big Glen Rosa drawing all arranged with the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine later in the year, I needed to get back to the glen in order to start planning how exactly I’m going to do the piece. Yesterdays visit to the glen was to look at and record the first half of the glen. I wanted to spend time looking and thinking and making a few simple sketches.

As we entered the glen a Golden Eagle flew overhead, low enough for me to see it ….it made a good start to our day. Up to this point it had been difficult to know quite how much snow there was on the hills as the cloud level had been very low, but things quickly improved and we started getting glimpses of Beinn Nuis and Beinn a’ Chliabhain, the summits of both looking white and wintry.

Goat Fell from glen Rosa ...approaching shower

Goat Fell from glen Rosa …approaching shower

A little further on and the glen swings around to the NW and at this point the views open up even more and the fine peak of Cir Mhor stands dramatically at the head of the glen. With the cloud rising and breaking and the periods of blue sky and bright sun increasing, we got some wonderful views and the colours were really quite intense at times. I spent a lot of time standing or sitting doing some quick sketches as we made our way up the footpath at the side of the river. Nita was busy taking photos and was particularly interested in the river that was full and busy but with incredibly clear water ……in the bright sun the patterns of the rocks underneath the water looked wonderful.

It was a very profitable day and I got a lot of information in the way of sketches and photographs. I’m still not one hundred per cent sure how I’m going to do this big drawing but I have come away with a much better idea. Now I need to get up to the head of the glen and record that section.

Posted in Information Updates, Inspiring Mountain Walks, Mountain Photos, Personal, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments »

Rosa not Rannoch

Posted by admin on January 24th, 2013
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!

Posted in Inspiring Mountain Walks, Mountain Photos, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments »

Visually impaired people see more …..sometimes!

Posted by admin on October 25th, 2012
Clearing weather and bright colours, below Goat Fell, Arran, Ayrshire, Scotland

Clearing weather and bright colours, below Goat Fell

Sometimes,………there really are advantages to being a visually impaired hill-walker!  Many times I have to admit, there are not!

Yesterday Nita and I headed over to the Isle of Arran to walk Goat Fell, ( the highest point of the island’s magnificent mountains).  A couple of days ago the mountain forecasts seemed to suggest that there was a chance that the cloud would be so low that the higher tops would break through them.  This is a magnificent sight to see and one that we’ve been lucky enough to experience on a couple of occasions in the past ten years. I’d often thought that seeing the dramatic rocky peaks of Arran in such conditions would be very special. It was of course a complete gamble and the chances were that we’d just have a walk in low cloud ….which for the most part we did.

Below Goat Fell

Below Goat Fell

We went across on the first ferry, arriving in Brodick at just before eight o’clock.  It certainly looked promising as we looked across the bay to see a very low thick line of cloud shrouding Goat Fell and I immediately started to imagine the summit being clear and in bright sunshine.  We did our normal thing of walking along past the golf course and up the beach to get to the start of the main ‘tourist’ path up Goat Fell..  It’s a beautiful little walk especially first thing in the morning and it gets the legs going before the need to do any ‘up’!  The path climbs up through the edge of the Brodick Castle grounds before emerging onto the open hillside at a point where for many years a small foot bridge had crossed a small but fast flowing stream.  At this point we were somewhat dismayed to find that a new ‘land rover’ track had been built from the estate to the bridge ….and said bridge had been replaced with a much larger one suitable for vehicles ….a small turning space made on the other side of the stream.  We presumed that this was to help during the stalking season ….the main path up the hill passes through the deer fence by way of a large gate just a short distance further on.

