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Sutherland | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Sutherland’

‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’

'In the Flow Country, Sutherland', Oil, 2012, 80 x 80 cm

‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’

‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’, Oil, 2012, 80 x 80 cm

 In the last few days I’ve started working on a couple of paintings in oil on canvas.  With all that has been going on since last summer I’ve not had a chance to work with oil, so it’s good to get back to it again.

This is one of the canvases I did a few years ago and it’s one that I’ve always liked.  As with many of the oil paintings I’ve done, I used a very large brush to create this rather abstract landscape.  The painting is currently framed and in my studio should you wish to see it up close.

Line and Sound

I’m taking a short break from the studio soon to visit some of the quieter more remote parts of northwest Scotland.  It will be as usual, a chance for me to get out into the wild and to walk some of the rugged and very dramatic hills, mountains and coastlines in the region.

'Suilven sketch'

‘Suilven sketch’

In the past, when we’ve been away on these walking trips, I’ve always taken sketch books and have usually spent some time scribbling away, trying to capture something of the place in the lines I put down on the paper.  This year however, I’m hoping to have slightly more purpose behind the work.

'Suilven sketch'

‘Suilven sketch’

As you know, I’ve been starting to play around with the idea of using sound as part of my work and have been experimenting with making some very basic sound recordings when we’ve been out walking.  In all honesty though, I don’t really know what I want to do and in a way I’ve just been hoping that I’ll be able to generate a clearer idea through the actual process of making the recordings.   Up until now, I’ve just been taking short time-outs from the walk in order to stop and record.  On this next short trip however, I’m hoping to have the time to do some more considered recordings….. and some related drawings.  Quite how exactly, the two might go together or be presented, I still haven’t a clue.  I’m not sure whether the drawing will inform the sound recording or the sound will cause me to do a drawing.  Whatever happens, it will be a great excuse to wander around in the wild, wild landscape of Assynt and just look and listen and think.

'Sutherland coastline sketch', Pen, 2012, 210 x 148 mm

‘Sutherland coastline sketch’, Pen, 2012, 210 x 148 mm

 

'Sutherland sketch, towards Ben Loyal', Pen, 2012, 210 x 148 mm

‘Sutherland sketch, towards Ben Loyal’, Pen, 2012, 210 x 148 mm

 

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‘Heavy down pour, Harris, May 2013’

291 'Heavy down pour, Harris, May 2013', Acrylic & Pastel,2013, 30 x 30 cm

 ‘Heavy down pour, Harris, May 2013’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 30 x 30 cm

I’ve had a lot of folk admiring this painting since I did it and so although I’ve shown this as the “Artwork of the Week” before, I thought I’d give it another airing.  I happen to like this piece a lot myself as it reminds me of our fabulous, if very wet two weeks on the Isle of Harris a couple of years ago.  We’re heading back up to Assynt again this year but we’ll definitely be back over to Harris before long…..it’s an amazing place.  Hopefully next time we go, we’ll get some slightly less inclement weather and we’ll get to the top of some of these magnificent wild mountains.

High quality reproductions are available of this painting.

‘Early evening, below Canisp’

318 'Early evening, below Canisp', Acrylic & Pastel, 2014, 30 x 30 cm.jpg

‘Early evening, below Canisp’

 

‘Early evening, below Canisp’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2014, 30 x 30 cm

We’ve been looking for places to stay for our walking holiday this year.  Still very drawn to Assynt although whether we’ll be able to find anywhere to stay at this late stage is debatable ….we left it a little late for booking anywhere.  I guess it might have to be the tent this year!  Fingers crossed for extra good weather!

If we do get up to Assynt, I’m hoping to get back to the summit of Canisp again.  Nita and I climbed it several years ago on a beautiful fine spring day.  The views from the summit were amazing.   We stopped for a rest at a small loch tucked down underneath the main bulk of the hill on our way down and this little painting is about that time and place.  It’s very very peaceful and as it is off the main track by some way ….it felt quite remote and quiet.  This painting is currently hanging in my studio if you’d like to see it up close.

