Corrour Station run

Last weekend we ran from Corrour Station to Fort William; not a huge distance(about twenty miles ) but it was extremely swampy underfoot with numerous stream crossings .It rained virtually all day expect for a brief period of sunshine when we were close to the Meanach bothy.The Autumn colours were marvellous, the grasses in the hills a brilliant orange yellow. The stags were roaring their melancholy calls adding to the wild atmostphere of the area.Despite the weather we had a great day out . The only sketch I did was fom the warmth of a coffee shop in Fort William.

 Today I did a sketch of Loch Linnhe from the west end car park in  Fort William. Walking back alongside the loch my attention was caught by a stream of bubbles in the water  about fifty feet away . The source of the bubbles was an otter which then emerged from the water with a fish in its mouth.It seemed unconcerned by the traffic roaring along the bypass.

Loch Linnhe

The Lairig Ghru

Last weekend we went to Aviemore. It is a couple of years since we visited the Cairngorms which is my old stomping ground . Just walking down the main street of Aviemore brought back many memories - of finishing the Lairig Ghru race , of catching the evening train to Blair Atholl then running the 40 miles back overnight , of arriving late at the youth hostel and luxuriating in the comforts of civilization after a  hard day in the hills. I have had so many great adventures in the Cairngorms!
 Nowadays living on the west coast we enjoy more craggy and steeper mountains but it is hard to beat the vast rolling plateaus of the Cairngorms . It is one of the few true wilderness areas in Britain and also the coldest.
In the afternoon we ran through the forest and up into the  Lairig Ghru which is a pass that clefts the range in two with Ben Macdui and the Cairngorm plateau on one side and the Braeriach , Angel's Peak and Cairn Toul on the other. I did a quick sketch of the pass before we had to head back to the car . We both decided that we had neglected the area for too long and  needed to get back for some more longer visits

Quick sketch of the Lairig Ghru from the north

Pencil drawing of the Lairig Ghru from the Braeriach with Cairn Toul on the right

Looking across the Lairig Ghru to Devil's Point

Patience Brewster

Recently I was e mailed by Marietta a nice lady from Patience Brewster who asked  if I would answer some questions about myself on this blog.
Patience Brewster started as an illustrator of children's books but now designs makes whimsical ornaments and stationery. .Apart from her being a talented artist I find her story inspirational as she has built a successful business around her art and employs a close knit team of people to make and market her ornaments.

Storm gathering over Loch Leven

Here are the questions
1) As a child do you  recall a significant moment when you felt truly affected or impressed by a particular artwork or artist?
There was no single significant moment but I was greatly influenced by illustrations in the books and comics I read. I was lucky enough to get 'Look and Learn' - a brilliant magazine that cleverly combined science and history with serialised classics and the sci fi strip' The Trigan Empire'.It was lavishly illustrated One was attracted by the comic strips but then absorbed the educational aspects of the comic and the great art by default. It was the curtain call of the  age of great illustration and sadly failed to survive, Employing all those illustrators on a weekly basis must have been extremely expensive. Pictures by legendary artists such as Fortunino Matania were still gracing its pages when I started reading it in the 1970's. Not only did the illustrations inspire my art but they sparked a life long interest in history and science.

2)As an artist what do you hope to convey with your work?
My first love is the mountains. For years I spent all my spare time exploring the mountains of Scotland especially the Cairngorms. I would spend  days wandering the tops on my own, spending the nights under a overhanging rock or in the winter in a bothy. I developed a great passion for the rugged beauty of the scottish hills which I attempt to convey with my work.
My art falls in to two main categories - outdoor sketches and more considered watercolour landscapes painted  from photographs. I always try to be true to nature but want to convey something of the atmostphere and drama of the hills. I sketch anywhere and everywhere trying to follow the urban sketchers manifesto, showing the world one drawing at a time.
In particular with the frustrating and fascinating medium of watercolour I try to strike a balance between very loose wet washes where the paint mixes on the paper and careful controlled layers of glazing. I believe that watercolour is such a beautiful medium that it is  a shame not to let its underlying aesthetic qualities shine through by over controlling it. Equally creating a painting which is aesthetically pleasing but not true to nature makes me feel uneasy.

3)What memorable responses have you had to your work?
For most of my life my art has been a private passion so I'm at the stage when any comment is welcome.

Arisaig village - evening.

4) What is your dream project?
My dream project would be to write and illustrate books about the Scottish Highlands.

5)What artists do you admire?
To many to mention . Years ago I was obsessed with the Pre- Raphaelites mainly due to their doctrine of painting true to nature. I love the art of Alan Lee especially his pencil drawings. David Curtis is a inspirational plein air watercolourist. However James Gurney of  the gurney journey blog is head and shoulders above the rest. His Dinotopia books are magnificent but he is also an ardent sketcher /plein air artist and film maker. He writes his blog everyday providing tips ,entertainment and encouragment.His enthusiasm for art is  infectious.

Thanks to Marietta from patiencebrewster.com