Revisiting the Fishing Hut

In the studio again Friday - so happy to be there as I missed Monday - and I wanted to keep the focus on the corrugated iron fishing hut.  Over the week, I had been looking at this studio sketch.

Fearnmore Hut studio sketch

Clearly it is somewhat messy, but over the week I thought I could see a good composition within it, underneath the scribbles.  So I wanted to try it again, a little differently.  I went back to one of the sketches I did on the spot to capture a better look of the fishing hut.  I started with charcoal and added some oil bar.

Fearnmore Fishing Hut - emerging picture stage 1

When I reached this point, I noticed that the shore behind the hut was a bit lighter than I had intended, but I felt that this worked quite well.  So when I took it to the next stage, I tried to hang onto this.  I also wanted to capture a more ghostly and mysterious look, and decided to darken it down with graphite and ink at the same time as adding white acrylic.  So the next stage looked like this.

 

Fearnmore Fishing Hut - emerging picture Stage 2

There are gains and losses in this.  The contrast is better and the treatment of the hut now suggests windows and other interest; but I have lost some of the marks which gave the picture energy and interest.  I then took a fresh piece of paper - thick watercolour paper - and decided to have a go at the same composition with a little bit of colour.

Fearnmore Fishing Hut - emerging picture Stage 3

 I started in charcoal and then realised that I had forgotten to add gouache, so I added this a little late.  I liked the foreground pebbles treatment in this, but it was a little difficult to hang onto.  I should of course have protected it with masking tape or masking fluid, but this didn't occur to me at the time.  Anyway, I added more ink and water, and the next time I stopped, it looked like this.

Fearnmore Fishing Hut - emerging picture Stage 4

Sadly I've lost that delicacy in the foreground, but the black rocks look not bad.  And there is some interesting texture for the hut.  Now I'm not sure about having three buildings in the composition, so in short,  I'm still not sure about the strength of the picture.  Ah well.  I need to think a bit more carefully before I make another attempt.

Aileen Grant - Gallery: Fearnmore in the Studio

Aileen Grant - Gallery: Fearnmore in the Studio: Today was my only chance to work in the studio this week. I felt so happy getting back into the studio today, but it was not easy getting ...

Fearnmore in the Studio

Today was my only chance to work in the studio this week.  I felt so happy getting back into the studio today, but it was not easy getting down to work.  I wanted to keep my momentum going on Applecross images, so after a brief review I focused on the image of the Fearnmore fishing hut.  I had spent a bit of time sketching the hut, and I'm thinking about doing a series of pictures of beach huts/shore buildings.  But we'll see. 
Anyway, I embarked on an attempt to capture the rawness and elemental feel of this quirky fishing hut.

Emerging picture of Fearnmore Fishing Hut

I used charcoal, oil pastels and graphite (with rubbings out), and also white acrylic.  But when I looked at this, I thought that the sky was too light.  So I darkened it with ink and charcoal in the next stage.

Emerging picture Fearnmore Fishing Hut

Hmmm.  Looking at this now I see a bit of energy.  At the time I thought it was a bit scrappy.  However, learning from earlier mistakes (!) I decided to set it to one side and do another version.  Slightly different composition and using different paper, and a square composition.  This is how it turned out.

Emerging picture Fearnmore Fishing Hut

There's good and bad about this and I suspect it's not there yet.  Maybe it's a bit tame!  Anyway, I've brought both pictures home to look and reflect on them. (They are really just studies.)   A slight complication is that Peter says he doesn't like these in terms of subject matter, whilst I really love this quirky building and want to capture it and what it represents in a picture.  Hmmm. I must develop my own judgement....it's up to me! So that's another challenge.

I did a few other things and some finishing-offs, but all a bit disparate and nothing interesting really in terms of picture development, so any potential pics I'll post on the website (now that I can do this!).

I'm going to have to work on Monday, so I don't expect to be back in my lovely studio for another week....c'est la vie....

A Flavour of Applecross

Spent yesterday gathering some sketches of Applecross.  I was keen to try and do some coloured sketches - I think sketching in colour helps me to think in colour and therefore to handle colour back in the studio (was thinking about Van Gogh describing what he sees in paint colours - his prussian blue skies etc).    It was pretty windy, so on the exposed Applecross coast I decided not to get out of the car.  I went to my favorite viewpoint at the windiest point on Applecross, and did this sketch in chalk pastels.    

Applecross viewpoint sketch copyright Aileen Grant

I was concentrating on the colour shapes (that triangle of brown), the angle of the road and the storminess of the sea.  The islands (Skye, Raasay and Rona) were barely visible, floating in and out of the cloud.  Meanwhile the car was rocking in the wind.  I wondered if it might be possible to get blown over.  But luckily that didn't happen.
Another stormy sea attracted my attention, close to Callekillie.

Sketch of Stormy Sea, Rona and Cottage copyright Aileen Grant

I think I was concentrating on the sky and the sea so much, that I was not paying enough attention to the colour patterns in the foreground.  But it's a good enough study or future work (I hope).

