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Posts Tagged ‘glencoe’

‘Above Glen Coe, spring’

'Above Glen Coe, spring', Acrylic & Pastel, 2015 30 x 30 cm

‘Above Glen Coe, spring’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2015 30 x 30 cm

This is one of my latest 30 x 30 cm paintings and it is currently on show as part of my exhibition at the John Muir Trust Wild Space Visitor Centre in Pitlochry.   For more information about this exhibition see my latest blog.

The painting is based on a view we had the other spring when we walked the ridge north from the Devil’s Staircase in Glencoe.  We’d taken a mate of mine there but during the drive north and for the first hour or so of the walk; it was thick cloud and steady rain….. I don’t think he was too impressed!  Thankfully as we got higher the rain stopped and the cloud started to break off the tops.  Large patches of snow lay around the edges of the escarpment and by the time we reached the summit the cloud had lifted completely and the views across the bigger snow capped summits of the glen were amazing.

‘Towards Glen Coe, late afternoon, January’

313s 'Towards Glen Coe, late afternoon, January', Acrylic & Pastel, 2014, 80 x 80 cm

‘Towards Glen Coe, late afternoon, January’

‘Towards Glen Coe, late afternoon, January’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2014, 80 x 80 cm

This is the latest 80 x 80 cm acrylic and pastel painting I’ve completed. It’s based on the view looking towards Glencoe on a very cold January afternoon. We’d had a short but enjoyable walk in deep snow up the Devil’s Staircase but the snow was too bad to venture up on the tops as we’d planned and so we’d retreated and were heading home. It was a long way to drive for such a short walk but that’s the way it goes sometimes and at least I got a painting out of it!

The painting is currently hanging in my studio at the Courtyard Studios in Irvine so if you’re in the area, do call in to see it. I’ll be in the studio this weekend from 12 noon until 19.30 both days.

Blog 200 ….In the cloud

According to my records, this is Blog number 200 ….and of course, I’m late with it!  No change there, I hear you cry!  Anyway …here we go.

'On Mam na Gualainn, August'

‘On Mam na Gualainn, August’

As some of you will have seen if you’ve been to my Face Book page recently: Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist; I’ve finished the 80 x 80 cm painting based on our walk on Mam na Gualainn back in the summer.  As I’ve said before, it was a strange day with low banks of clouds drifting in from the west and breaking as they ran into the high hills of Glencoe and the Mamores.  Most of the time the cloud appeared at the side of the hill we were on and then either drifted on by or rose up.  As we sat near the summit however, not only did the glen below us gradually fill up with a great bank of cloud, but the general layer of cloud above us became very thick and dark and started to descend.  As we walked east along the broad ridge, the two almost met and it became very gloomy and dramatic.

This is a scene that I’ve witnessed a good few times over  the many years I’ve been walking in the hills and it never ceases to impress me and I often forget that for people who don’t walk in the hills, this is something they miss.  Indeed, six or seven years ago when I was walking over Shalloch on Minnoch with a group from our local club Air na Creagan, a couple of ladies who had joined us for what was their first ever hill walk ….asked what it was, as the cloud drifted briefly across the hill side ….they were quite taken aback when we said they were walking in the cloud!

But I digress somewhat.  As I was painting the Mam na Gualainn piece, I found it very difficult to capture that strange patchy view that you get when the cloud is just catching the top of the hill but isn’t completely filling in.  Thankfully last Saturday, Nita and I went up to Luss for a relatively short walk up Beinn Dubh and with the weather deteriorating as a weather front moved in from the Atlantic, we had similar conditions to that on Mam na Gualainn.  Once again, banks of cloud seemed to just appear at the side of the hill, at times forming a band around it ….the middle in cloud and the upper and lower slopes cloud free.  It was wonderful to watch this constantly changing scene especially when, as we got higher, the dark overhead layer started to descend and trails of cloud dripped down towards us.  We spent quite a time just standing in the cold wind watching this and it was time well spent.  When I went back to the studio the next day, I knew what I had to do to finish the Mam na Gualainn painting.  It’s all very well taking photos when you’re out ….but they really only act as memory joggers and sometimes not very good ones at that.  What I think you need, to create any painting, is actual experience of the subject……the few hours on Beinn Dubh made all the difference.

As a follow up to this, I’ve decided to try and create some new paintings which are specifically about being in the mist as it breaks around you on the hill.  I’m not sure quite how they’ll go ….I have a feeling that this might be an opportunity to work on a large scale ….but I’ve started quite small …this is a new 30 x 30 cm piece that is on the go.