Are you in Edinburgh at the moment?

Visit:  ‘the gallery on the corner’, 34 Northumberland St, Edinburgh, EH3 6LS

'In the Flow Country, Sutherland'

‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’

It’s a busy and exciting time to be in Edinburgh at the moment, but if you’re already getting a little over ‘festivalled’ and are seeking something a little different to do, why not visit ‘the gallery on the corner’.   In this small contemporary gallery, set on the corner of Northumberland St and Dundas Street, just a short walk from the city centre, you’ll find a wonderful selection of work by a broad range of artists.  It’s the perfect place to get away from the rush of the city and to enjoy some new and different art …..and maybe buy yourself something special.

 I’ve been showing work at ‘the gallery on the corner’ since it opened in 2010 and as patron to the gallery I am, of course, going to be a little biased.  That said though, every time I visit the gallery I always get a really good feeling about it.  It’s bright and welcoming and friendly ….and above all, there’s always a really interesting and exciting selection of work to see.

 Here are images of the three paintings I currently have at the gallery, but to see the full range of artists work available, take a visit to the gallery itself.

'Low tide, Harris'

‘Low tide, Harris’

'On the Pentland Hills, March'

‘On the Pentland Hills, March’

Visiting the Gallery

The gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11.00am to 5.00pm

 ‘the gallery on the corner’

34 Northumberland St, Edinburgh, EH3 6LS

Tel:   0131 557 8969

“Please note that the gallery does not have wheelchair access. There are seven steps down into the gallery making wheelchair access difficult, however if you contact us prior to visiting we will do our best to accommodate you.”

To learn more about this great little gallery and to see images of some of the other artists work, you can visit their website:

http://www.thegalleryonthecorner.org.uk/

Gallery On The Corner - Map

Gallery On The Corner – Map

‘Snow shower, on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland’

266-snow-shower-on-the-slopes-of-ben-loyal-sutherl-acrylic-pastel-2013-76-x-23-cm

‘Snow shower, on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland’

 ‘Snow shower, on the slopes of Ben Loyal, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2013, 76 x 23 cm

Back in May as you may recall, we had two great days walking on Ben Loyal in Sutherland.  On our first attempt at getting to the top of this wonderful hill, we decided to turn back just a few hundred feet below the main broad ridge.  The reason for this was that there was a sudden change in the weather, from bright and sunny to cloud and snow.  The snow showers came in very quickly and for a short while we had some amazing views through the falling snow up to the main ridge above.  I did one 30 x 30 cm painting based on this scene, after we returned from our holiday in Sutherland and this piece sold recently at the Christmas exhibition at The Strathearn Gallery in Crieff.   I have however been planning to do a second version in the long 76 x 23 cm format.  This is it.  This painting is away being framed at present and will be included in my exhibition at ‘the gallery on the corner’ in Edinburgh throughout March.

A year to myself

In the studio

In the studio

Around this time last year I took the decision not to go looking for exhibitions in 2012 but instead use my time trying to move my work on.  It was a great couple of years after winning the Jolomo Award back in 2009 and as a result I had a good number of solo exhibitions, but this did mean that I had very little time to develop my work.  I paint very slowly, especially so when I’m trying to tackle something very new and between 2009 and the end of 2011 I just didn’t have time to risk work going seriously wrong.

For me, developing work means taking a few risks…..risks that what I’m doing might not work and might after a month of hard graft simply end up stacked behind the bench.  This year, as I don’t have any shows to work towards, the pressure is off and I’ve been able to try out some new things.  As you’ve seen, I’ve gone back to working with oil paint for the first time in a little over eight years.  It’s amazing just how different it is from using acrylic and I’ve been battling hard to get it to do what I want!  I have then spent much time over these new paintings, cursing many times and no doubt rubbing some of what is left of my hair away!  That said and despite many false starts and many pieces ending up behind the bench, I am starting I think to get somewhere with these pieces.  I’ve been trying to create paintings that are both Scottish landscape and almost abstract at the same time.  It is a very difficult balance to achieve without the paintings looking contrived.  Anyway, this is a brief look back at the oil paintings I’ve been working on this year.

