The Western Isles

Whoop, whoop... holiday time with some lovely peeps off North to spend some time on the Western Isles as the title suggests.

We met up at work, piled (very precisely.... think of tetris) all our luggage into the minibus and off we went. Slowly until the driver got used to the van.

I don't often get driven around and it was quite relaxing to sit up front ( I get car sick) and check out the scenery.
Up the A9 and then a much needed comfort break for expulsion and imbibing of differing fluids at ******

Another stop to take in the scenery and I could have stopped for a while but we all really wanted to get to our destination.





Driver doing a fabulous job and I was helping navigate.

Not many photos today as mostly we were driving.
We eventually got to Ullapool, had our chips, wandered about a bit, you know, postcards, checking out the wet weather gear.

Arrived at Stornaway and then the final stretch .....................

 

Losgaintir, here we are....unpack, sort out rooms and chill along with a short walk on the beach.

... and that was Sat over.

Aha... Sunday

Beach at Losgaintir

Today was mainly spent exploring as this was my first time on Harris. Enormous skies and views to calm and inspire.

So glad I'd bought myself a new jacket, being cosy made all the difference to the day.

Enjoying the shapes in the rocks and the patterns formed in the sand by the wind. Ideas beginning to form.







And..... Monday!
After breakfasting, we all loaded up into the minibus and headed to another part of the island for a walk.

The sea is such a beautiful force, twisting and churning at the rocks, continuously molding the coastline.

 

 I could spend hours looking out to sea, breathing with the constant movement of the waves - but today, a little chilly to sit still so onwards we went.

Not sure of the friendliness of the cows here so we bypassed them further up the hill, seems like they found a tasty lunch though.

In the distance is a building on a small rise and this is where we're headed, I'm happily jumping around the rocks admiring the striations and configurations in the stone.

The ruined building must have been such an isolated place to be, I think it may have been a church.

Love the limited views through the wee windows and of course the doorway with the muted colours of the land outwith the walls.

More next time.

Such a beautiful place.

 

London Wedding

Had a brilliant time at a wedding held in Croydon, London.
The event itself was beautiful with Ella's Grandfather walking her down the aisle, kilt swinging.
I was so pleased to have been invited and was able to see some old friends and celebrate with them.

The handfasting was probably more memorable than the service if a little cold. Many there, myself included, took the opportunity of jumping the broomstick.
After the meal, along with drinking and dancing we could also take photos in a specially curated booth in honour of Star Wars - lightsabre, Princess Leia head piece and a grand dark hooded cloak.

Before the event, I took advantage of being in London to visit an old friend and we visited Kew Gardens, amazing! Some lovely sculpture and a fantastic exhibition with hundreds of dried flowers threaded and hung from the ceiling. We were able to walk through these - astounding.
Then there was the bee place! wow!
This incredible structure has been built to replicate a bee hive.

"The Hive is a unique, multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees. A feat of British engineering, it stands 17 metres tall, set in a wildflower meadow.

The Hive is an immersive sound and visual experience. The lights you see and the sounds you hear inside The Hive are triggered by bee activity in a real beehive at Kew.
The intensity of the sounds and light change constantly, echoing that of the real beehive. The multi award-winning Hive was inspired by scientific research into the health of honeybees. It is a visual symbol of the pollinators’ role in feeding the planet and the challenges facing bees today."
(https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/the-hive)
You can walk inside and it is a strange experience but very beautiful.

The Hive

inside The Hive, top level

inside, bottom level

The gardens themselves are beautiful to walk around and much bigger than expected, could spend all day there with a picnic and sketchbook.

the greenhouse

greenhouse again

The structure just leant itself to some arty photos and I couldn't resist.











During our walk we came across a wonderous line of gorgeous statues. The carving is excellent and made me a little envious, must practice more.

detail

 

There was also an amazing exhibition/ installation of dried flowers. Walking amongst them was quite surreal and would have loved to have been able to be there with no other visitors, but hey, that's the way it goes.

St Madoes - stone carving workshop

I was asked to run a stone carving workshop at the opening of the new St Madoes centre.
I'd put forward a proposal to carve the stone that will be in their garden area but wasn't chosen for that. Not unhappy, the workshop went so well.