My next stop was Fearnmore.  Usually I go further and don't stop until Fearnbeg, but I was thinking I should visit all these Applecross villages (in time) and do some sketching in each, so Fearnmore beckoned.  As this part of Applecross was in the lee of the stormy wind, I decided I could get out and sketch.  Went down to the natural harbour, and was excited by this lovely corrugated iron fishing hut.  I got out the graphite stick and some oil crayons.

Fearnbeg Beach Hut 1 copyright Aileen Grant

Fearnbeg Beach Hut 2 copyright Aileen Grant

 It's a lovely little structure - really quirky - and looking at these sketches now, I think I'd like to do a painting of the hut.  I think the elevation with the door is more interesting for a painting, but we'll see.  The hut lies within a small cove and I scrambled around the black rocks, taking a few photos of the village and views towards Torridon.  It felt very old and weathered. 

It is interesting how these old corrugated iron buildings are almost the same colour as their context - I did this sketch of an old fishing shed in the south of Applecross on Wednesday.  I'm sorry I didn't do this sketch in colour to capture the colour relationship between the corrugated iron, the stonework and the bracken, but hey ho, I used graphite stick instead....and I took some photos to capture the colour.

Applecross Fishing Shed graphite sketch copyright Aileen Grant.

As always, I've been inspired by Applecross.  I hope I have gathered enough material over the last couple of days to sustain me back in the studio in the days to come. Watch this space.

Attadale Walk (In The Rain)

I decided to defy the elements today, and in a mood of optimism I took my sketchbook.  Went over to Attadale (luckily the road is open as far as Attadale - it's closed just beyond this point).  Sadly the day just got wetter and wetter. 

Walked up into a birchwood and started a coloured sketch....then a gust of wind tipped my pastels into the grass and bracken.  Took me ages to pick them all up again..... However, I managed to do this wee study in acrylics when I got home.  (But not sure about it.)

Birchwood study copyright Aileen Grant

I gave up any thought of sketching at that point and decided to just take photos.  These were the most interesting.

Guess what they are.. And I came very close to this guy.

There's always something to see, if you can put up with the weather.  Maybe it'll be better tomorrow....

Back in Lochcarron

Back up north for a week or so.  Nice to be here, especially now that the days are a little longer.  Weather is somewhat snowy and cold, so most of today was spent doing some DIY in the cottage.  However, I did venture out for a sketch early afternoon, wandering down by the shore in Lochcarron. 
Weather conditions were great - the sleet moving in up the loch, and glimpses of sun breaking out through the clouds.  But cold for sketching.
I love the washing lines on the shore - I always think there's a good picture in there if I could just think of an interesting composition....but maybe they just make good phtos.  Anyway, they are a good subject for a sketch.

Seaweed Lines (sketch)  copyright Aileen Grant

It was so atmospheric: so lovely to be here.  I walked down by the natural harbour.  Noticed that the cottage -Reraig - was being re-roofed in RED corrugated iron sheets.  BRILLIANT!  I didn't know you could still get corrugated iron, but in red - amazing.  It means that this cottage has retained its lovely red roof - a beacon of colour!  Look at it here.....

I was going to do a sketch here, but I could see a big black cloud approaching from the west, so I thought I would head back to Hawthorndene.  But the cloud passed over, and the sun came streaming out, so I did manage another sketch - a quick one in charcoal which I finished off indoors.

Another Slumbay Sketch copyright Aileen Grant

I think for once in this sketch I've managed to capture that distinctive shape of Slumbay.  And I quite like the way the treatment of the shore has turned out.  But then, charcoal is such a joy to work with because of the range of effects you can get.

And now it's snowing, and lying. Quite a snowfall. Looking out of the window I can see the lights across the water where the guys are working to try and fix the Strome Road.  I can't believe that they are working 24/7 .... it's a race against time to fix it. Are they really working now in the dark in this blizzard?  They deserve a bankers bonus!

Continuing the Gayfield Theme

Today in the studio I continued the theme of Friday's work and had a go at another version of the Gayfield Trees composition.  I thought it would be more interesting with a bit more colour so decided to do some underpainting in gouache (magenta and naples yellow), then I drew into it with charcoal and graphite stick, then added a little blue gouache.

Emerging Gayfield Trees copyright Aileen Grant

In the composition, I had accentuated the angles of the buildings, and was also thinking about the link between the verticals - the columns, the trees and the building on Leopold Place.  So I drew into it further.

Emerging Gayfield Trees copyright Aileen Grant

Actually, looking at this now, this looks kinda interesting - I particularly like the trees. But I was not happy with the colour and carried on, wanting to simplify the colour treatment, adding white and off-white acrylic and more drawing and black ink.

Emerging Gayfield Trees copyright Aileen Grant

I did a bit more to this before finishing, but it was too dark to photgraph...added another car in...so I feel as if I'm getting somewhere with my urban series.  Almost ready to do a proper picture.  But now I'm about to go up north for a few days, so I'll be having a little break from the urban scenes, back to the landscapes.