'In the Flow Country, Sutherland'

‘In the Flow Country, Sutherland’

'Evening, from Beinn a' Chrulaiste, late March'

‘Evening, from Beinn a’ Chrulaiste, late March’

'West from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland'

‘West from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’

'A walk in the wild. above  Drumochter, winter'

‘A walk in the wild. above Drumochter, winter’

'Rannoch Moor  - variations'

‘Rannoch Moor – variations’

'Memories of rain, mist and melting snow, Beinn Chonzie,  January 2007'

‘Memories of rain, mist and melting snow, Beinn Chonzie, January 2007’

 

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‘Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland’

'Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland'

‘Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland’

‘Ben Hope from Arkle, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2011, 76 x 23 cm

I did this painting last year but somehow managed to forget to photograph it before I had it framed.  What is more, I didn’t realise this prior to sending the painting, (along with five others) to be exhibited at the Braidwood Restaurant near Dalry.

The painting is based on the view we had as we sat at the south summit of Arkle, looking NE towards the long ridge of Ben Hope.  I had always wanted to walk into this range of mountains and it was a wonderful experience.  We saw no one else that day and the light and colours were just beautiful.

Unfortunately this is a very poor photo of the painting …it is enlarged from a more general studio snap.  However, it gives a reasonable idea and so long as the painting doesn’t sell ….I’ll have a chance of getting a proper record of it when it returns to the studio at the end of the year.  If it does sell,.well, I’ll just have to put it down to experience!

‘West, from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’

243-west-from-beinn-griam-mor-sutherland-oil-on-canvas-2012-80-x-80-cm

‘West, from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’

‘West, from Beinn Griam Mor, Sutherland’, Oil on canvas, 2012, 80 x 80 cm

I finally finished this painting a few days ago ….after much time and work.  Indeed, I think I’ve been working on this piece for over two months.  Anyway, here it is …and I’m quite pleased with it.  It is certainly one of the better of the new oil paintings I think.

The painting is based on the views we had back in May, as we walked Beinn Griam Mor in the Flow Country of Sutherland.  As we looked out over the low bog country towards the high ground to the west, there was just this wonderful natural pattern of colour and texture.  I’ve put the oil paint down in broad overlapping bands in an attempt to try and mimic the view out over this wild northern landscape.  The painting is to be framed next week but will then be at my studio for a while should anyone wish to visit and see it.  You can contact me at my studio on 07742 437425.

‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’

241-passing-snow-shower-beinn-griam-beg-sutherland-acrylic-pastel-2012-76-x-23-cm

‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’ – Draft

‘Passing Snow shower, Beinn Griam Beg, Sutherland’, Acrylic & Pastel, 2012, 76 x 23 cm

This is the latest of my recent ‘Sutherland’ paintings.  I got it to this stage a couple of days ago and now its sat waiting until I decide whether it needs any more work doing to it.  Anyway, in this piece I’m once again trying to create a slightly more traditional image, using mostly paint with just a little pastel.

If you followed my Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist page on Facebook back in early may, you would have seen a photo of my partner Anita as she led the way off of the summit of Beinn Griam Beg …the ground white underfoot and the snow still falling and lying on her rucksack. This was the latest of several big and heavy snow showers that came rattling in from the northwest during our walk to this lonely little hill.

As we descended though, the shower passed and the cloud broke all around us with areas of blue sky following.  It was a wonderful scene for ten minutes and we just stood and watched the drifting cloud, the changing light and colours and the transformation from snow covered ground back to grass and rocks as the snow quickly thawed.  As we stood there I said to Nita that I would just have to try and do a painting about this ……this might be it or I might have another go …perhaps making a more abstract image instead.