Gallery
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Depicting this landscape can be daunting, with its vast scale and sudden changes of weather I use sketches and digital photos along with my intimate knowledge of the area, to work up finished pieces in the studio. People often ask me if I ever get tired of painting the same old views. The answer is no, because a lifetime is too short to discover every hidden corner, every angle of every loch and mountain, and of course weather-wise, no two days are the same! I'm constantly intrigued by the incredible shapes of these ancient mountains as they stand proud against the sky, and the changing seasons each bring their own palette and atmosphere. From the soft blues and greens of Spring, an icing-sugar dusting of snow on the highest peaks, accentuating the cracks and fissures in the rocks, to the brighter greens of Summer: tufty white cotton grass speckling the marshy land; later, the heather, as the grasses trun from ochre to red to orange and the scent of the bog myrtle mixes with the dank peaty odour on the hillsides after rain. Words can only hint at the magic of this region; paintings can do a little more, but it is a lifelong battle to do justice to somewhere so unique, so magnificent, and to moments so fleeting that often there is no time even to take out a camera. My usual media are layered coloured pencils, and pastels on card, which I find suit my soft, rather intricate, delicate yet strong style. |