Autumn colours, late afternoon near Brodick Castle

Autumn colours, late afternoon near Brodick Castle

Anyway, we didn’t really think too much about it and continued on our way.  The cloud level though had risen somewhat and our hopes of getting above it at the summit now seemed very unlikely.  It was good to get out again though and even though I was finding it difficult picking my way up the boulder strewn path in this rather gloomy light, I was thoroughly enjoying myself.   We entered the cloud just below the point where the path reaches the main shoulder of the mountain.  There was a brisk cold wind blowing and it encouraged you to keep moving!   From this point the going gets steeper and the path rockier before you emerge at the summit.  In fine weather this is a breath taking moment especially if it’s your first visit to the summit of Goat Fell.  Yesterday however we could have been anywhere, the cloud was quite thick and I certainly didn’t feel like it was going to clear.  It was cold too and after a brief stop for a summit picture we decided we might as well just head back and try and find a spot out of the wind for lunch, lower down. It was surprisingly busy despite the conditions and many people passed us both on the way up and down.  My poor sight makes descending a slow and difficult thing and everyone seemed to go rushing past us.  By mid afternoon we were back below the shoulder of the hill and most of the folk who had walked to the summit had long since got back to their cars.

Back to sea level!

Back to sea level!

At this point though, the cloud suddenly started to lift and break and very quickly the scene around us transformed from a dark and sombre one to a beautiful autumn afternoon with bright patches of sunshine illuminating the vivid autumn colours of the moor land around us.  We found a spot out of the breeze and sat down to enjoy the warm afternoon sun, the beautiful views across to Beinn Nuis and the peace and quiet.  This lasted for about half an hour and was then broken by the noise of an engine.  A good way below us Nita said she could see a strange vehicle moving quite quickly and as we watched it was driven at speed across the boggy moor-land below the steep flanks of Goat Fell.  The vehicle and it’s occupants came to a sudden stop about one hundred metres from us ….and everyone got out.  I can only hope that whatever the reason for this off road jaunt, it was a good one as its wheels had scarred the peat, grass and flora of this wild spot.  Perhaps though, this was something to do with the local mountain rescue group…it would certainly get them up the lower slopes of the hill quickly.  Anyway, whatever was going on, we left them to it and continued down the path to the new bridge …where we could plainly see the tracks of the vehicle at the point it had driven onto the moor.

Goat Fell from the beach, late afternoon

Goat Fell from the beach, late afternoon

If there was a genuine and urgent reason for this kind of off road vehicle use, then fine, but it would be a great shame if this new track and bridge are just encouraging more irresponsible off road driving enthusiasts

The afternoon was now a very fine one and we had a very pleasant wander back down through the woods to the beach.  The trees in their autumn colours looked stunning in the late low sun.  As I made my way back along the beautiful beach I reflected on the fact that my visual impairment had so slowed us down that we were still on the mountain when the weather finally improved ….I’d seen more than all the fully sighted walkers who had rushed past us and were no doubt in the pub by the time the sun came out …..smug or what?!

Posted in Information Updates, Inspiring Mountain Walks, Mountain Photos, Personal, Visual Disability Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment »

A brief lull ….

Posted by admin on December 29th, 2011
'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

It’s the morning of Wednesday 28th December and I’ve just seen my old college mate Mervin off.  He’s been staying with us for the last couple of nights and is now driving up to visit his mum and sister who live on the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde.  He drove up from his home down south on Boxing Day and the plan was to go for a walk over on the Isle of Arran on the 27th (yesterday).  That said though, it was very much depending on the weather, more so than normal as we’ve had another succession of gales blowing in from the south west recently that have been disrupting the local ferry services somewhat.  It was certainly pretty windy all through Christmas Day and Boxing Day but the forecasts seemed to agree that there would be a short lull in proceedings during the early hours of 27th before another band of rain and wind arrived from the south in the afternoon.

It wasn’t great, but better than nothing and despite having driven around 300 miles the day before, Merv agreed that it would make sense to catch the early, 7 o’clock ferry to Brodick.  We only live a short distance from the ferry terminal at Ardrossan but even so this still meant leaving the house by about quarter past six in the morning!  The one advantage though of this early ferry (as I’ve no doubt said before) is that you can get a good breakfast on board during the 55 minute long crossing and arrive fuelled and ready to go.  I must admit though that I was a little surprised to find it still completely dark as we walked off the boat in Brodick ….don’t ask me why …I just never thought about it.  The ferry was quiet although we did meet one other chap who like us was heading for a walk …in his case, up Goat Fell.