Work in progress, 'Approaching Am Bodach, the Mamores

Work in progress, ‘Approaching Am Bodach, the Mamores

Summit meeting

View from Edinburgh castle

View from Edinburgh castle

It has been a case of ‘hold the front page’ this week.  My original plan was to do the entire blog about a visit we made to Edinburgh on Wednesday.  Then yesterday I got a very interesting email from a gentleman called Richard Baker…. and I decided that my plans for the blog would have to change a little.

But a bit about Edinburgh first as this really was an important occasion.  As you know, back in 2010 I was invited to act as patron to ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh.  This wonderful gallery, run by Autism Initiative Scotland, not only supports and exhibits work by people affected by autism and other health issues, but it also trains young people affected by autism, in both the creative and retail sides of the business.  On Wednesday afternoon I was invited to attend the gallery to help celebrate the successful completion of their training by the galleries most recent five trainees.  It was good to meet them all and to be there as they were presented with their certificates by gallery manager Susie Anderson.  This is now the third group of young people to have completed training at the gallery and a new group of trainees has just started …..so the gallery staff and trainees are doing a great job and achieving a great deal.

As I’ve said in the past, if you are in Edinburgh at any point, do make it along to ‘the gallery on the corner’.  You’ll find a great selection of works, some by established artists and some created by the trainees in the studios below the gallery.  It’s well worth a visit and of course your support will help more young people get real practical training both creatively and in business and retail skills.  ‘the gallery on the corner’ really is a win win situation …do please support it if you can.

And now, as they say, for something completely different.  You’ll perhaps remember that back in August I think it was, we did a magnificent walk up the Corbett, Mam na Gualainn.  We’d been threatening to take our friend Guy there for a good number of years and so the three of us finally made it to the top on what was a particularly fine day.  It wasn’t clear blue skies, but rather a constantly changing scene as banks of low cloud drifted in from the west and broke around the mountains of Glencoe, the Mamores and….Mam na Gualainn.

Panorama Loch Leven by Richard Baker

Panorama Loch Leven by Richard Baker

A large group of walkers set off up hill a short while before we started but with my slow pace they soon disappeared and we saw no one all the way to the summit.  We’d sat for a while just below the summit eating our lunch and watching the clouds come and go and the views change every minute.  Our plan was to continue east along the grassy ridge for some way before retracing our steps.  As we got up to leave, a gentleman arrived at the summit and we stood and chatted for five minutes or so.  At the time it was just one of those meetings you occasionally have on Scottish hills …..you’ve perhaps been walking for three or four hours and haven’t seen anyone and then suddenly someone appears.  It’s nice to stop and have a chat before both going on your respective ways again.

Anyway, that would have been that, but a couple of days ago a got this email from Richard explaining that he had been the chap we’d spoken to near the summit of Mam na Gualainn back in August.  He said that he’d thought he’d recognised me as we spoke (he had apparently found my website while looking for paintings of Scotland a few months before) but it was only as we headed off that he realised where he’d seen my face before.  Richard was in the middle of a lengthy walk and was heading back towards Corrour.  Anyway, he sent me this magnificent photograph which he took, looking back towards Loch Leven, with Mam na Gualainn on the right and the Pap of Glencoe in the centre.  What a fantastic panorama … I’m going to have to do a walk in that direction myself sometime.

Anyway, thanks Richard, for getting in touch.  You say that you are away walking again this coming week …..hope you have a great time and hope to see you at the studio sometime …..or perhaps again by chance at the top of a hill somewhere.

A busy little week…

From above the Devils Staircase

From above the Devils Staircase

This time last week, (Saturday 14 at 13.17), Nita and I were sat with some friends Stewart and Evelyn on a rocky little top overlooking Glencoe.  We’d not walked far, just followed the West Highland Way up to the high point of the Devil’s Staircase and headed north up the grass and heather slopes to the first little summit at around 800m.  It was however a wonderful view point and we’d been very lucky with the weather.  It was I guess the perfect Glencoe weather …a mix of bright sun and dark heavy shower clouds that rolled in filling the glen with mist and rain before passing on over Rannoch Moor.  Stewart, an Irvine man, has been living in Germany with his wife Evelyn for many years and so I think he particularly enjoyed seeing this very special bit of Scotland in very special Scottish conditions.