 All happy carvers and a great day out.

The Frigate Unicorn - Dundee

The HMS Frigate Unicorn is almost 200 year old!

"HMS Unicorn is considered to be the best preserved of all historic wooden ships in the world from her era.

She is now the World’s last intact warship from the days of sail, one of the six oldest ships in the world and Scotland’s only representative of the sailing navy."

http://www.frigateunicorn.org

This is a fascinating ship to visit and I've been lucky to have been shown all over, even where visitors don't get to go. There are still initials and names of the original shipwrights in some places.

Ships of this era carried with them small animals to provide fresh food on  long journeys. These would include pigs, sheep, goats and chickens. The Unicorn management team wanted to inform the public by putting animals, a large stove and hurdles on the ship. I was commissioned to paint some life sized animals in the same style as the painted sailors already on the ship.

It was a great deal of work but enjoyable, so here they are.

 

  

 

SCRAPANTICS - the move

WE MOVED!!!

An incredible feat of will power, fabulous helpers, a van, good weather and a shopping trolley.

From small acorns, mighty oaks will grow.

Luckily the move consisted of leaving our wee unit on one side of the carpark to a much bigger unit on the other side of the carpark and round the corner.

The original store

 What you see in this photo is almost all there was, such a small unit but a brilliant way to start.
Our fabulous helpers were mainly my mum and sister, they were quite outstanding, although I did try to stop mum lifting things that were too heavy, quite often without success.

The front of our new store - now highly visible from the road instead of hidden away at the back of a carpark.

The boat was one of about 5 half boats on scooters from a play at the Dundee Rep Theatre. Great fun to play with and all went to good homes.

More Gamrie (Mon and Tues)

Today is Monday and the event was checking out the Gannet colony. I've never been this close to so many birds. Beautiful to watch swooping, diving, and most certainly making plenty noise.

Gannet colony

close-up

It was a short drive from Gardenstown and then a shortish walk towards the cliffs. A beautiful day too. I took plenty photos and a bit of video - could have lain in the grass watching them for hours. Or rather, I'd like to but usually I don't let myself just be, something I am working on.

Loved-up

Now it's Tues and I went to spend my sweetie money at the shop, which also happens to be at the top of the hill and it is no mean feat walking up that hill. We were all given Gardenstown wee packets from Derek and Rosie. In the packs were a badge, sweetie money, voucher for the Gannet Colony, a Gamrie passport, all tongue in cheek but sweet too.

Tope of the hill

Up by the church

On a stretch of the hill were all these garages, in various stages of repair, or rather disrepair for some, and I had to take some photos.

 

Then there was a walk up to the derelict church on the hill, amazing views and as I love derelict buildings and graveyards it was great for me.

the church

inside looking out

inside the church

And finally, to end Tues I got on with the painting/drawing I'd begun the day before. Really pleased with the result. Although I couldn't get a decent photo as you can see, due to shadows, but love the effect.

 

Gardenstown or Gamrie

My first time visiting this amazing coastal village/town.
Here on an artist's residential and intending to enjoy every minute.

Love doorways

More doorways

A quick walk out from the house on arrival and straight away I find doorways, not that much of a surprise, but I have a love of them (interesting ones anyway).

A doorway, the liminal space, between, almost a Schroedinger's cat of what's on the other side.


An easy day, we all ate together in the main house then chill.

Sunday arrived and of course, more exploring, more research images for possible artworks. If nothing else, a sense of being in the place begins to occur.

Stumps from the beach, these photos don't do the colours justice but they were all things of beauty, natural sculptures.

Senor Stump

I love the face on this one, Senor Stump seems somewhat bemused by our interest.

And yes.... the rocks really are this red. Such beautiful forms.

minescule worlds

nets in a tangle

On a walk to the next village along the coast and there were plenty of stops to photograph, listen to the waves playing with the stones on the beach creating a loud soundtrack for the walk and to enjoy the scenery.

 

Such a gorgeous coastal walk, quite short in comparison with others but nonetheless remarkable in it's interesting photographic elements. The sea rusts metal in a glorious way.