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

At this time of year, especially on days where there is heavy cloud, the light is very poor and makes seeing where I’m going even more difficult than normal …and even slower more to the point.  For this reason I knew I’d not have enough daylight to get to the top of one of the hills and back and so we decided to walk up Glen Rosa between the mountains instead.  Mervin had never been to Arran and so we thought that this would at least give him an idea of the wonderful quality of the mountains here.  When he next makes a visit in the summer we can then go over and get up onto the tops.    The forecast seemed to be about right as the crossing was quite calm and there was little wind.  Even the grey clouds were above the summit of Goat Fell (the highest point on Arran) and it was looking good as we walked towards the start of Glen Rosa in the first light of the day.  Much of the snow that had been on Arranjust the other week had gone but Nita and Merv said they could still see some on the higher slopes and crags.

It was so quiet as we entered Glen Rosa; just the sound of the river rushing along and the odd pheasant and crow calling…..it was so peaceful.   We did meet the local farmer walking back to his farm and he reckoned it was wonderful in the glen that morning with the river flowing fast and clear.  He was right and it was hard to believe that it was just two days after Christmas.

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

After a mile or so the glen takes a hard turn to the north and the path crosses a bridge over another very busy stream that flows down the steep hillside in a series of waterfalls ….needless to say really, it was looking and sounding impressive.  Beyond the bridge the path gets narrower but over the years it has been well maintained and makes for good walking ….if for me, a little difficult in the gloomy light.  Care very definitely needed as in places the River Rosa, flowing on our right, cuts a small almost gorge through the rocks and there is a long drop into the torrent if you miss the edge of the path!

We had no real aim for the day and so fairly ambled along taking in the wild scenery of the glen and watching as the cloud slowly descended onto the tops once again.   Luckily Mervin did get to see the wonderful pyramid that is Cir Mhor, standing dramatically at the end of the glen, but then it too, slowly succumbed to the clagging mists.  We reached the head of the glen just before midday after many stops to take photos and eat Christmas cake.  At this point the path splits, one half crossing the River Rosa and climbing up to the Saddle between Cir Mhor and North Goat Fell, the other heading up to join the ridge on the other side of Cir Mhor.  We didn’t really have time to go much further and the river was high enough that to attempt crossing it would almost certainly have ended in wet boots or worse!  Up to our left though Merv could see a large boulder  several hundred feet  up on the hillside and we headed up towards this for a short while in order to get some views over looking the river…..but very quickly the cloud that had been getting lower by the minute, decided to let out some of its rain.   It was only fine, but the kind of stuff that really soaks you.  Mervin made it to the boulder and then it was just a case of walking back out in the increasingly heavy rain.  The light got even more gloomy but there was a strange stillness in the glen ….thankfully the rain might have arrived but the accompanying gales had not.  We made it back to the ferry terminal in Brodick as it was once again getting dark and had time to get out of the wet gear before catching the ferry home.  It wasn’t a classic Arran walk, but very enjoyable all the same and just great to once again get out into the fresh air and the quiet.

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

'In Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran'

The gales though, are back with a vengeance this morning and Mervin left here not knowing whether he’d be able to get over to the Isle of Bute …reported disruption on the main ferries again.  There is though a small very short crossing over to Bute that is apparently still running …but this involves a long drive around to get to it.   He just left here armed with food and a large flask of hot tea just in case he gets stuck and has to wait for the winds to abate …it could be a long day for him.

On the subject of brief lulls ……there is not going to be a blog next week I’m afraid …normal service will resume the week after that.  I will however, endeavour to post regular updates on my Face Book page for anyone interested, so why not check that out if you’ve not yet visited it.

I hope you’ve all had a good time over Christmas and have an equally fine few days over the New Year.  Back in 2012!

