Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Wintry Weather
Monday, 30 November 2015
Trip to Essex
Last week I took the sleeper train to London for a conference. It was a hectic few days . Leaving my parent's house at 5.30 to run the 7 miles to the station to catch the train to Liverpool Street. Lectures all day then the train home.
However we spent the weekend relaxing, going to pubs and running .
On Sunday we went to the Chequers in Goldhanger a 15th century pub close to the Blackwater Estaury. The food is excellent and there is a good range of real ales to drink. One of my favourite runs is from the pub along the sea wall back to Maldon.
Despite the reputation of Essex being built up and full of night clubs. the coastal marshes are truly wild with big open ever changing skies, there is the distinctive tang of mud and salt and the air is filled with the lonely cries of sea birds. Although in the South of England it always seems cold with a wind 'like a whetted knife'
The Bell in Purleigh is also one of my favourite pubs - a historic old building in the centre of a picturesque village.The rector of the village church from 1632 to1643 was Laurence Washington great grandfather to George Washington the first President of the U.S.A.
Importantly there is a good running route from my parents house.
However we spent the weekend relaxing, going to pubs and running .
On Sunday we went to the Chequers in Goldhanger a 15th century pub close to the Blackwater Estaury. The food is excellent and there is a good range of real ales to drink. One of my favourite runs is from the pub along the sea wall back to Maldon.
Despite the reputation of Essex being built up and full of night clubs. the coastal marshes are truly wild with big open ever changing skies, there is the distinctive tang of mud and salt and the air is filled with the lonely cries of sea birds. Although in the South of England it always seems cold with a wind 'like a whetted knife'
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| The marshes from the seawall near Goldhanger |
Importantly there is a good running route from my parents house.
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| In my parent's kitchen |
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| Canal near Beeleigh |
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Recent Paintings
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| On the way back from Acharacle- Loch Sunart |
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| Grey Corries -Stob Choire Claurigh |
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| Looking back towards Stob Choire Gaibhre |
The bottom two pictures are from photos taken on a beautiful afternoon in the Grey Corries two weeks ago . It is a long slog up fom the Leanachan Forest to the ridge but once there the views are stupendous. Because the Spean Bridge is hidden in the valley all one can see in every direction is rank after rank of pristine mountains. There are no towns, no houses, no roads nor indeed any sign of man's mark on the landscape visible. It is a wonderful playground of glens, hills and forests and I'm lucky enough to live in the middle of it.
The top picture is a view from the road between Strontian and Acharacle on another fine day.The road is single track and twists and turns along the lochside and through beautiful oak woodlands. It is always a treat to drive there although concentrating on the road rather than the scenery can be a challenge !
Monday, 2 November 2015
Theresa
Yesterday afternoon I went for a run on The Grey Corries, the mountains closest to where I live.
It was a great day; dry and sunny with spectacular autumn colours. Higher up it was cold and windy but still clear and bright.As the day drew to a close the mountains threw long dark shadows and the landscape was suffused with a wonderful golden glow from the sinking sun. I spent much of the time deep in thought . On such a lovely day in such magnificent surroundings I felt privileged to be alive. All the more so because last week we heard the tragic and unbelievable news that Theresa, a vet I used to work with, had been killed in a car accident.
Theresa was brought up on Mull. On graduating she took a job in Fort William. However when the chance to buy the singlehanded Mull practice came up she took what was likley to be a once in a lifetime chance despite her relative inexperience. An extremely, capable and caring vet it was a job that was made for her .Most would find the prospect of taking on a practice single handed especially on an island extremely daunting: No back up, no colleagues to consult, no days or nights off unless a locum was employed. Few people today would be willing to make that sort of sacrifice. Theresa had the passion and drive to make it work and she did. I'm filled with admiration for what she achieved.
So it is such a cruel blow that she was killed returning from an evening call last week . She was only 29 and had so much ahead of her. It is a terrible loss not just to her family and friends but to the islanders of Mull and to the veterinary profession.
It was a great day; dry and sunny with spectacular autumn colours. Higher up it was cold and windy but still clear and bright.As the day drew to a close the mountains threw long dark shadows and the landscape was suffused with a wonderful golden glow from the sinking sun. I spent much of the time deep in thought . On such a lovely day in such magnificent surroundings I felt privileged to be alive. All the more so because last week we heard the tragic and unbelievable news that Theresa, a vet I used to work with, had been killed in a car accident.
Theresa was brought up on Mull. On graduating she took a job in Fort William. However when the chance to buy the singlehanded Mull practice came up she took what was likley to be a once in a lifetime chance despite her relative inexperience. An extremely, capable and caring vet it was a job that was made for her .Most would find the prospect of taking on a practice single handed especially on an island extremely daunting: No back up, no colleagues to consult, no days or nights off unless a locum was employed. Few people today would be willing to make that sort of sacrifice. Theresa had the passion and drive to make it work and she did. I'm filled with admiration for what she achieved.
So it is such a cruel blow that she was killed returning from an evening call last week . She was only 29 and had so much ahead of her. It is a terrible loss not just to her family and friends but to the islanders of Mull and to the veterinary profession.
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| Glencoe from a photo taken last week |
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| A sketch of Ben Nevis from Banavie |
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| View from the Gairlochy Road .Aonach Mor in the distance |
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
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.
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| Loch Linnhe |
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
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
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
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| Quick sketch of the Lairig Ghru from the north |
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| Pencil drawing of the Lairig Ghru from the Braeriach with Cairn Toul on the right |
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| Looking across the Lairig Ghru to Devil's Point |
Sunday, 4 October 2015
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.
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.
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
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.
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| Storm gathering over Loch Leven |
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.
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| 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
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