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Kinlochleven | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Kinlochleven’

‘Below Beinn Dorain, a February afternoon’

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‘Below Beinn Dorain, a February afternoon’

‘Below Beinn Dorain, a February afternoon’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011 – 13, 80 x 80 cm, Price £1250

I originally started work on this painting a little over two years ago and at the time, thought that I’d finished it satisfactorily.  However, once it was in its frame, doubts started to creep in.  The painting is based on a view I had several years ago of the side of Beinn Dorain in the Southern Highlands.  I’d been away for the weekend walking with our local club in Kinlochleven but the weather conditions were so severe that we decided to cut our losses and head back home early, on the Sunday.  As we pass Beinn Dorain near the Bridge of Orchy, we had this amazing view of the steep side of the hill with snow higher up and the gullies with snow in them too.

The original version of this painting was bold; especially the lower half of the painting and it was this area that always caused me problems!  Finally after much thought, I decided last week to get the painting out of its frame and rework it.  It’s more subtle now but better captures the cold light of that early February afternoon.  I think that now, finally ….finally, it is finished!

‘Winter patterns, Beinn Dorain’ – work in progress

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'Winter patterns, Beinn Dorain'

 

Work in progress:  ‘Winter patterns, Beinn Dorain’, Acrylic & Pastel, 80 x 80 cm

Two or three weeks ago I posted a photo on my Face Book page Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist. The photo was one that I’d taken several years ago as we were returning from a weekend of walking in Kinlochleven. It was February and the weather had been atrocious ..indeed, it was very severe up on the tops….so much so that on Sunday morning we’d decided to cut our losses and head home early. As we were driving back along the A82 just past Bridge of Orchy we got some amazing views across to the flanks of Beinn Dorain. These slopes are cut by numerous eroded gullies and after the snowfall of the weekend we saw an amazing pattern of snow and grass and crag. I don’t normally take photos out of the car but this was an exception and I always thought I’d like to try and do a painting based on what we saw that day.

To be honest I haven’t really been sure how to paint such a thing and it is only recently that I’ve felt like giving it a try. This is the first painting …still a work in progress …but coming on. I have already started another piece …a view of the slopes from a slightly different angle.

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'