Posted in Information Updates, Inspiring Mountain Walks, Mountain Photos, Personal, Visual Disability Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »

A short walk on the Isle of Arran

Posted by admin on August 21st, 2011
Holy Isle and Lamlash Bay

Holy Isle and Lamlash Bay

This time last week I’d just got back from a trip to the Isle of Arran with my partner Anita and good friend Norma. I can’t quite believe a week has gone by so quickly and this blog is now a day late! Norma had travelled over from Angus on Friday evening with the aim of getting out for a walk, catching up on news and grabbing a beer or two. We first met ten years ago (and hasn’t that time flown) when both Norma and I were on the Mountain skills course for visually impaired, at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore. Ever since we’ve kept in contact and most years get to meet up once or twice, either over here in the west of Scotland or in Angus where Norma lives. Over this time we’ve done a good few walks including Goat Fell, Ben Lomond, and Meall a’Bhuiridh in the west and Mayer, Driesh and Mount Keen in the east ….and yes, we’ve sampled a few different east and west coast brews too!

Goat Fell ....clear

Goat Fell ....clear

Last Saturday we were a little undecided quite where to go for our walk. The forecast was for very low cloud …200 – 300m so there didn’t seem much point in gaining too much height. On top of this was the fact that Norma was still a little uncertain about one of her knees that she’d hurt back in February on a cross country skiing holiday over in the United States. She didn’t want to take on anything too gruelling for this reason and so all in all a low level walk somewhere seemed about right ….now all we had to do was decide on the somewhere!

A good few years ago now, (the year of the foot and mouth disease in fact) Nita and had had to cancel our usual spring walking holiday and instead took a two week long break over on the Isle of Arran in late October. It was a particularly bad couple of week’s weather wise and as such we kept fairly low much of the time. One of the walks we did was a very pleasant little walk south along the coast from Brodick to a point over looking Lamlash Bay and Holy Isle and then inland a mile or so and up and over the wee Clauchland Hills before returning to Brodick. This, or a variation on the theme, seemed an ideal choice as it meant a civilized start (catching the quarter to ten ferry over instead of the seven o’clock sailing and we didn’t have to fight our way onto the crowded buses ….we could walk straight off of the ferry.

Catching the later ferry on a Saturday in August does have one drawback though …it’s very busy and by the time we were aboard nearly every seat was taken and the storage area for rucksacks and bags was over flowing. In good weather this isn’t a problem as you can go and sit outside, but last Saturday morning it was grey and cool and everyone seemed to be jammed inside. After a bit of searching we did find one empty little corner in which to stick our sacks and we eventually got some coffee and cake. I was going to say that this was the busiest I’ve ever seen this ferry but then remembered we actually failed to get on once on a very busy summers day!

Our walk last Saturday proved a good one. As it wasn’t going to be a long day we just wandered along in no great rush, enjoying the views out over the sea and indeed enjoying the sun that was starting to appear. The cloud though was well down on the Arran hills and you’d never have known Goat Fell existed as we looked back across Brodick Bay. We had our lunch atop a prominent little headland in what was fast becoming bright sunshine with wonderful views over to Holy Isle accompanied by the occasional cries of either a Buzzard or an Eagle …we couldn’t decide …or agree!

August on the Isle of Arran

August on the Isle of Arran

After lunch we wandered on …uphill now and over the undulating heathery little lumps of the Clauchlad Hills to reach the high point at around 260m. If the cloud had lifted from the bigger hills at this point we would have had exceptional views I think …but still there was many bright patches of sun and the colours around us were lovely ….especially the heather which was well in flower. We returned slowly the same route and as we descended the wee road back into Brodick the cloud did finally clear and Goat Fell and the other big hills all came into view …it looked stunning. The ferry back to Ardrossan wasn’t as bad as the morning crossing and we even got a seat in the bar …and so enjoyed a fabulous bottle of Arran Blonde beer on our way back. The Arran Brewery really do produce some very fine ale and if you haven’t tried it …then keep a look out in your local super markets …many stock bottles. I prefer their Arran Blonde beer but they brew several different ones …all that are very fine.

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

Posted by admin on June 8th, 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.

