The Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival | SMHAFF :: News

Here's a review posted late on my part of the "Postcards from"exhibition that I contributed to at The Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival | SMHAFF :: News

Black And White Photography Monday

Back in the summer I walked this Straiton Hill (Craigengower) its not too high just over a 1000feet...



Although not very high compared to the munros and corbetts of 
Scotland the approach behind the trees is very steep...



On the top there's a monument to Lt. Col. James Hunter Blair who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Inkerman in 1854 you can see to the Galloway Hills to the south and Ben Lomond to the north...


I love the cloud formations that you get in Scotland...


If only the rain bearing ones weren't so frequent especially these past 7 days.

Black And White Photography Thursday

Black and white thursdays image above was taken from Millport beach looking across to Goatfell in the distance on the Isle Of Arran ...

It was taken during my bike riding trip from Largs during July this year.

The island on the far left is Little Cumbrae and the two small island where the yachts are moored are called Eileans which is scottish gaelic meaning islands.

Wee Hurrie Fish And Chips Al Fresco

When I have me chish and fips from the " Wee Hurrie " in Troon harbour its not far to the free car park to dine in the car al fresco style with a view looking across the Firth Of Clyde to the Isle Of Arran...

Its very picturesque especially when its calm in the summer months as can be seen in the photo but if a hoolies blowing in from the atlantic ocean it can take on a totally different appearance.

Sometimes the Isle of Arran just cant be seen.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

  Some human beings are just destined to be a bit special. R.I.P.Steve Jobs

Black And White Photography Monday

Today I'm trying to get a small portfolio of my abstract paintings ready for a possible group exhibition but I keep getting distracted doing other things...This is an image taken from the mainland above Largs in Ayrshire looking across the Firth of Clyde towards the island Greater Cumbrae...

Black And White Photography Again

I must admit I had lost interest in my old passion of creating monochrome prints after digital photography came along and was against change even though I had a few images published in various digital photo mags in the 90's...

Recently having purchased some digital camera equipment for reproducing my paintings in print form its seems to have re-ignited my interest...

Although I still miss dipping me fingers in the those chemicals and watching the image appear in the dark I'm sure its alot healthier this so called modern digital way...and of course the convenience...

But for me there's still something special about a traditionally produced silver halide print on fibre based paper...

Anyway here's an image digitally produced entitled " Home By The Sea "

The Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival

I'm participating in an art exhibition next month entitled " Postcards From " as part of The Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival at The Gallery On The Corner,Edinburgh...

Dates and more info can be found by clicking on this link....

Here's my entry No.152 entitled  " After Diagnosis "...

Trossachs

I don't seem to be doing much painting lately which is not really a good thing...since acquiring a digital SLR camera I'm having a hard job leaving it alone...it seems to be part of me whenever I go off on some journey regardless of how far the journey is.Off course the simplicity of removing the SD card and slotting it into a laptop is luxury and a far cry from days gone by of waiting for the lab processing return or home processing monochrome film and prints...

I seem to kid myself that I can use the photos taken as reference for paintings in the future...maybe this just an artists excuse or even an underlying version of artists block...anyway maybe I'm just nurturing my creative consciousness by doing this who knows?

Last weekend my partner Evlar and I headed up towards Aberfoyle and The Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in the Trossachs...we visited members of her family on the banks of Loch Ard and had a stroll around as you do...the weather was typically Scottish which made for some varying light conditions...The forest the Loch and vistas of Ben Lomond emerged through the improving weather conditions as the afternoon went on...A nice run out...

Goatfell and Failed

Well its been a while since I posted on my blog...to those of you who take the time to read my ramblings please accept my apologies...

August flew by and was a busy month for me..with my sister coming up from the south coast of England to Scotland for a much welcomed visit...here at The Bed and Breakfast Ayr we have had alot of guests which has put things on hold art creativity wise more or less...

Anyway last weekend with good weather forecast we decided not to take any B&B bookings and headed across the Firth Of Clyde by ferry to the Isle Of Arran with the sole intention of climbing the highest mountain on the island Goatfell...I've often looked at this mountain in awe during sunsets from Ayr beach...

Artistically thinking the heather is in bloom in August/September so natures palette is always something to behold...Many artists get inspiration from nature and hill walking like landscape artist Keith Salmon who is also based in Ayrshire Scotland...

Unfortunately we never made the summit due to changing weather conditions and being unprepared clothing wise which dictated a hasty retreat back down Goatfell to Brodick to await the ferry...

As the weather turned to rain Goatfell took on an spooky appearance on the return ferry journey a little different from those sunsets from Ayr beach...