Three At Beauly

Lemony Light

I seem to have been in the blue zone lately so my 'three' at the Beauly Gallery Winter Show are several watery shades of blue.

However the autumn colours have been so fantastic this year that the work in my studio is all reds, yellows and greens.

What's going to happen when the snow comes?

Winter Exhibitions

This small painting is titled "Mountain Blues" and is part of the Winter Exhibition at Inchmore Gallery near Inverness.

It has a textured appearance as I've recently discovered how to use beeswax to give a nice yummy surface. I really should label the jar as it does look good enough to eat.

The exhibition includes masses of tiny CD case sized artworks from lots of Highland Artists.

Here is one of mine, called "Squall". That cloud sure has a malevolent look!

Blown Away

Many of my paintings in the September exhibition at Beauly Gallery are mixed media with a theme of wild weather.

I build up a surface using a mix of materials, sand, scraps of maps, bits of scrim, corrugated cardboard, all bound together with PVA and/or gesso. Then paint is applied, usually acrylic to start with and sometimes continuing with oil.

This painting, Windswept Shore, creates a feeling of being caught in a huge gust of wind, the kind where you have to shut your eyes to keep out airborne objects.

Wild Weather at Beauly Gallery

How the weather preoccupies us in Scotland, and there's no better place to view the ever changing skies than round the coast.

A few stormy days in Durness inspired a whole series of paintings where the clouds are the main focus. They are such fun to paint and inevitably end up either darker or more colourful than the real thing.

This oil painting, Rain Sweeps Through, is on exhibition at Beauly Gallery during September.

Colour Blast

Earlier in the year, I had a fabulous walk in Glen Torridon, way round the back of Liatach and Ben Eighe. It was one of those chilly but gorgeously sunny days of March.

The mountains and valleys here are on a grand scale which is always emphasised when the tops are snow covered. The views were absolutely stunning and, after my sojourn in epic New Zealand,  reminded me of how great our Scottish scenery can be.

This bold painting is a contrast to the monochrome series that is showing in Beauly Gallery. It was painted in acrylic immediately after my return from  Torridon and tries to capture both the joy and the icy nature of the day.

The painting will be in Leakey's Bookshop and Cafe in Inverness till mid August.

Light and Dark

I always like to use a limited palette but recent work has explored a very limited palette.

These small, 20 x 20 cm canvases are painted with acrylic on a gesso ground.

Some simply use Paynes Grey, Cerulean and white, then with others, I splashed out and added some Alizarin. (Aren't these colour titles just delicious at times?)

These landscapes try to capture the feel of the North West Highlands  in the intensely bright light that breaks through from time to time.

Five of these small paintings are in the May exhibition at Beauly Gallery.

Bonjour La Baule

La Baule in France is twinned with Inverness, Scotland, and is about to host an exhibition of artwork that features artists from both towns.

The ASI, Art Society of Inverness, sent over a selection of members' work, including the painting above. This is a mixed media piece showing a stormy sea, something those in La Baule are probably very familiar with.

The exhibition opens in La Baule on 10th April and runs till the 23rd April 2013. Bonne chance!

Arty Applecross

One of my most favourite places is Applecross, a wee village in Wester Ross.

To get there the journey is epic, either over the highest pass in Britain, the Bealach na Ba, or by the long and winding coast road from the north. Both have the most stunning vistas on a clear day, and last weekend was perfect, give or take the odd moor fire.

Applecross is worth it for the sea views alone but there are other good reasons to go there.

The Applecross Inn is justly famed for its food, beer and welcome. Take your drink outside and take in the fabulous sight of the Cuillins.

However this is not a travel promo, I'm here to talk art. The artwork in the photo has been produced by pupils at the local primary school and decorates the Applecross community petrol pumps. Surely the most novel gallery in the Highlands.

Across the road is a The Coal Shed, a little art and craft shop. It's run by two local artists and stuffed full of lovely things.

There's loads here to inspire me. I've come home with sketches and photos and lots of ideas buzzing around my head.

Back in the Studio

Have been below the radar for a bit. So low that I've been upside down in Kiwi land where some of my family live. I had a fabulous couple of months there and despite being surrounded by incredible scenery did very little art work. It's all simmering away in the brain though.

So now I'm back in the studio and  searching for a new direction. 

Having gone through my "dark period", not universally loved, I'm now exploring colour. I continue to love texture and general messiness.

The painting above, entitled "Raindrops keep Falling", was mostly executed during a very wet day on the north-west coast , and through the mucky window of a garage. A few finishing touches and it's now on the wall in Leakey's Bookshop and Cafe. 

If you haven't been to Leakey's in Inverness yet, it's a great second hand bookshop that usually has a roaring fire in the woodburner. Perfect for this time of year, or indeed any other season in the Scottish Highlands.

High Seas

The first week in September brought wild and windy weather to the North West coast. I spent an exhilarating week at Reiff, near Achiltibuie, marvelling at the high seas crashing into the shores and cliffs.

Inspired by that photo of Joan Airdley painting in a howling gale, I took myself down to the water's edge, sketchbook in hand. Not easy. The wind made my eyes stream, the salt spray clarted my glasses, and my palette blew away.

Not a masterpiece then.

However, back in the garage, I painted "Storm Surge" shown above. The medium is acrylic on a ground of gesso and beach debris.

This is one of a set currently showing in the "Three" exhibition at Beauly Gallery.

Dusk

The first of the winter exhibitions has opened at Inchmore Gallery just outside Inverness.

