The Art of the Landscape: British Council - Landscape Art Collection

The Art of the Landscape: British Council - Landscape Art Collection

Acharachle with Blue Skies

Oil on board   28 x 24"  

Bridget Hunter  2010

This may be the last painting from my week in Ardnamurchan - Acharachle being the name of the furthermost part of the peninsula. I have other sketches and ideas but I'd like to do some more small still life work just now - bit like sketching in paint and practising looking closely. I enjoyed painting this, at least applying the paint, which meant it took on its own life as it progressed and ended up a recollection of  remembered colours. But I think that's my problem  - the application of paint is like a kind of dance and it can become almost heady - and its nothing to do with the turpentine vapours. But then so many end up disasters and in the bin. Am I alone in feeling like this I wonder?

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Dark sea at Sana

Oil on board  24 x 20                  
Bridget Hunter  2010

The vagaries of a Scottish May! It was either sharp showers or patches of strong sunshine all day. I started blocking in the main shapes and colours in Acrylic but despite hiding under a plastic sheet the rain made the paint run. The plastic sheet caused the shore sheep alarm too. But got some more work done later in the day though I had to finish it at home, again using oils which I much prefer. The sky and sea were very dark which made the sands even whiter. It was such a painterly subject - the colours and the contrasts. Sana is a tiny village across the bay from our holiday cottage - no cars are allowed into the village itself. It's a mixture of a few new homes and one or two old crofts. One day I hope to go back.

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Blue sea at Portuairk

Oil on board  24 x 20
Bridget Hunter 2010

This work was blocked in at the location in acrylic then finished at home using oils. There's just something about the buttery consistency of oils, the way it can be manipulated that I find I don't experience with faster drying acrylics. However, that may change when I try the acrylic retarder gel - which I'm still trying to source. I hope I haven't lost anything by completing it later but admit I may have intensified the 'blues'. Its my memories of the place though - how I saw it - turquoise and creams.

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Rosie's Choice

Oil on board  10 x 12
Bridget Hunter 2009

" It takes two to paint. One to paint, the other to stand by with an axe to kill him before he spoils it."     William Merrit Chase

I've been working on paintings from recent holiday as I need 20 paintings for two exhibitions in August. But when the pressure's on nothing seems to work out. And then I labour too much and end up scraping more paint off than I put on. I'm almost scared to look at paintings the next day knowing I'll be disappointed and it'll be all start again! The quote above seems to fit my situation perfectly!!!

So posting this small work from a wee while ago. Rosie insisted on having red boots and I couldn't resist painting the colour.

Rum, Muck and White Sands.

Acrylic on board  20 x 16

Bridget Hunter 2010

This is the painting in the photo - finished at at home ! There were a few marks I always feel the need to add and lost my small brush somewhere whilst clambering over the rocks. But that's the way it always is with me - think I'm organised but never am! I once used Ribena as medium when sketching as I'd forgotten the water. But the watercolour sketches had a nice rosy glow even though the sugar attracted a fair amount of insects. Life plein air !

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Eigg, Rum and shore sheep.

Acrylic on board   10 x 12"

Bridget Hunter 2010

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This small oil painting was done outside working quickly as the weather was sun and showers! There was a flock of hardy sheep which grazed on the grassy patches along the shore and this will be an abiding memory of our holiday at Ardnamuchan. When the tide came in they wandered in and out of gardens or sat on the single track road claiming it as their own. This was the view from the cottage window with the islands of Rum and Eigg across the water- hence the title. I'd taken acrylics as I thought it would make cleaning up easier and the works would be dry for taking home- my Mini car has a very small boot! However, I like working with wet paint and wished I had taken a gel retarder to slow down the drying time. I was told about this useful medium there. I live and learn !!! .

Portnuairk Ardnamurchan

A few photos from idyllic holiday - good friends, nettle soup, Drambuie, shore sheep and laughter. And painting too!

Ardnamurchan

... putting down what I felt in terms of some overall image at the moment today, and perhaps being terribly disappointed with it tomorrow... trying to make it better and then despairing and destroying partially or wholly... getting back into it and just kind of frantically trying to pull something into this rectangle that made sense to me... (Richard Diebenkorn)


Have just returned from a week at Ardnamurchan on the west coast of Scotland with a small group of painter friends. Seals, sea otters, white sands, turquoise waters. An enchanting place to be. But sometimes the more I'm inspired to paint the less happy I am with the results. I thought the above quote summed it up perfectly.

The Painted Chair

Oil on canvas     12 x 12"
Bridget Hunter 2009

We bought this old Loyd Loom chair at auction for £2 many years ago. I've always loved its shape and its now in my workroom, a place to sit and stare my paintings into miraculously working!! I used anything I could find - brushends, fingers included - to try to capture the texture. The magenta velvet cushion was a great colour to work with but felt it needed something else. Added some lemons hoping that being the opposite of purple they would add a zing. Its given me ideas for further paintings of bits of furniture that live with me. There's my grandmother's piano. Now that would be a challenge!

Three Red Onions.

Oil 12 x 12"
Bridget Hunter 2009

I always want to paint if I see colours that sing. Red onions have that effect - all the purples, reds, oranges and blues, from the cool light reflecting. And garlic has so many subtle shades that make them exciting too. I wasn't sure how to arrange the shapes but as I love this old plate because of the blue I thought I'd try. Then it was all circular shapes so added a square white napkin to contrast. I think it works, at least I hope it does. But I enjoyed the process and the challenges it gave me. But photo is again a problem as I can see a bit of me in it!        
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Work Table

Sometimes something ordinary, because of light or colour, changes into something that becomes a painting subject. These tubes of paint, with the reds shining out and the random arrangement of shapes, became just that. The composition seemed to work. It was also good to be doing a Still Life subject again. I like Kurt Anderson's words about a still life painting being full of movement and light.

Oil on canvas 12 x 12"
Bridget Hunter 2009

Snow Hills

Oil on canvas 12 x 12"
Bridget Hunter 2010

And it snowed and it snowed and it froze and it froze. And put on the warm boots and went out to look. But it was too cold to sketch so went home trying to remember the colours I'd seen amongst all that white. Then painted this as soon as I could while the memory was still fresh - coffee first though!

Walking in Twilight

Realised that I'm hopeless at taking decent photos. The colours are more subdued than in the paintings.And you can see the decking reflected in the glass !!!!! Next task had better be to learn.But hate technical stuff - and a camera to me is just that - my mind can't cope and switches off.

Walking in Twilight is another walking place near Ayr and I'm thrilled to have had this painting and two others accepted for the PAI 2010 Exhibition.

Across to Arran

I can see this view of Arran by walking ten minutes to the beach. The cloud formations hanging over the island are ever changing and this time it was a bright but blustery day. I used a sketch and a black and white photo as resouces.

White was Everywhere

Oil 30 x 24"
Bridget Hunter 2010

It's amazing how long the snow lay providing opportunities to really look.

This is the view just round the corner from Walking in Sun and Snow.

Walking in Sun and Snow

Oil on canvas  30 x 24"  .
Bridget Hunter 2010

Out with friends walking near The Heads of Ayr and the landscape had been transformed. Found it too cold to stand and sketch so took photo instead.                                                                                

Sketches of Loch Doon area.

Loch Doon Landscape

Oil on canvas  30x30"
Bridget Hunter 2010

Loch Doon is a place of memories and this painting has been a struggle.

It's a subject that deserves far more than this one attempt.


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