isles of orkney | isles of lewis & harris | isle of barra | isles of uist & berneray | isle of skye | the small isles | isles of tiree & coll | isles of islay & colonsay | isles of mull & iona
isles of arran & bute | royal deeside | east coast | big sky deep sea (more locations) | direct from the artist (paintings) | direct from the artist (prints) | New Works Profiled
The Sacred Island
Visiting Iona you can't help but feel the spiritual presence and be struck by the religious turmoil that has gone before. The Sacred Island intimates the conflict.
Over the causeway
Across the Northern Sea
Poured down upon
the Sacred Island
Three significant dates have been included in the painting: 563 -St Columba landed on the Island, 801 was around the time the Vikings raided the Island, 1156 the "Lordship of the Isles" were created, led by Somerled and resulted in the defeat of the Vikings. The Benedictine Order was established and the Abbey was built. For centuries the Chieftains were buried there.
I have intimated Staffa in the back ground. The geology of Staffa Island echoes that of the giant's causeway -with it's thousands of basalt columns and is said to have been built by the giant Fionn Mac Cumhail to walk to Scotland. Fingals cave has been seen to be an entrance to the Underworld. A straight line from staffa to the Giant’s Causeway would in fact pass through Iona.
The Gaelic writing translates as ‘The hill with it’s back to Ireland”. This is the other name of the hill called Dun. Hence legend and geology interwoven.
Available as a Giclee print now!
Stein Bay Circa 1990
The landscape is often changed radically by renovations and new buildings. The modern is present often at the expense of the quaint and the charming. I sometimes hark back to older images to use as source material. Here the old red roof has been replaced and the cottage has been transformed. I loved the old rickety barn. The map co-ordinates however, never change.
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The Flat Island
40x40" NEW - available as a Giclee print now!
My mind has always meandered through these others elements of the landscape when I actually am in the process of painting. I am enjoying allowing myself to embrace this new work. Actually not that new - I produced work 18 years ago when I painted my first painting inspired by Siusaidh NicNeill poetry "All My Braided Colours".
The Flat Island is once again inspired by her poem Home Again:
Home again to the flat Island
to see the horizontal washing
flapping maniacally.
The sharp north-easterly
springing pegs
from the line
and the smoke coughing from the stack.
From the south west
it would blow back
to choke the firesiders.
This was the first painting which is a “bespoke island”. The Flat Island - the Isle of Tiree. The elements and icons of the island are suggested - the black houses with the tar roofs, the harbour at Scarinish and views to Mull. The place names are testimony to the mixed history. Bagh is from the Norse meaning Bay, Pol as in Heylipol is from the Norse for Farmstead or town - “Holy town” and Bale as in Balephetrish is from the Gaelic meaning town - “Town of wolf Bay”, or Balevulin “Town of the Mill”
I am delighted to have received an award for this painting from the Paisley Art Institute in May 2009.
The Long Island
32x32" NEW - available as a Giclee print now!
This painting, again inspired by Siusaidh NicNeill poetry.
From a crack in the window
Dust and rain gathered
I spy the moon drenched dancers.
Grain-stad - the day of the stopping of the Sun
When day and night hold equal sway
In the hand of the Earth
Stop
Frozen in stone
Before my eyes
Before the eyes of my fathers and all before them
To the first stopping of the Sun
This is the third in the series of “bespoke island”. The Long Island - The Isle of Lewis. Included in the painting are suggestions of the black house, typical long crofts, the whale bone arch, Carloway Broch, the Viking presence and the Standing stones of Calanish.
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