Sunday 15 May 2011

Arran 2011

I go away for a week and get lost for another fortnight! Such is life. The problem is, even when you are working like a dervish, the minute you take a break the whole impetus collapses and you find a million other things needing done before you can bring your mind back to heel and restart work again. Well it is for me.

I thought I'd share the little of my holiday that I actually produced. Having taken a load of art materials with me expecting to be languishing around with little else to do I found the actuallity quite different with long walks through highland glens and paddling in the briney ocean taking most of my time.

On occassion I got to sit basking in the warm sunshine and observe nature going about it's business, in this case a bit of lovey-dovey:

 Twin Terns, ink in sketchbook, A6.
What a racket these two made plighting their troth!

Even inanimate objects can exude the wondrous diversity of Nature. These rocks have been baring the brunt of biting wind and tides for millenia and their stoicism in the face of adversity give a foothold to bladderwrack:
 Ink in Sketchbook, A6.

Spring is definitely in the air and these two have got the future in mind. Just as well it's fun for there's nothing like a cauld blast from the Urals to dampen yer ardour:

 Wagtails of the Pied variety. Ink in sketchbook, A6.

After miles of walking it's good to park yourself for a few hours on a sand-dune and watch the gannets plunging dive and white-sailed yachts drift over a glassy sea, and watch dogs mad with liberation run their hearts out along the waters edge. Then suddenly, the sun slips over the yard-arm and it's time for tea:

 Looking South from Drumadoon Bay. Ink in sketchpad, A6.

After a whole week of walter-wall sunshine on our last day deep in Glen Rosa the rain finally comes pouring off the mountains:
 Creag Rosa. Pencil in sketchbook, A6.

Butit is with a tinge of sadness that we leave this Island of Dreams. A dead Shearwater lies on the beach as in sleep but lifeless:
Shearwater. Acrylics on board, 34x61cm.

The world turns and we move on.

A happy holiday nonetheless.

4 comments:

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

I'm glad you had a good time away, love the 'lips' in your twin terns sketch - perfect :o)

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Ha, Lisa, now I can't see the rock any other way!

Melinda said...

What a beautifully poetic post, illustrated with equally poetic drawings.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I felt a moment of bittersweet meditation as I read your words and studied your images.

Such strong graphical lines and composition. Such a beautiful journal post.

Hope you are inspired to keep going.

gusDon said...

Is this your work ..?
I love to see it, because a sketch is the basic idea of the work of making next .... I'm sure you have many different ideas and ways of taking it off the other ... I'm interested to see it!