Taps Aff!!

It's blazingly hot sunny weather again today, and all week I've had the gas off and gas men crawling all over the studio blasting compressed air endlessly through my pipes.  Taps aff all round, you might say..

Despite the extremely noisy mayhem, I've still actually managed to do some work amidst the chaos...

Continuing on my big, bold theme, this is a painting of a hedgerow in Skye, with a little cottage in the distance by ploughed fields.

Going Large

I've been working on a series of big canvasses, which are going to be on show in exhibitions later in the year.

These paintings are all very bright and textural, with the emphasis on expressive colour.

Red Moorland, Glen Lochy (Oil on linen, 32 x 32)

Red Fields, Argyll (Oil on linen, 32 x 32)

This next set are a size up, 32" x 40".  I've decided to frame these with a new style of narrow, minimal frame.  I'm also not going to glaze them, so that you can fully see the texture.

See what you think!

Glen Lochy (Oil on linen, 32 x 40)

Burn in Spate, Argyll (Oil n linen, 32 x 40)

Narcissi in Bluebell Woods, Dalkeith (Oil on linen, 32 x 40)

The next set are bigger again, 40" x 40".

Autumn Colours, the Campsies (Oil on linen, 40 x 40)

Distant Rain over the Black Cuillin (Oil on linen, 40 x 40)

Today at the Affordable Art Fair...

Sold this painting today at the Affordable Art Fair at Battersea (which ends tomorrow).

 Towards the Cuillins, Sligachan (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

Really pleased!  The fair seems to be going well - spring really must be in the air!

Sligachan is on the Isle of Skye, and the view in the painting is from near the old bridge just beside the Sligachan Hotel.  

You can explore the area HERE on Google Maps, and have a virtual walk around.

West Coast Scotland Paintings Arrive Today in London....

...a group of paintings of the beach at Camusdarach on the Road to the Isles, near Mallaig and Morar.

Grasses in the Wind, Camusdarach (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

Wide Sweep of the Sand, Camusdarach (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

Then there is a selection of paintings slightly further north, of the Isle of Skye.

River near the Cuillins, Skye (Oil on linen, 16 x 16)

The Cuillins with Yellow Flowers, Skye (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

Heather and Grasses, the Cuillins (Oil on linen, 24 x 26)

Cuillins from the Beach, Skye

I thought I'd say a quick word about the image on the front of my London catalogue.

It's called Cuillins from the Beach, Skye.

Cuillins from the Beach, Skye (Oil on linen, 24 x 26)

I'm often asked exactly where the places are that feature in my paintings.  This particular scene is of the beach at Tokavaig on the Isle of Skye.  

This is Skye, one of the Inner Hebrides on the west coast of Scotland.  It's a large island now joined to the mainland by a bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin.  There's still a ferry from Mallaig, if you want to reach it the romantic way, and there's also a great little private ferry which goes across to Glenelg (where the amazing brochs are).

And here's Tokavaig.  It's a very very small place.  If you take the line of the ferry that comes across from Mallaig, you'll see a yellow rectangular loop on the side of the red road leading up towards Kyleakin.  Tokavaig is near Tarskavaig, on a nice scenic little loop of single track road.

The rocky beach at Tokavaig looks out over to the famous ridge of the Cuillins in the distance, with Elgol on the right and the little island of Soay on the left.

So now you know!

Paintings at the Fair

Here's some of my paintings which are currently on Stand 51 at the London Art Fair.

Watch out for them if you're there!  They're there until Sunday.

Full Moon over the Embankment (Oil on linen, 12 x 12)

Distant Yacht and Montbretia, Rinagree (Oil on linen, 32 x 32)

                                                             Distant Cuillins from the Beach, Skye (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

New Stylish Home for "Cottage near Portree"

I've been contacted by the owners of one of my paintings to share pictures of it in its new designer home.  Here it is at 48 Rydale in London.

The painting is "Cottage near Portree", with a plum and moon frame. I think it looks pretty stunning against the bold, black walls.

It fits right in to the sleek, modern, minimal interior, adding an organic splash of colour.  It's great to see where my paintings end up and to see how they compliment their new surroundings and bring pleasure to their owners.

Despite the fact that the subject of the painting is (somewhat ironically) a traditional croft in the middle of a large open space, the house where it is now situated is poles apart, being a cutting-edge spanking new self-build in London, squeezed onto a corner plot that used to have garages on it.    You really couldn't get two more different homes.

Awkward and tiny, Adam and Shauna could see the potential that no-one else could – and they have created a clever curved three bedroom house over 110m² which features stylish interior spaces (designed by the couple themselves) which make maximum use of the small footprint, a secluded external space and a highy efficient stick-built construction. Grey water recycling and a green roof, as well as triple glazing, complete this masterclass in efficiency.
- See more at: http://www.homebuildingawards.co.uk/glabay-and-ohandley-residence#sthash.lZ1wsg0Z.dpuf

Awkward and tiny, Adam and Shauna could see the potential that no-one else could – and they have created a clever curved three bedroom house over 110m² which features stylish interior spaces (designed by the couple themselves) which make maximum use of the small footprint, a secluded external space and a highy efficient stick-built construction. Grey water recycling and a green roof, as well as triple glazing, complete this masterclass in efficiency.
- See more at: http://www.homebuildingawards.co.uk/glabay-and-ohandley-residence#sthash.lZ1wsg0Z.dpuf

48 Rydale is up for an award for the way that it makes use of a tiny amount of space to create an uber-sleek and stylish three-bedroom home with an outdoor area as well.  Read more about it HERE.

Thanks to Adam and Shauna for getting in touch to tell me about it!  Good luck with the competition.

If anyone else has photos of my paintings, then please do get in touch - I'd love to see them!