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‘October morning, below Goat fell, Isle of Arran’

Posted by admin on April 28th, 2011
october-morning-below-goatfell-isle-of-arran-acrylic-pastel-2011-80-x-80-cm

'October morning below Goatfell, Isle of Arran'

 

‘October morning, below Goat fell, Isle of Arran’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 80 x 80 cm

When you arrive at Brodick, Isle of Arran on the ferry you have two options if youwant to get to Goat fell. You can either catch a bus the couple of miles or so to the start of the main path, or you can walk….either along the road or by one of two paths. We nearly always take the path that starts in Brodick and heads out between the golf course and the sea. It’s a great little walk even if you don’t go on to Goat fell and is a very nice way to get to and from the castle too. All the way along you get wonderful views of Arran’s highest hill, Goat fell and I seem to spend a good deal of time whenever we’re walking this path, just stopping and looking at this wonderful hill through my monocular. It always looks good but it seems to me particularly so in the autumn when the trees are turning and the days are drawing in. This recent painting is based on just such a day.

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A working walk

Posted by admin on February 25th, 2010
Arran: Scottish Mountain: Cir Mhor

Cir Mhor from Glen Rosa

Well, as I said in a brief comment on Face book earlier this week, I finally got a day, if not on the hill, then certainly in amongst them. We’ve been having a lot of fine cold clear days recently and last Friday we decided to take a trip over to the Isle of Arran.

From Irvine, Arran is just a few miles away across the Firth of Clyde. Indeed, even with my poor bit of sight, with the aid of a monocular I can see the mountains at the north end of the island from my studio door. To actually get there, takes a short trip up the coast to Ardrossan where the ferry to Brodick goes from. Until a couple of years ago, it wasn’t really possible to do a serious walk on Arran in a day trip during the winter months. The winter ferry service was somewhat restricted and for me at least, there wasn’t enough time between first and last ferry. Now though, there is an early ferry leaving at 7.00am and, and a later ferry back from Brodick.

Arran: Scottish Mountains: Glen Rosa

Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran

So then, with the temperature at -4C and the first light just appearing, we went on board and went straight to the café ..you can get an excellent breakfast on board and it sets you up nicely for the day ahead. It takes about 55 minutes to get across to Brodick and by the time we walked down the gangway the sun was lighting up the tops of Goatfell and it’s neighbours …all of which were covered with snow. It looked stunning. We hadn’t at this stage decided quite what we were going to do and had carried all our winter gear incase we decided to head uphill. The scenary and colours were so good that we decided to make this a working walk and to simply take a wander the few miles up Glen Rosa in the heart of the Arran hills. With the wonderful mixture of snow, crags, grass and bracken, there would be plenty of scope for photographs and sketching.

The walk along the front and around the edge of the golf course at Brodick is scenic enough in these conditions but as we approached Glen Rosa it was just spectacular. On the north facing slopes the snow was all the way down to the base of the glen, on the southern slopes the lower levels were free of snow and the grass and bracken was a mixture of bright ochres, yellows and terracotta in the low early morning sun light.

Arran: Scottish Mountains: Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran

Glen Rosa, Isle of Arran

After about a mile the glen takes a sharp dogleg to the right and you can see all the way up the glen to Cir Mhor – a wonderful pointy peak at the head of the glen that incidentally, is as pointy at the tip as it looks …but that’s another tale. At this point we were out of the shade and into bright sun and so it seemed a good point to do some sketching and just enjoy our surroundings. Then disaster ….I thought I’d packed my sketchbook and drawing pen …well, I’d got the sketchbook, but the pen I’d picked up was not a drawing pen ..it was a thicker indelible marker pen! Oooops. That’s the joy of fuzzy sight for you! Oh well, nothing for it, I’d just have to draw with this …but it wasn’t very successful and although that day I did three drawings – all of them were dreadful. What do they say about bad workmen always blaming their tools?

Despite this, it was a great day and a very useful one for me. I came away with several new ideas for paintings and although the drawings weren’t great, just sitting and looking at the hills and glen with my monocular really helps when it comes to painting later.

Posted in Inspiring Mountain Walks, Mountain Photos Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »

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