City of Adelaide ....heading south

City of Adelaide ….heading south

The rest of my week was spent either at my studio or standing on the harbour side waiting to see if the grand old clipper, City of Adelaide would finally start her journey by barge down to London.  Getting this vast wooden ship on a barge out of the River Irvine needed a lot of skill, two tugs and some reasonably fine weather.  The latter was the problem for the first part of the week, with constant gales or at least high winds.  All looked good on Thursday morning and a big crowd once again gathered at the mouth of the River Irvine to witness this historical event but at the last minute with the wind picking up, the wise decision was made to once again call it off.  Finally, on Friday lunchtime, with the crowds once again lining the harbour side, the City of Adelaide was towed out to sea to start its trip down to London.  As I write, it’s now well into the Irish Sea apparently ….so good luck to all on board.  I’m not sure of the exact time table but it will be heading to Greenwich for a short while before being lifted onto a really big container ship for the long voyage down to Adelaide.  If you are interested and haven’t already found it, www.cityofadelaide.org.au is a great website and has masses of information and photos.

Art wise, it’s been a good week too.  I’ve had a week of working on an 80 x 80 cm oil painting.  It is as you can see, a more abstract piece created using a large house painting brush and lots of thick oil paint.  I’ve been enjoying working like this after several weeks of doing finer, tighter acrylic and pastel pieces.  Not sure what to make of it though ….so will have to wait and see.

Work in progress, oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm

Work in progress, oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm

Finally, yesterday I also had a visit from a couple from Edinburgh.  They’ve been following my work on-line for a good while now and decided to call into the studio on their way back from a short holiday on the Isle of Arran.  They left my studio an hour later with two of my paintings …..including one of the new Harris pieces.  So then …a very big thanks to them and I hope they get much pleasure from the paintings once they are up on their wall.

I’m spending today trying to get the press release and photos together to send to the local papers and radio stations in order to promote our Open Studios Weekend on Saturday 5th / Sunday 6th October.  The event posters and flyers have been printed and are starting to get displayed …if you live in the region you may see one soon.  I’ll be sending out flyers and email invitations to all who have left their names in my visitors book, but remember, the event is open to all and is free ….so mark it in your diary and come along and enjoy seeing a great selection of work produced by some of Ayrshire’s leading artists, including; painting, drawing, prints, ceramics, stained glass, hand book-binding, photography and jewellery….one of the artists, Alison Thomas, will even be running some drop-in workshops for children too.  Hope to see you at the studios on Saturday 5th October (11am – 5pm), or Sunday 6th October (12 noon – 5pm).

Invitation 2013

Invitation 2013

Cloud watching – from Mam na Gualainn

Layers of cloud from near the summit of Mam na Gualainn

Layers of cloud from near the summit of Mam na Gualainn

Being held up by road works and a red traffic light can be a little frustrating at times, – but not when you’ve been stopped by a traffic light in Glencoe …..as we were at about quarter past eight on Wednesday morning. It was one of those works where they run a convoy system and as we’d just missed the previous convoy, there was going to be a bit of a delay and so Nita turned the engine off. The mountains rose all around us with wisps and heavier banks of cloud drifting at different levels, breaking around the dramatic rocky peaks. As I opened the window to get a better view, we heard the distinctive calls of eagles and Nita and Guy said they could see three of these huge birds high above us. It was a great way to start our day and the convoy vehicle returned almost too soon and we had to leave the birds and these magnificent mountains behind ….but not too far behind.

From Mam na Gualainn

From Mam na Gualainn

We were headed for Mam na Gualainn, a 796 m hill set in a fine location on the north side of the fjord like sea loch, Loch Leven. Nita and I had first walked this hill back in 2005 and had been so impressed with the views from its high grassy ridge that we always said we’d return dragging our friend Guy with us…..he’s not a Munro bagger, but someone who simply appreciate a fine hill in a fine location….regardless of its size or stature. We thought he’d appreciate this one. Have to admit though, that it took a little longer to get back there than we’d originally planned!

Wild flowers on the slopes of Mam na Gualainn

Wild flowers on the slopes of Mam na Gualainn

The views we had on Wednesday from Mam na Gualainn, were spectacular, made even more so by an almost continuous flow of very low cloud drifting in from the west and breaking around and over the big hills of Glencoe to the immediate south of us and the high tops and ridges of the Mamores to the north. We had a constantly changing view all around, sometimes with peaks sticking out above the mists and at other times, the mountains almost completely clearing or disappearing. As we sat eating our lunch at the summit, the cloud rolled up the glen to the north of us, engulfing the West Highland Way far below, and then after another ten minutes engulfing us too. For a while it became very dark and we reached for waterproofs and maps but within half an hour it all passed and we were still dry and back to watching the mountains around us coming and going again.

