Too Much Green, Too Much Texture

I’ve been working on and off with this painting for some months now, but without resolving it. There are bits that work, bits that I really love, but overall the composition doesn’t hold together for me. There are too many conflicts on a mark-making and texture level; it lacks overall unity.

You can’t really see it in the photo, but there’s a lot of texture paste in the foreground and around the edge of the coast, with a little on the hill. When the light hit the canvas at an angle, or up close, it’s very evident.

I still like the idea behind this composition, inspired by a nearby bit of rocky coast where there’s a small bay and a sea stack, but think I’ll turn this canvas to the wall and start anew. Less texture, and a change of season so there’s less green too. Maybe a snowy day, so the hills and sea are closer in colour?

Work in Progress. Size 45x60cm. Acrylic on Canvas.

New Painting: Minch 22

Minch 21 having sold in a day-and-a-half, there’s now a new painting of mine available from the bakery in Portree. It’s inspired by the reflection of a bright Full Moon in the Minch, with the light dancing in the ripples on the water, and the tiny touches of lights visible on Harris on a clear night.

Minch 22 Full Moon. Acrylic on canvas. 40x100cm. SOLD.

The Pondering Stage: Minch 22 Painting

It’s always interesting hearing what people see and feel when they look at a painting. In two separate conversations paintings this week I encountered quite contrasting views. One person said they liked the top three-quarters of a painting, without the, urm, messy bit at the bottom (and had I intended to do that?). The other said they liked the abstraction anchored in reality, the way the paint dripped and flowed.

For this painting I thought I’d aim at being a bit “tidier”. I turned the canvas sideways while working so the paint dribbles would be, ultimately, horizontal and tried to avoid any that run down at right angles to the long edge (there are a few, bottom right). For me the result feels very fluid, as if the sea is rippling quietly.

The painting is now in the pondering stage, where I’ll stare at it to decide what to do next, if anything. So far I think I want to refine the shapes of some of the pointier small islands, and add the lights of Tarbert in the distance.

Work-in-progress: Minch 22 Full Moon. Acrylic on canvas. 40x100cm. Limited palette: Prussian blue, cerulean blue, cerulean blue deep, cobalt teal, and iridescent white.

From Whisky Barrel to Easel

This is an example of the characterful display easels made from old oak whisky barrels that will be used next year in Skyeworks, upstairs at the Isle of Skye Baking Company shop in Portree. Liza sourced them from Darach (Gaelic for “oak”) in Inverness. I think they’re really fabulous, going to make for a wonderful opening exhibition next April!

New Painting: Minch 21

The large painting dominated by dark Prussian blue in the centre of this photo, Minch 21: A Windy Winter’s Night, has joined some other paintings of mine for sale at the Isle of Skye Baking Company in Portree. The close-up photo shows a section of the starry sky of the painting, which you only see when you’re near the painting.

Updated: This painting went on display around lunchtime on the Monday, and was sold by Wednesday afternoon.

Size: 48x24 inches (about 120 x 60cm). SOLD.

Minch 21 Painting: A Windy Winter’s Night

I’m not sure if Minch 21 is finished yet or not. There was a tweak I wanted to make, but after failing four times (!) to get it working, I decided I would leave the painting alone. For now…

It’s a painting influenced by the rather strong wind we’ve had the past while, and the dark view across the Minch this afternoon when the first snow of this winter fell.

Updated: After looking at it for a couple of days, I decided it was indeed finished. What I’d thought I wanted to do, no longer seemed needed and I’ll save it for another, stormier painting.

"Minch 21: A Windy Winter’s Night". Acrylic on Canvas. 48x24 inches.

Not the Original Drawing Room at Higham Hall

Instead of being in the studio at Higham Hall for life drawing (bookbinders were working in there on our first day) we were in what’s now the largest meeting room. Lots of natural light, lots of space for easels and tables for supplies. Great to be able to move spot easily by dragging an easel about, and to walk around seeing what the other people were doing. I wish it were the official drawing room!

This piece on my easel went from bad to worse, and ultimately I painted over most of it.

Any model who's ever been perched precariously will notice how sturdy this table is, and the mattress.