Winter Grass

 One of the things I like about winter in the western highlands is the growth and colour of the wild grasses.

 There are many different types of grass.  There is the deer grass in the hills and on the moors, sending out its delicate spikes in December. There is the untidy grass on the shores that lies flat over pebbles, combed by the sea into swirls and waves.  And there is the thick grass that grows in woodland clearings and morrland - it turns into clumps of pale ochre curls and sends out delicate tall spikes.  Close by Lochcarron there is an area which was once a plantation woodland of sitka spruce trees.  This ground is now in community ownership and the trees were cleared a few years ago, leaving rough ground with a few residual native trees.  Significant replanting with little tiny trees - native species - has already been done in places. I think of it as a “recovering landscape” and I like to go and sketch there – I particularly love the wild winter grass with the backdrop of the hills around.

I've done several sketches of the grass and trees and I was determined to develop the sketches into a painting or two.  I started out on a scene looking towards distant hills, flanked by trees.  

This was a large square painting.  I quite liked the simplicity of this, but at a large scale I was not satisfied. I continued to develop ideas, adding different textures and got to this point.

I still wasn't happy, so I altered the composition slightly and added more spectral greys.

However, I felt that this was a bit dumbed down....not very exciting....it had lost its freshness and drama.  So I put it aside and reached for a fresh piece of paper, to start again.   This time I did a landscape composition rather than a square one.  I focused much more on the grass rather than any other element within the composition.  Looking at it now, I see a hint of Paul Nash's "Wood On The Downs" in the composition, but these, of course, are Birch trees, not Beeches.

It is now finished and framed - title "Wild Winter Grass, Kirkton Woodland" - and I've just heard that it'll be in the RSW open exhibition in January/February this year.  Delighted!

As I quite liked this composition, I've been back to sketch in the same place from time to time.  It looked different in summer colours, in strong light.   I thought I'd try a wee acrylic painting of a similar scene.  Thia one is also framed - "A Delicate Light" - and it was in the Gairloch Museum Winter Show.

I'm continuing to make paintings of grass (winter and summer) and some of these will be ready for an exhibition in Gairloch Museum in May and June this year - "Our Fragile Land".  Here's a work in progress....

It makes me think of the Three Graces....but I don't think that's a good title...is it?

Getting Off To A Good Start

Happy New Year!

I started this blog in December, but didn't finish it.  Must do better in 2024!

My focus this year is to get a body of work finished and framed for the start of May.  I'm doing an exhibition - "Our Fragile Land" - in Gairloch Museum.  The exhibition will be with three other artists, showing landscapes of the Wester Ross Biosphere.  I've been working up ideas for this for most of last year, off and on, and I realise that I now need to get my pieces finished very soon!

My starting point was a number of pieces I did based on sketches done at the Black Water at Silverbridge, near Garve (See earlier Blog).  Since then I've been thinking about other fragile landscapes.  Possibly the most fragile place within the Biosphere is the Beinn Eighe summit and plateau.  It was designated a National Nature Reserve many years ago, and it is one of the core areas of the Biosphere.  I had a walk up there in the summer and did a couple of sketches.  From these, I developed this oil painting.

 

Not sure if it's finished yet, though!

The other particularly fragile landscape in the Biosphere is the area of native woodland - oakwood - within the Balmacara Estate near Kyle of Lochalsh.  I've done a lot of sketching over there this year and I've been working on several paintings - oil and acrylic - all different shapes and compositions.

I've been particularly struck by the strong shapes (positive and negative shapes) made by the mature oak trees, and the way the foliage filters the light.  I've noticed how the limbs of the trees follow the contours of the slope - it seems to be a particular characteristic of oak trees, because I observe it with oak trees in other locations.  Anyway, here's quite a large oil painting.

 Painting woodland in this way has been something new for me.  I find I keep coming back to the motif, and trying it in different media.  Here's another interpretation, this time a smaller painting in acrylic, although it's not quite finished - I'm not happy about the shape of the tree on the left and I think the background needs a bit of finessing.  These ones are more like dancing trees (perhaps that should be in the title).

I've also been looking for appropriate quotes and reading books about trees and woodland.  I hope to write a bit more on the subject....but we'll see how that goes.  In the meantime, here are a couple of quotes to think about.

“Most of us walk unseeing through the world, unaware alike of its beauties, its wonders, and the strange and sometimes terrible intensity of the lives that are being lived about us.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

“If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” —Vincent Van Gogh,

So here we are at the start of 2024.  Sending good wishes to you for the year ahead if you manage to read this blog.  Let's all keep creative and positive this year!