On the steep slopes of Mam na Gualainn

On the steep slopes of Mam na Gualainn

I often say to visitors to my studio, that the best days on the hill are often not the perfect bright sunny days, but the days where the conditions are constantly changing. These kinds of day with the ever changing light and colours make a great location even greater and provide me with lots of ideas for paintings and drawings. Quite what will come out of Wednesdays trip to Mam na Gualainn, ….well, we’ll just have to wait and see…..but our nine hours of cloud watching have certainly got me reaching for the graphite pencils again and I’m tempted to try and do some new large drawings while the memories are fresh in my mind.

Cloud arriving ...the summit of Mam na Gualainn

Cloud arriving …the summit of Mam na Gualainn

Heavy skies above Mam na Gualainn

Heavy skies above Mam na Gualainn

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Lochlyock Hill and back, via Tinto!

Tinto

Tinto

As I said in one of my blogs a short while ago, I tend to try and follow the best weather when I plan a walk these days.  This was once again the case last Sunday as our original plan had been to go up to Glencoe and to walk Beinn a’ Chrulaiste.  It’s a hill we’ve visited before but is in a great location …sitting as it does on the opposite side of the glen to Buachaille Etive Mor, and right on the edge of Rannoch Moor.  In the past we’d climbed the hill via a broad heathery and steep gully between the crags on its southern flanks.  We’d also scrambled the ‘pink rib’, a relatively easy scramble (if your sight is good) that runs up the crags on the east side of the gully…..but on both occasions the weather had been very poor and we had little if any views.  Indeed, the pink rib was done in driving rain, hail and near the top wet snow, driven on by a strong gusting wind.  I was then hoping to catch a fine day to go back to this hill, and had planned to walk it from Kingshouse, up its more gentle southeast slopes.  Sadly though the forecast for the west of Scotland were pretty bad once again and so as with the previous weekend we looked east for slightly better conditions.

 

 

Lochlyock Hill from Tinto

Lochlyock Hill from Tinto

After some consideration we decided to head over to Lanarkshire and do a walk on Tinto.  As with Beinn a’ Chrulaiste, we’d walked this hill a couple of times in the past and similarly on both occasions we’d seen little if any views ….it’s relatively low summit being well shrouded in mist.  Tinto is a very easy hill and makes for a popular weekend afternoon walk.  The huge path that runs from the car park (on the NE side of the hill) makes a broad scar across the higher heather covered slopes and on Sunday a lot of folk seemed to be just walking to the top and back.  It certainly wasn’t perfect weather, but the cloud was above the top (707m) and as we plodded up the track there were odd signs of brightness every now and then.  It was busy though and if we’d stayed on the main track for much longer I reckon I’d have lost my voice from saying ‘hello’ so many times!  And it wasn’t just walkers out enjoying this superb little hill.  When we reached the cold windy summit, there were two people with paragliders floating around in the strong wind.

 

Our plan though was to head west over to a small outlying top, Lochlyock Hill.  Within a couple of minutes of leaving the summit we’d left most of the other walkers and had a very pleasant wander down and then across to this quiet little grassy top.  We did meet a few people but mostly had the place to ourselves.  We managed to get down out of the wind and had lunch looking out over the Lanarkshire countryside.  By this time the sun was starting to come out and our walk back across and up to the summit of Tinto again was really lovely.  The sky looked very dramatic and the colours in the landscape were bright and quite intense at times.

Although this is not a huge hill, the views from the top on a clear day are quite extensive. ….according to one book I read summits as far away as the Lake District, to the south and the Cairngorms to the north have been spotted.  Needless to say, this fuzzy eyed walker didn’t spot anything so distant but if you were to catch a warm day when the wind wasn’t cutting you in half …well it’d be worth a look!  This isn’t probably one for the craggy hill men and woman that want a bit of a challenge, but it is a fine place to walk and makes a very nice change from the Highlands.  Well worth a visit.

A small hill….in a very big landscape

The wild landscape at the edge of Rannoch Moor

The wild landscape at the edge of Rannoch Moor

Quite a few years ago I started thinking about walking Meall a’ Bhuiridh ….the big hill on the edge of Blackmount, and Rannoch Moor that is home to the Glencoe ski centre.  The easiest way would simply have been to walk up following the line of the ski lift, but well, it didn’t seem very adventurous!  There had to be a better way up the hill and one that would avoid much of the paraphernalia attached to the ski slopes.  After looking at the map I decided to climb the hill by its south east ridge and then just descend down the ski slopes.  It seemed a good compromise and would make for an interesting day.

