Llyn Padarn, Snowdonia

Many years ago I used to drive up to Snowdonia from Oxfordshire to take photographs of the mountains.  I was really aiming to take shots from high in the mountains looking down, but somehow it never quite worked out.  I camped in the snow and then climbed at dawn repeatedly, but a combination of cloud cover and frozen camera batteries left me with nothing but memories.

However, I do remember one wonderful trip where I camped in the snow and climbed at dawn as normal.  I reached the photo spot that I had identified just in time to see the sun catching the summit of Snowdon and working its bright yellow colour down the pinky purple mountain.  The air was completely still and snow was very gently falling around me in the pink light.  It was truly a winter wonderland.  I primed my camera, pressed the button and nothing.  The battery had frozen.

After trying to take the photograph I felt I couldn’t really just go back down the mountain, even though I knew I couldn’t take any more photographs.  As I came down a little from the photo spot to reach the main path there were some other walkers just climbing up.  I joined them and together we walked to the summit.  By the time we got there the sun was up but the views were stunning.

After that walk I drove up Caernarfon to get some food.  The sun was setting as I drove back to my campsite at the bottom of Snowdon and as I passed Llyn Padarn it was lit up in pinks and purples.  I stopped and took the view in for a few moments before going back to my cold wet tent. This painting is that view.  I didn’t care that my tent was cold and wet because this was a day that I would remember forever.  It was truly magical.

Oh, and the hill at the back right is Mount Snowdon herself.

Shoreline

I’ve always been fascinated by abstraction and minimising the form as far as possible whilst still leaving enough of it to be recognisable and maintaining the mood of the scene. 

As a child I grew up on a fishery and used to love the way that the reflection of the trees would play on the still surface of the water and that in autumn all the colours would change to make those reflections even more interesting.  This image is inspired by those times walking around the shoreline of the lakes.

Loch Lomond, Trossachs

Many years ago when I was first starting to take landscape photographs I used to travel to Wales every weekend to photograph in Snowdonia.  One weekend I got brave and instead of Wales I drove to Scotland.  It was a great deal further than I realised and was a very long weekend.  It only resulted in a couple of nice photographs, and a very tired boy the week after.

I painted this view from one of the pictures I took that weekend.  I remember well standing in the cool air looking down on the shimmering light reflecting from the loch.  It was overcast, but there was light coming from gaps in the clouds on the horizon that made the reflection on the loch seem brighter than the sky around it.  It was one of those moments when I wanted to freeze the light and capture it forever.

Churchill, Cotswolds

About 13 years ago, I packed up everything I had, bought a caravan and put a satellite dish on the roof and started travelling.  I worked from my caravan in the day and took landscape photos in the early morning and evening.  Many of the photos you see on this site were taken during that time.  It was challenging as I was using large format film cameras, but the rewards of the places it took me were worth it.

Just before I left “properly” on my journey I stopped for a couple of weeks near to my mother in Shipton-Under-Wychwood where she was living at the time.  One evening I took a walk from the campsite and saw this view over the rolling fields to Churchill.  It was one of those evenings where everything is just perfect.  Not a breath of air and warm from the summer sun.

Tyne Estuary, Dunbar

I normally try and paint from my own visits to places, but I couldn’t resist this one. This was from a photo by Brian Thomson, a member of the Dunbar In Pictures Facebook group. Thank you for allowing me to paint the image Brian!

This is another large image, being A2 in size. Quite exhausting painting at that size!

Knoydart

Many many years ago I went on a free camping trip to Knoydart with two of my closest friends.  It was an amazing trip.  One day we walked to Barrisdale on the north coast of the peninsula.  We were MIDGED to pieces (that’s the West Coast for you), but we sat with a campfire on the beach watching the most wonderful of sunsets.

This is my first large piece, measuring 23x16 inches.  It was a completely different experience and very intense.  I enjoyed it (I think), but I’ll leave you to decide if the result was any good.

Oldhamstocks

When we decided to move to the Dunbar area last year we thought very seriously about a house in Oldhamstocks.  This lovely little village sits in the East Lothian hills, inland a little bit.  Single track roads wind their way into the countryside to reach it.  It has a wonderful tranquil feel to it.

Isle of Skye from Arisaig

The West Coast of Scotland will always be home to me wherever I live from now on. Arisaig is one of the most special parts of the West Coast to me as I spent nearly two months there in my caravan before moving up to Gairloch where I met my lovely wife and stopped. I remember well “White Cowie” one of the local herd wobbling my caravan as she scratched herself on its corner.

I remember watching a man carrying a briefcase over the beach and down the rocks puzzled, only to then head the sound of pipes dancing over the still water and in through my window as I worked.

