I painted this pine which I have long admired last October. Scot's pines are  less common here than in the Cairngorms which were my old stamping ground . I love their contorted limbs and the contrast between the evergreen needles and gorgeous reddish brown bark.They seem to be long suffering trees growing in bleak inhospitable places ( here clinging perilously to the side of a gorge) surviving against all odds the lack of soil, the ravages of the weather and of grazing deer.Their stories are writ large in the anguished twists of their branches. Some in the Cairngorms are extremely old providing a link back to the great Caledonian forest of the past. Of course some Scot's Pines do grow straight and tall in more clement  lowland settings but these have far less appeal to me than their mountainside cousins.
Mixed media in a Strathmore toned paper sketchbook.Painted 20th October 2013

This blogging business is a steep learning curve for a technophobe like me, but at least I have now worked out how to crop pictures! the above is a view from the road near Arisaig sketched on 1/2/14.Posting this I realize that it wasn't actually raining at that point- very unusual for this year.

This is view of the Blackwater in Essex painted whilst running from Goldhanger to Maldon last November. After lunch in the Chequers there is nothing better than a bracing walk or run along the sea wall. I love the sounds of the birds, the keen wind, the smell of the mud and salt and the sense of wildness of the place. It's a million miles away from the popular view of Essex as being wall to wall night clubs and beauty salons. My Dad instilled in me a love for the salt marshes during many winter walks and canoeing trips to Osea Island.

New blog!

This is my new blog to document two of the passions in my life; running and sketching. I live in North West Scotland  one of the most beautiful areas in the UK. There are so many wonderful hills and glens to explore and sketch that I'm spoilt for choice. I have been painting  mountains for years but in the past I took photos when in the mountains and painted at home from them. Recently I have been inspired to sketch on the spot which is not condusive to a good training run but very satisfying . Time is always an issue and most sketches are done in ten to twenty minutes although I sometimes add to them when I get home.