Taking the ferry to Arran

 Holy Isle off the coast of Arran

Goatfell 

Brodick Castle

Village Shop at Whiting Bay

Whiting Bay

Lochranza Castle

I've been staying on the Island of Arran, an hour's ferry trip away. I've come to paint but the weather has been changeable so I've been sketching mostly and taking photographs. When it's damp the midgies are lethal so that's another excuse to leave the easel in the car.

If you'd like to see the "midgie dodging sketches" they're on my other blog 

Bridget Hunter's Sketchbooks

http://bridgethunter2.blogspot.co.uk/

Working from a Photo

The Small Pond Culzean

Oil on board  24 x 20"

Bridget Hunter 2012

I've been searching through sketchbooks and photos for a painting subject and found this one taken on a walk at Culzean Castle. I've always wanted to paint the shadows and reflections there but thought it might prove too tricky to get it right.

First a few thumbnail sketches to decide on the composition.

Then the exciting part - blocking in the main shapes.

 Palette - Ceruleum, Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Rose, White.

After that it all went downhill as the struggle with the foreground meant I kept wiping paint off and adjusting the plants and resorting to lots of coffee breaks and getting totally scunnered with it !

In the end the large mass of pale plants at the bottom disappeared as it seemed to work better with a darker area there. Then it seemed best to darken the tones of the left side to emphasis the light areas at the end of the path. It now sits facing the wall so I'm not tempted to do anymore and so overwork it.

However, I love the work of Ivon Hitchens and would love to be able to reduce the scene as he does in this painting.

Drooping Trees over Water
Ivon Hitchens  1957