I remember a couple putting bright red life jackets on their two Border Terriers before paddling into the shallow waters in a sea Kayak.

I remember taking photos on my large format panoramic camera and having to ask a young boy to stop walking into frame.

An utterly beautiful place and a must visit for anyone going to the West Coast. But book ahead! It gets booked up early!

John Muir Country Park

We’re new to the area, but I am thankful that we have a lovely friend who I’ve known for 25 years here in Dunbar to help us get to know the area. We arrived in August and we’d been having wonderful weather.

Our friend was kind enough to take us for a walk around John Muir Country Park and showed us straight to this lovely bit of the park where the kids could play in the shallow burn and we could just relax on the grassy outcrops. It was a lovely day out and cemented our love for this area.

Dunbar Old Harbour

Dunbar Old Harbour

Well I am VERY pleased to say that it’s that time of year again. I can put down my digital tools (I’m a software engineer) and put a massive amount of Yin to my Yang by spending the Christmas period painting. I’ve been looking forward to this!

I actually started this painting a couple of weeks ago, but couldn’t make time to complete it until today. It comes from a walk I did around the old harbour at Dunbar a few weeks back. I was taken by this aspect of the houses with the church in the distance.

Now, to grab some more paint and paper! Watch this space, as there may be a few paintings coming over the next couple of weeks!

Perfect Day

I’ve been playing with colour and atmosphere recently. This morning I thought it would be fun to add abstraction too!

East Lothian country road

We’re new to the East Lothian area, having lived for the last 12 years way up in Gairloch on the North West coast.  As such I wanted to explore a bit to see what landscapes are on offer around here and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed!  You might think that coming from the raw and breath-taking beauty that is the North West coast of Scotland East Lothian might be a bit of an anti-climax, but none of it.  From rugged coastline to rolling hills, from farmland to beautiful villages, East Lothian is really very beautiful.  To explore I went for a lovely long drive.  Unfortunately I didn’t mark where on the route this image was, but it was just south east of Abbey St Bethans somewhere.  So if you know then please do get in touch!

A study of trees

Trees have never been my strong point (neither have people) so I thought I’d do a quick study this evening.

A picture for a pot

On the first day of school 20 years ago, I had forgotten my pencil.  It appeared that the young boy to my right had also forgotten his pencil.  Our shared graphite conundrum went on to become a wonderful and lifelong friendship. Iain and I have always shared a love for the hillsides of Scotland and Wales. 

It also has to be said that Iain is a VERY accomplished potter, so be sure to check out his wonderful stoneware pottery (http://www.shieldstudiopottery.com/).

I was very touched when he asked me to paint a Scottish scene for him.  There was, of course, a condition though.  He would have to make the smallest possible pot, a micro-pot if you will, for my daughter.

In true Shield style, Iain stepped up to the challenge.  Here is the pot being made and now ready to fire.  And above is the picture of Loch Maree that I have painted for him.  Thank you Iain!

Rock pooling in Arisaig

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s not a place that people talk about a great deal. It’s a bit off the beaten track. However, Arisaig is one of the most stunning locations that I have been in the world. Looking out to Rhum and Eigg the coral beaches of Arisaig are harboured by tiny coves and shallow water. On a sunny day there is literally no more beautiful place. Oyster catchers (squeekies) paddle in the shallow water and there is a peace to this place that I have rarely known.

I was lucky enough to stay for nearly two months when I was travelling. Now we re-visit from time to time, and the kids play in the wonderful rock pools.

Maybe not the best painting I’ve done, but certainly one which holds a dear place in my heart. If you ever have the chance to visit Arisaig, then I would highly recommend it. Take a small caravan or a tent and stay in one of the beach side campsites. But book well in advance, it’s popular for good reason.

Gunnersbury Park

This is a park I know very well. I took the reference shot for this on a recent walk.

Dunbar Harbour

Today I took a short walk around the Dunbar harbour to get inspiration for this painting. The water was really calm today, and although it was definately a winter day, it made me think of that calm feeling when you watch a boat pass in the distance with the distant sound of the engine floating accross the water.

Jetty

A good friend of mine inspired me recently by pointing me to the work of Whistler. I already knew his work a little, but hadn’t looked at it in quite the way that my friend recommended. I have been enjoying his unusual composition, limited palette and soft use of tone. This image is inspired in part by those things.

A bit of abstraction

For a while now I’ve been playing with abstraction in a casual kind of way. I guess I’m still feeling my way through the whole painting thing to find where my natural place is.

Painting for our wee ones.

Bless them, for some time now the kids have been asking me to paint a picture for their rooms. So that’s what I thought I’d do this morning.