 For several years the centrepiece has been the "CD collection" where local artists contribute small artworks which are displayed in CD cases. Hung together on a big wall, they make a single fabulous installation.

"Dusk", shown above started life as a painting of the distressed paintwork on a boat but grew into a west coast sunset. It's just 12 cm square.

Cloudburst

Cloudburst, how apt! September has been a month of wild weather.

I spent a couple of arty weeks up in the north west where the wind had whipped up some spectacular seas. If I used the word, I would say it was awesome, but I don't, so I won't.

Later, perhaps, I'll report back on what I did there, but for now I want to mention 2 ART EXHIBITIONS coming up.

First, 28 Highland artists will be exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair in Nairn Community Hall. The opening is on the Friday evening, 5th October, from 5 till 9pm. All welcome, refreshments, music, and lots of fun.

The Fair will continue on Saturday 6th October from 9 am till 6 pm.

A week later, on Saturday 13th October I am sharing an exhibition with Merrill MacWilliam and Diane Roberts in Crown Church Hall, Inverness. It runs from 10 am till 4pm. There will be a lovely variety of paintings from us 3 local artists, as well as cards and folio artwork.

Moonlit Loch Ness

What to do with an old frayed linen tea towel? Wash, stick on canvas and paint.

Lovely textures and patterns appear. This was painted in acrylic, mostly Prussian Blue which I hadn't used for a while.

The painting is to be exhibited in the Art Society of Inverness Annual Exhibition, held in the Eastgate Centre, Inverness, from Monday 15th July for 2 weeks.

Art around the Firth 2012

Where did the last five months go? Good things, holidays, sad things, family stuff, so not a lot of painting but just enough to keep me going, and almost sane.

The Water's Edge exhibition moved from Edinburgh to Beauly Gallery where it did very well but now that summer is here, in theory anyway, it's time for Art around the Firth. Various Highland artists exhibit annually in galleries around the Beauly Firth.

I have a number of paintings which continue to have a watery theme in Beauly Gallery throughout July and possibly into August. Above you can see an oil painting, "Remains of the Day" and a mixed media work, "Ridge Walking". The latter evokes a tremendous day on the Five Sisters ridge in Kintail.

On the Wall

Water, Water, Everywhere - my big canvas on the wall at the Cameo Cinema Bar in Edinburgh. The paintings look great in this lovely intimate space and the opening last week was a lot of fun.

Loads of family and friends came and big thanks are due to them all. The exhibition lasts for a month and then will move to home ground in the Highlands.

Meanwhile I am about to embark on a new theme, an exploration of parts of Assynt and in particular the  beautiful island of Tanera Mor.

Art at the Cameo Cinema, February 2012

Here are two more paintings from the Water's Edge exhibition.

"Wreck" began life in Cromarty where I chucked ash, sand and various other unidentifiable bits onto gesso on board. The image was developed with oils in the studio.

"Beach" is painted with oil on a small box frame and includes random bits of rusty and burnt stuff, and the odd sparkle. I like a bit of sparkle.

Water's Edge is on at the Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh from February 7th till March 5th 2012.

Water's Edge

An exhibition of my paintings is about to open in Edinburgh. Exciting and scary! The opening is on Tuesday 7th February 2012 between 7 and 9 pm in the Cameo Cinema Bar near Tollcross.

The theme of the oil paintings is "Water's Edge" and is the culmination of several month's work. Inspired by time spent pottering along the shores of the North West Highlands and also Cromarty, the artworks explore the impact on the senses of sun, wind, waves and gusty showers.

As always, I like using texture and pattern. Many of the paintings incorporate bits and bobs from the beach, sand, ash, rusty metal, bits of feather.

Some of the images are recognisably landscapes, others not but they try to capture the feel and emotion of being next to the sea.

This piece, "Out of the Fire" developed from time spent scavenging in old fire pits on the beach. I loved the blackened sticks, the melted glass and plastic, and rusty bits of metal.

Blustery Day

 
This year I have worked on a whole series of drawings and paintings based on a visit to Orkney.

The beach combing at Warebath Bay is fascinating. I just love the Orkney flagstones which form a pavement on parts of the beach.

This small oil painting, Blustery Day, is in the annual art fair at the Strathpeffer Pavilion. The preview is on Wednesday evening, 23rd November 2011, and the exhibition runs till Sunday, 27th.

Nodding off

This image of a sleeping woman is inspired by Picasso and features on advertising material for an event in Edinburgh at the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival.

On Friday 21st October 2011, a conference, "Making a Difference" will explore memory, dreams and sleep through literature and film. If you are interested, check out the website, www.MHFESTIVAL.com

Out of the Fire

Last month I spent a couple of days with some fellow artists in the lovely coastal settlement of Cromarty. We were on a landscape course, looking for inspiration and recording information.

This place is historic and pretty so what to choose, the sandstone buildings? the boats in the harbour? the Soutars and the sea?

Well, I did draw at the harbour and found the wonderful, decrepit Peedie Lass (pictured) but what attracted me most was the remains of a beach fire. In effect a rubbish tip, this was full of wee gems of melted glass and plastic, rusty bits and bobs and some old bedsprings.

Crouching on the sunny beach with the wind blasting, rain spitting and a sound track of crashing waves, I scratched away in my sketchbook with a burnt stick.

Back in the studio, I worked on various pieces including the monoprints and oil painting shown above. Amazing what comes out of the fire!