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Ghlas Bheinn | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Ghlas Bheinn’

Ghlas Bheinn – what a difference a few months make!

It has all been work, work, and work these last few weeks and so it was great to have an excuse to stop for a couple of days last weekend.  Some friends of ours from Germany are over visiting Scotland for a couple of weeks and have hired a camper van for the duration.  On Saturday we drove up into the Highlands with them and did a gentle tour up to Arrochar, over the Rest and Be Thankful, past Loch Fyne and on through Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy to Rannoch Moor.   Our visitors first few days in Scotland, spent exploring Edinburgh, were spent under cloudy skies and in wet conditions but on Saturday the conditions in the West Highlands were superb ….hot and sunny and the landscape looked at its very best.

vacation in Scotland

Andrea, Rudi and Nita on Ghlas Bheinn

Andrea and Rudi were keen to do some walking so long as it wasn’t a huge mountain hike and so our first thoughts were to take them for a wander along the Bridge of Orchy to Victoria Bridge section of the West Highland Way.  The path climbs a little but not much and reaches the most magnificent view point high above Loch Tulla…..we thought that this would be ideal.  And it would have been except that the annual West Highland Way race was taking part that weekend and as we arrived at the Bridge of Orchy…..the runners were passing through.  There were dozens of cars and vans and numerous people and stewards ….all very exciting but not the peaceful place we’d imagined we’d be able to show our friends from Germany!  We extricated ourselves, the camper van and our car from the mayhem and after a short re-think drove the few miles further on to the big view point on the road leading up onto Blackmount.

vacation in Scotland

Away from the crowds, a perfect summer evening in the West Highlands

We normally park here for our annual winter wander along the undulating little ridge leading to Ghlas Bheinn and this suddenly seemed to be the perfect solution for a walk now.  And so it was, with huge views and a good cooling breeze to keep the midges away, this short walk gave Andrea and Rudi a chance to experience a little bit of the Highlands off-piste as it were ….no paths and no other walkers.  For Nita and me it was great to see this familiar place under beautiful summer conditions with different colours and light.  We got back to the vehicles around half past eight in the evening and drove back to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel for food and refreshment ….a perfect end to a very enjoyable day.  My thanks to the staff at the hotel.  They must have been completely shattered by the time we wandered in at just after nine in the evening ….but they very kindly agreed to fix us some food despite us arriving after they had officially finished serving.  Great service and very friendly and if you are heading up or down the A82, this hotel is highly recommended.

‘Towards the Blackmount, snow, shower’

'Towards the Blackmount, snow, shower', Oil on canvas, 2015, 80 x 80 cm

‘Towards the Blackmount, snow, shower’, Oil on canvas, 2015, 80 x 80 cm

Price: £1750

This is one of the paintings I created last year following our short walk along the undulating ridge of Ghlas Bheinn.  A day of bright sunshine at times, but with heavy blustery snow showers that swept in and left a thin coating of snow on the grass.  This painting is one of the new canvases on which I used thick oil paint put down in large sweeping marks.

The painting is currently on display in my studio so do pop in sometime to see it if you live close by.  If you have far to travel however, do check first (call 07742 437425)….. just to make sure I’m in.  If the weather is good I may be out on another hill!

‘From Ghlas Bheinn, Rannoch Moor, winter’

Art Exposure Gallery, Ghlas Bheinn, Rannoch Moor

‘From Ghlas Bheinn, Rannoch Moor, winter’

‘From Ghlas Bheinn, Rannoch Moor, winter’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2015, 30 x 30 cm

This is one of two 30 x 30cm paintings that I have showing in the Christmas Show at Art Exposure Gallery on the Great Western Road in Glasgow.  The gallery represents a great selection of artists, so it’s good to be invited to show a couple of works with them this Christmas.

This painting is based on a walk we did back in February on the wee hill of Glas Bheinn.  It was a day of frequent snow showers that swept in on a strong wind, but cleared through quickly to leave bright low sun-light.  Made for great views and at times amazing colours.

