Friday 22 February 2019

Doodling with woodcocks.

Hello,

This week it really seems Spring is in the air, and it's really quite mild. That means my studio is warmer, and my fingerless painting gloves have been cast aside, at least for now. Over the past two months I've had a break from the Skyeworks gallery and have been concentrating on getting together new work for the forthcoming summer. 

My latest piece was inspired by a new winter visitor to my garden. A woodcock! This sweet little bird hides out in the trees and shrubs around my driveway during the day and then at dusk he emerges to hunt for food. 

A short, plump bird I also discovered through my American Instagram and Facebook followers he is known as a Timberdoodle. What a fantastic name, and a perfect description for him! 


Below is my driveway where he likes to hang about!

He's made of lots of layers of paper and paint.


I've also finished another poppy landscape.

#Lovemypet day on wednesday meant a certain someone had to get into the frame. I think she was telling me the picture could be improved with a cat in the foreground. That's my next challenge!

And finally the Summer season at Skyeworks gallery is starting to take shape. I started back in the gallery this week and my new work should start appearing in the there from early next week. 


Have a lovely week.


Morag 

Thursday 14 February 2019

Dear Deer and moonlit Machair

Hello

 I can't believe a week has gone past since my last post. It's been a busy week.

I spent a few days last weekend over on the Scottish mainland  in Appleross, a remote peninsular on the north west coast of Scotkand, its coastline overlooks Skye, infact I can see its Torridon mountains from my house on Skye.

The mountain pass to Applecross is one of the highest in the UK and is a spectacular drive, although in Winter it is often impassible. I took some great photos of the large numbers of red deer which make their way down to lower levels near the coast to escape the snow and find food.

This very elegant chap had been grazing amongst the bracken and had acquired a very natty antler decoration. He looked both surprised and embarrassed to see me pointing a camera at him!

The roads are slow going, especially when you have to negotiate your way round a few hairy obstacles!

I also took some photos of lots of lovely little houses and old outbuildings. If you know my work you'll know how much I like to add little houses to the horizon of my paintings. 

Workwise.....well I've finished a moonlight hare, which my  Facebook followers  suggested some fantastic names for. In the end I plumped for The moon and ghe Machair.

Machair is the Gaelic word for the coastal swathes of wildflowers which carpet the low lying coastal stretches of the outer hebrides in early Summer.

The textures are built up from layers if torn paper and acrylic paint.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

X

Wednesday 6 February 2019

If you go down to the woods.

Brrrhhhhh it's been a Chilly week. I was snowed in the house for a few days, which if you have a full freezer and nowhere pressing to go is no great hardship. In fact the snow brought the beautiful Roe deer which live around my house back down to my garden. Watching them from my studio window I thought, If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is!

So with nowhere to go and plenty of time to experiment I began a new deer collage.

I used lots of lovely silvery Christmas gift wrap which I and my lovely friends had saved up. Making layers and layers building up colour.

The deer were then painted in acrylics, I love these new Windsor and Newton professional acrylics atm.



Finally finished, I think, although I haven't varnished it yet as I wasnt sure whether to add a bit of detail to the foreground, the more I leave it, the more happy I am with it. So it may well stay this way.

Finally, some snowy snowdrops, I just adore these delicate flowers. 

Spring isn't far away!

Yayyyyy!