‘Memories of rain, mist and melting snow, Beinn Chonzie, winter 2007’, Oil on canvas, 2012, 80 x 80 cm
Well then, this is the finished painting (still to be signed) that I’ve been working on for the last month or so. It’s the first painting I’ve done using oil paint on canvas for a good few years. The piece is based on a day back in 2007 when we walked Beinn Chonzie in pretty foul conditions. The cloud was low and the wind was increasing as the day went by. As we approached the final rise to the summit, it was pretty grim and we decided to give it a miss, choosing instead to walk around to gain some shelter from its steeper southern flanks. There were the remains of some deep patches of snow here. They were melting in what were relatively mild conditions but offered a place to sit and have our lunch. It was a strange and bleak location especially as we were aware that the conditions were getting worse by the minute. As we set off again and got back into the full force of the wind it was really wild …not a day for stopping to look for mountain hares!