Anyway, I hope you can get along to Art Exposure Gallery to see this little painting…..full gallery details included in this week’s blog.

‘Winter, Blackmount’

142-winter-blackmount-acrylic-pastel-2010-76-x-23-cm

‘Winter, Blackmount’

‘Winter, Blackmount’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2010, 76 x 23 cm

I created this painting after our first visit to Ghlas Bheinn.  I’ve now used the left hand side of it as the starting point for a new more abstract 80 x 80 cm oil painting, (see my latest blog).   Both are based on a scene looking towards Clach Leathad with its huge southern face covered in snow.

Annual visit to Ghlas Bheinn – a colourful palette

You might well think that in a former life I was a gold-fish!  But it’s not that I go back to Ghlas Bheinn every year because I forget what it’s like ….it’s the exact opposite; I go back there each year because I remember how good the views are from its low undulating ridge.

As I’ve said in the past, it makes a wonderful short winter walk and with the daylight hours being so short at this time of year, it’s especially good for me.  On our past three visits we’ve gone there in December and have seen it under similar but still different conditions.  Indeed, the first time we went there it had been especially cold over the previous two weeks and although there was no snow at lower levels, all the lochs on Rannoch Moor were frozen.   Last year I think the snow level was down onto Ghlas Bheinn and with little sun that day it made for a very cold little walk.  I remember Nita pointing out the tracks of small animals in the covering of fresh snow.

This years visit wasn’t as cold and the snow that had been covering the ground on Ghlas Bheinn a few days earlier had mostly thawed leaving just very small patches lying in the grass and heather.  Patches of solid and partially melted ice were everywhere too and it all made for interesting patterns and colours.

Above Loch Tulla, a grey November morning

Above Loch Tulla, a grey November morning

It was the intense colours at the end of the day that really marked this walk out, but when we started a few hours earlier it was under very grey skies.   The cloud though was above all but the highest summits and with the snow level being around 700 metres everything was looking very good.  Loch Tulla was incredibly calm and as we made our way up the lower slopes of the hill overlooking the loch, we could at times see the mountains reflected in its glassy surface.

First brightness over Rannoch Moor

First brightness over Rannoch Moor

There were a few breaks in the cloud though and when we caught one of these the colours in the bright sun were very strong …..a short glimpse of things to come.  By the time we were sat eating our lunch at the summit a couple of hours later, there was increasingly large amounts of clear sky moving down from the north west and in the clear air and bright sun, Rannoch Moor looked very big and incredibly beautiful.  Being November rather than December, the colours of the grasses were different.  They had not yet turned to the straw colour of later in the winter and were, instead a mixture of bright ochre’s, oranges and yellows.  As the sun got lower it accentuated this, creating stunningly colourful scenes against the snow topped hills and the deep blue of the sky.

From the summit of Ghlas Bheinn

From the summit of Ghlas Bheinn

One of the problems about walking with such limited sight is that I have to walk along staring at the ground just in front of me.  On grey days this can get tedious but on Sunday afternoon in the bright sun I could simply enjoy these amazing colours and patterns made by the grass around my feet.

Towards the hills of the Blackmount

Towards the hills of the Blackmount

In the past, after each of our previous visits to Ghlas Bheinn I’ve created at least one painting based on my experiences there.  This year I think there will also be a painting or two coming from this latest walk.  As you know, I’ve been working on several more abstract 80 x 80 cm oil paintings.  I think I may well try and create a couple more using the bright colours we saw on Sunday.  I’ve been wanting to create a larger painting for some time now too and a couple of weeks ago bought a 120 x 120 cm canvas…..it could be perfect for creating a painting about the big bright colourful views we experienced.  Watch this space!

Rich afternoon colours

Rich afternoon colours

 

November landscape, Blackmount

November landscape, Blackmount

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