So this weekend, whilst Husband indulged his patriotic side and went to Scotland v Serbia world cup qualifier (see, I do listen!), I thought I might try and take some photographs of Loch Lomond and get some wild, craggy glens for a Scotland project later in the year. Very kindly, my in-laws had offered to drive me about while I snapped away.
I know a lot of artists wont admit to using photographs to work from but I see no reason why not. I make colour notes and scribbles while I am out and about and then bring everything back to the studio and work on it at a later date. You can do all sorts of things with the colours and cropping etc on the computer. Whilst we have this sort of technology, I say why not use it. There aren't many artists that grind up their own pigments or boil rabbits to make gesso anymore. Just because you use paint out of a tube, blended by experts, doesn't make you less of an artist. I feel the same way about photographs. Everyone has their own creative process and we shouldn't judge artists on how they come to their piece, just that the piece they have created speaks.
Anyway, I digress...and I do that a lot... I got some very nice pictures of Loch Lomond although every now and again when I thought I had the right composition, a certain Golden Retriever would dash into shot...
The Lead Hills are stunning and around this time of year, all the heather is out, making the hills look sort of stripy. We managed to stop at a few of the local galleries to check out the competition. The competition is good, I will need to work hard. There are a lot of very talented locals who sell their varied and vibrant work through several galleries in the area.
I know a lot of artists wont admit to using photographs to work from but I see no reason why not. I make colour notes and scribbles while I am out and about and then bring everything back to the studio and work on it at a later date. You can do all sorts of things with the colours and cropping etc on the computer. Whilst we have this sort of technology, I say why not use it. There aren't many artists that grind up their own pigments or boil rabbits to make gesso anymore. Just because you use paint out of a tube, blended by experts, doesn't make you less of an artist. I feel the same way about photographs. Everyone has their own creative process and we shouldn't judge artists on how they come to their piece, just that the piece they have created speaks.
Anyway, I digress...and I do that a lot... I got some very nice pictures of Loch Lomond although every now and again when I thought I had the right composition, a certain Golden Retriever would dash into shot...
The weather was moody, but actually, the sky was quite flat and not as turbulent and dark as I wanted it. Nevertheless, we had to head back into Glasgow to collect a defeated but still very chipper-about-the-whole-thing Husband.
The second day we went to Lead Hills - a beautiful spot where one can pan for gold if one so chooses or has a 5 year old to entertain. We stopped for tea in the little village of Wanlockhead - the highest village in Scotland no less - before heading back home.
The Lead Hills are stunning and around this time of year, all the heather is out, making the hills look sort of stripy. We managed to stop at a few of the local galleries to check out the competition. The competition is good, I will need to work hard. There are a lot of very talented locals who sell their varied and vibrant work through several galleries in the area.
I am very excited about my Scotland project, but have a lot more work to do before I can start painting. The father in-law has threatened to come with me on a tour of Scotland, but I seriously think we will end up sitting in a bar drinking wine and putting the world to right far too often for anything productive to come out of my trip, although they say the best artists were always at their most creative whilst either sozzed or stoned. Hmm..
"Won't admit" or won't countenance? I'll admit it, alright; but I have rules. My photographs - my experience. And preferably multiple photographs to make up for the single len of the camera being inferior to the double lenses of the viewer. But I still like working en plein air. It's kind of different. For me, if no one else.
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