I spent a very short two days on the West Coast last week as I went to meet a gallery. We were still enjoying the good weather and I managed to get a little work done. Most importantly, in late September I managed to miss the midges. Of all obstacles presented to the outdoor painter, I’ve yet to encounter anything I like less than midges. I’ve tried painting under a midge net in the past, but all the paintings come out grey. If the West Coast were like it was this time every week though, there would seldom be need to go anywhere else.

Evening, Looking across Kinlochmoidart 24×30 cm

Loch Sunart from Resipole Studios 24×30 cm

Loch Sunart 24×30 cm

One of the things that makes many of the lochs on the West Coast so interesting is that they are tidal, so twice a day the entire landscape changes as it transforms from water to mud flats and back again.

Tide Out, Loch Linnhe 24×30 cm

These are a selection of sketches painted over the summer in Edinburgh. This was, in many ways, my first attempt to paint street scenes in earnest as I’ve always been put off by the crowds. Inner-city painting provides new challenges in terms of continually changing subjects, not to mention all the usual problems of painting outdoors: wind and rain etc. Many visitors to Edinburgh comment on its famous ‘four seasons in a day’ weather. I can testify to this, though would reduce the time scale to about half an hour.

New College from St Giles’ St 24×30 cm

George St, Looking West 24×30 cm

Chambers St 24×30 cm

George St, Evening, Looking East 24×30 cm

Heriot Row 24×30 cm

Moray Place 24×30 cm

Evening from the Mound, Looking North 24×30 cm

These last two were painted very quickly one evening during last week’s glorious indian summer.

The Royal Society Building 24×30 cm

Evening, George St 24×30 cm