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Selection Time

There is just a week to go until I deliver the paintings to “the gallery on the corner” in Edinburgh, ready for my exhibition, “Highland walks” which opens on Friday 7th August.  This of course means that I’m currently in panic mode!

 To be included in "Highland Walks "exhibition

To be included in “Highland Walks “exhibition

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks slowly deciding which paintings to include and panicking that I might not have enough work…..despite the fact that I know that I have ample.   I always want to include the newest pieces and so have been trying to finish several paintings and drawings and get them framed ready for the delivery date. After much thinking and looking I’ve got it down to 29 framed pieces of which I’ll probably take 25 in the end.  It’s so difficult to decide and I find the best way is to copy images of the paintings into a separate file on my computer and then just keep on viewing the selection.  If helps me root out pieces that look great on their own but might not work with others in an exhibition.  It’s very time consuming and I’m a terrible one for changing my mind!  I put this down to the visual impairment but in all honesty I’m just terrible at making decisions!

 To be included in "Highland Walks "exhibition

To be included in “Highland Walks “exhibition

Selling three pieces over the last month has actually made the decision making process slightly easier and I now think that I’ve got a good selection.  When I last had an exhibition at “the gallery on the corner” a few years ago, the emphasis was probably on the more traditional landscape views.  In “Highland walks”, the emphasis will probably be on the slightly more abstract work.

I’m also planning to include a good range of sizes of work, from one of my 125 x 85 cm graphite drawings of Glen Rosa, to five of my small post card size, (210 x 148 mm) paintings.  In between, there will be several of the 30 x 30 cm pieces, two 40 x 40 cm pieces and a number of the long thin 76 x 23 cm paintings.  Finally, although I haven’t yet decided which, I’ll be taking three of the 80 x 80 cm works.

341  'From Gael Charn, the Drumochter Hills.jpg', Acrylic  & Pastel, 2015, 210 x148 mm

To be included in “Highland Walks “exhibition

As well as the framed pieces, I’m also creating nine small graphite drawings on board which we plan to display unframed.  This is another cause for my current panic…..I have completed six of these but still have three more to do!

Thankfully, Paul the gallery assistant manager, has said that he is happy hanging the exhibition and so once I’ve delivered everything I can start to relax.   That said however, I’ve agreed to saying a few words  on the evening of the Preview and as I don’t want to say the same thing as I did at my previous show, I’ll have to write something fresh and then get it into my head ….. I can’t read notes, so any speaking at events like this, has to be done without them.

 To be included in "Highland Walks "exhibition

To be included in “Highland Walks “exhibition

I’ll probably start wrapping the work early next week so there is no mad rush on Friday.  All I need to do then is send out the email invitations to the Preview on Friday 7th August.  This always takes a lot of time and I usually call in my secretary Nita to help.  As you are aware, Nita has lots of different hats, including those of art critic, frame painter, secretary, and chauffeur among many others!  She tells me that the pay is awful but is always there to help.  I really couldn’t do all this without her….so a big thanks to Nita.

‘Approaching Harris, a damp May evening’

3-approaching-harris-a-damp-may-evening-graphite-on-paper-2013

‘Approaching Harris, a damp May evening’, Graphite on paper, 2013, 125 x 75 cm

Here is the latest of my new graphite drawings.  I started this while we were away on Harris but I was working on a large table in the cottage, (rather than in an upright position on the wall or an easel) and I soon got back ache and gave up!  I completed it on my return to Irvine and I must admit I’m quite pleased with it.

It’s based on the grey wet view we had from the ferry as it approached Harris.  We’d caught the 18.00 ferry from Uig and the weather had turned gloomy, damp and dark by the time we neared Tarbert.  The sea was a little choppy too and as I sat watching the slowly changing scene with the island slowly getting closer and the rain and spray marking the salt covered windows ….I realised it would make an interesting drawing or two.

This is the first one and I’ve already started work on a second …I may even do a third.  Anyway, I hope you like it …this is the first time I’ve tried to do a piece based on the sea, (with a bit of land) …rather than just the mountains and glens.

Drawing away from the cold

December afternoon, Glen Etive', Graphite pencil & white pastel, 50cm (w) x 70cm (h)

December afternoon, Glen Etive', Graphite pencil & white pastel

For the last few days now it’s been getting progressively colder here in Irvine.  The night time frost has been lasting all day and building up in a thick layer everywhere, making it look more like a light covering of snow.  The River Irvine has been frozen again and even down at the harbour side where the river is tidal and brackish, the ice is forming along the edge in a band several metres wide.  When it’s like this you get wonderful creaking and cracking sounds as the tide flows in or out beneath the ice.

This morning as I walked to the studio it was quite beautiful, everything shrouded in freezing fog, the frost covering everything and the sound of the ice gently moving with the water.  On top of this were the shrill calls of a huge flock of what I think are Widgeon. They arrived a few weeks ago and seem to be staying for the winter.  I can just make them out through my monocular and I guess there must be 100 – 150 of them.  Several Curlews were calling from the saltings on the other side of the river and this made the scene even more special …..what a wonderful place to come to work.

The trouble was, that when I got to the studio, all the pipes where frozen up.  It wouldn’t be so bad if I had a full size kettle to store some water in as the Harbour Arts Centre is just two doors away down the street and several of my colleagues were getting water from there …and of course using the facilities!  In my studio though I only have one of these tiny one cup travel kettles and even in warm weather I like to have a constant stream of coffee when I’m working …to have to keep walking to and fro between the studio and the HAC seemed a bit much and so after an hour I decided to retreat home and get on with some drawing there.

As it turns out this is not so much of a disaster.  I’ve wanted to try and get several pencil drawings done for the show at Strathearn and to be honest have been putting it off while at the studio …preferring instead to paint.  On the odd occasion I do settle down to working with a pencil I generally find I enjoy it …its certainly different from my usual work and so once in a while makes a nice change.  It’s just a case of getting started.  So then, the frozen pipes and my lack of a decent size kettle forced me home and I’ve spent an enjoyable afternoon starting this new drawing.  The last drawing I did in pencil took me a full eight hours of painstaking work …I have to peer through a magnifier to see the point of the pencil and the line ….and then as soon as I stand back it nearly all disappears!  I must be mad.  Anyway, I’ve a long way to go with this piece and may carry on with it at home tomorrow.

118, 'Assynt sky-line', Pencil, 46cm (w) x 36cm (h)

'Assynt sky-line'

Of course ….I’ve just looked outside and the frost has all melted, the wind is blowing and no doubt the pipes at the studio will at this very moment, be defrosting ….lets just hope we have no broken pipes.  Thankfully as far as I know there are no pipes running through the loft space above my studio and so even if there is a break, I should be saved a flood …it’s a worry though and it does make me wonder whether when all that money was spent on refurbishing the buildings last summer …they forgot to lag the pipes.  This is the second time this has happened this winter and it’s still not Christmas!

Right, well, as a reminder of the type of pencil / graphite drawings I’ve done in the past, I’ll include a couple of images with this blog.  Hopefully by Saturday I’ll have a new drawing to show you.