Lost in Translation!

What do you do when you've made a sketch and think you've captured a sense of place and now want to  translate that into a  painting. How do you capture that initial response? Its worked in the sketchbook, using watercolour, with the view there in front of you. But sometimes the liveliness of the sketch gets lost in translation and the attempt to get the same atmosphere eludes you. 

I'd like to try gouache but decide to use oil paints as I don't seem able yet to capture those brights that were there using gouache. I know its a question of practice to gain the skills. But I'm being impatient and want to paint the painting while my memories of Aird are still fresh. At the same time I'm very wary of starting. It was so green there, that lovely fresh green of May and the seas so blue when the sun actually shone. And that's what I want to paint - those colours with the white houses dotted about the hill. perhaps now I've done this attempt I might feel freer about trying a large version in gouache.

This is the resulting painting, using oil on a 10 x 12" board.

Village of Aird, Skye

Bridget Hunter 2011

A Postcard to Albrecht in Germany

A postcard from the Island of Sky

Today I received a beautiful postcard from an area which is still on my list ofplaces I would like to visit in my lifetime. Great, many thanks Bridget! I guess you have painted the postcard with acrylic. A few strokes of a pen are visible. Bridgetwrote: "I've spent the last week on the Island of Skye. Though it frequently rainednothing could spoil the dramatic landscape, the Black Cuillin Mountains plunginginto the sea. Its history is also full of drama too - the remains of abandoned crafts(small stonehouses) when the crofters were forced to leave their land to makeway for sheep, many having to emigrate and the stories of Bonnie Prince Charliewho took refuge here. This view is off the shore at ARDVASAR, on the southernpart of the island.«
I of course immediately asked at Wikipedia about the unfortunate Charles EdwardStuart. When I come to Rome next time I will visit his tomb in St. Peter's.
One more time: Thank you so much Bridget for this gem in my collection of postcards!

I'm glad this postcard arrived safely in Germany as did the one sent to Alison in London.I'd sent my earlier cards in envelopes but I thought I'd try sending it as a piece of mailart. I used thick watercolour paper and acrylic,

sketching on site but admit to adding a few pen marks and finer brushwork later.

Its so exciting to receive cards from the other members of the group and not just to see the images on the computer.

Sketching in Skye

The sketching kit

Village of Aird

Aird Church is now a gallery

Shore cattle

Holiday house

Shoreline- Ardvasar

Raining in Skye

I've been very lucky to spend a week on the island of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. I was with a lovely group of friends, 5 of us painters and though it frequently rained the weather couldn't detract from the dramatic scenery and the atmosphere of this incredible place. Though I'd taken painting materials I spent the time between showers sketching. Now I'm trying to use gouache - a new medium for me - to attempt to capture the landscapes I saw.