A little hill in a very big landscape

A little hill in a very big landscape

We did the walk on a dry and quite fine summer day.  The cloud was high and so although there was no sun to be had, we were at least assured of some good views….or at least Anita was.  She was not only guiding me but also our friend Norma who is also visually impaired.  We left the car at the ski centre car park and then headed back along the West Highland Way for several kilometres until we reached Ba Cottage …not far short of Ba Bridge.  From here it’s a steady pull uphill to reach the end of the SE ridge of Meall a’ Bhuiridh ….and we got here just in time for an early lunch.  It makes for a wonderful picnic spot as you are well off any paths and have views all around…..and it was here that Nita first set eye on Meall Tionaill.  This is a small hill (582m) set in the heart of Blackmount and surrounded by much bigger neighbours.  Nita was quite taken with this lonely little hill and before we set off again I think she was already planning to go to it one day.  From our lunchtime spot the broad ridge climbed steeply at first grass covered and then increasingly boulder strewn slopes.  But turning around for a breather every few minutes we got increasingly big views…it was quite spectacular.

After what seemed an age, the angle of the slope eased and we emerged out onto the rocky top of the hill at just over 1100 m.  There were surprisingly few people up at the top but high above us was someone flying around with a paraglider.  At first neither Norma or I could see it despite much pointing and giving of directions by Anita, but almost as if the pilot realised our problem he or she flew directly over head and then just hung there in the air …a bit like a Kestrel without all the flapping!  It was amazing.  After several minutes it turned and headed off towards Buachaille Etive Mor.  We descended down the ski slopes which at least to start with, made for very easy walking.  The lower section though was steep and on an increasingly eroded path by or almost below the ski lift …and seemed to take an age to get back down to the car …I seem to remember we were back there by around 7pm.

Meall Tionaill  surrounded by its larger neighbours

Meall Tionaill surrounded by its larger neighbours

The reason for recalling this walk is that despite our saying most years that we’d have to go and find Meall Tionaill, we’ve never got around to it.  A few days ago though, I received an email from our friend Guy saying that he was planning to go and find this wee hill one day soon ….and he asked if we’d like to join him.  Sounds as good a time as any and as Nita and I have just had a month of flu and cold bugs, our first walk back on the hills for over a month should be a relatively easy one …and this sounds just the thing.  So then, not quite sure when we’ll try and go, but hopefully it’ll be one day in the next couple of weeks.  There’ll be a full report as and when.  The only photo I actually have of this little hill is ….well, rather vague ….Anita had to find it for me and mark it with an arrow!  As I say, it’s a little hill in a very big landscape.

A walk last March

Approaching A'Chailleach

Approaching A'Chailleach

It’s amazing just how quickly a year passes. Earlier today I was thinking about where we could go for a walk later this week. I decided to see where we went this time last year and found that we’d been up on the ridge above Glen Coe. My old friend from college days, the sculptor Keith Barrett was over from North Shields for a brief visit and so we decided to have a day on the hills.

The walk we took him on is not a difficult one, but it is in one of the most spectacular regions of Scotland. After an early start we arrived at the base of the Devils Staircase (the point where the West Highland Way climbs up away from Glen Coe and over to Kinlochleven. I had hoped for beautiful weather so that Keith could see the amazing scenery around …but alas we found thick heavy low cloud shrouding all the hills and there was rain in the air.

Breaking weather, above Glen Coe

Breaking weather, above Glen Coe

We headed off all the same, following the well built path of the West Highland Way as it gained height and zigzagged its way onto the shoulder of the hill. At the high point we turned left, leaving the popular and well used path and headed off up along the broad grassy and very wet ridge. The weather hadn’t improved at all and we were into the cloud … not even the slightest of views …so infuriating after travelling for almost two and a half hours to get there! It was looking like being a bit of a miserable day but as we gained height we got into some big patches of snow and even in the cloud this makes things look so much better.

After a while the ridge narrows somewhat and you follow the edge of a fine escarpment …which if we wanted to could be followed all the way to the start of the famous Aonach Eagach ridge. To our amazement as we gained height the cloud started to break and brightness started to appear. The escarpment had the remains of a cornice all the way along …in places you could see where it was breaking away, creating deep cracks in the snow that were a deep blue colour.

The Glen Coe mountains

The Glen Coe mountains

A strong bitterly cold wind was blowing now and clearing the cloud…all around us appeared snow capped peaks …it really was an amazing sight. We sat near the top of A’Chailleach ( just over 900m), sheltered from the wind by a large crag and just enjoyed the wildness and splendour of Glen Coe. We hadn’t seen a soul since leaving the WHW and it remained like this as we wandered our way back in bright sunshine. A classic little day in the Scottish Highlands …we had a bit of nearly everything.

Hopefully we’ll get something equally good later this week when we head out with another old friend from Falmouth School of Art. The last time I walked with him it rained heavily for six hours; better luck this time!

Photos by Anita Groves

114 'Towards Am Bodach, Glen Coe', Acrylic & Pastel, 2009, 30 x 30 cm

'Towards Am Bodach, Glen Coe'

The art of organising scribble

1.7 'Early Morning', Pastel, 2003, 45 x 45cm

'Early Morning' - 2003

The realisation that I could still scribble was a huge turning point for me in the lengthy period of readjustment and re-learning I was doing after my sight started to deteriorate around 20 years ago.  I had always loved drawing and see it as one of the fundamental basics behind all my artwork.   Before the fuzzy eyes arrived my drawings varied enormously, from quite tight observational drawings usually of or planning for the sculpture I was then making, to loose and simple sketches done outside and more considered studio based pieces using a lot of colour.  All of them though were dealing with one main issue, that of composition.

I can’t honestly say that I made the jump to scribble and more importantly organising scribble in a sudden moment of inspiration.  I don’t think things really work like that.  I can’t remember quite how the transition took place but I do know and remember distinctly doing the drawing ‘Early morning’ and realising immediately that I’d just gone a long way to confounding the visual impairment with regards to my efforts to continue creating half decent bits of art work again…

‘This was the first of my ‘organised scribbles’. I drew this after a particularly beautiful early morning walk through the countryside near Irvine. The low early sun was so bright that I could see very little, just the vague shapes of odd trees and shrubs amidst the summer grasses’.

This drawing was created using hard, water soluble pastels.  The drawing is built up in layers of scribbled pastel line, starting with very light and pale colours and gradually developing the drawing using brighter and darker ones.  Putting down the first few layers is a pretty soul destroying and time consuming task and one which I’m always grateful for having one of the RNIB talking book machines and a good book to listen too!  Once through this stage, the interesting part starts, I can work out what’s happening and where I’m going with the drawing.  For me, the great thing about working in this fashion was that I’d found a way of working that didn’t need much sight but that still had the appearance of being quite detailed.

1.8  'Riverside, evening', pastel,

'Riverside, evening'

These early drawings were nearly all based on the local Irvine landscape and townscape.  The harbourside where my studio is situated is a wonderful place, changing in mood from hour to hour as the tides ebb and flow and the weather moves in off the Firth of Clyde.  The light, just like in the hills, is constantly changing but it’ never dull …even on the dullest of days.  It can be equally stunning on a day of gales and rain as on a beautiful summer’s day.  It was then for a while the focus of many of my new drawings.

On The Hills

Of course by this stage I was walking the hills regularly and I started to turn my attention towards using these trips as the source for my work.  At the time I couldn’t really figure out a way of doing paintings about these wild places.  My early efforts were pretty dire to say the least.  I was trying to paint them in a more traditional manner and had to use magnifiers to have some idea of what I was doing.  This was a frustrating time for me as I realised that the hills were what I wanted to paint, but I just didn’t know how to go about it.  The early attempts were trying to paint something that I didn’t actually see.  Then I figured out that I needed to try and paint the fuzzy patterns and atmosphere as I now experienced the landscape..and what better way then to use my scribbled line to create this.  So then, I started to scribble onto these paintings, creating a fine of veil on the surface of the paintings.

'From the slopes of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, Glen Coe', Oil & Pastel, 2004 - 2006, 85 x 49cm, Ref: 22

'From the slopes of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, Glen Coe' 2004-2006

One of the first of these pieces was a largish painting that tried to capture the brief moment as the cloud broke while we were descending the upper slopes of Sgorr nam Fiannnaidh above Glencoe and Loch Leven.  It wasn’t the complete answer but it did produce a painting that was much more about my experience of being in the hills.  There was and still is, much to do in developing my ways of working, but the organised scribble and its move onto the paint surface was the starting point for much of the work I now do.