Birches in Ballater

Driving to Braemar the other day through the sun dappled birch forests of the Highlands. The birch was the first tree to appear in Scotland after the ice age. I love the black and white textured bark.

This is gouache again, trying to be a bit abstract and use limited colours. I wanted to capture the mystery and enticing quality of the woods. A tip from youtube is to block off the painting space using tape to produce a neat edge. It works well if you are doing something more abstract.

Dressing in the Heat

The insane weather lately! Heat, humidity, storms. Usually Aberdeen just goes with cold and damp all year. So what to wear.
Had to hit the Oxfam shops and the sales hard to cope with this new phenomenon. Also as I have a new job so a bit of smart casual is called for.
I’ve been wearing...
Linen is the best material for heat. It always feels cool and seems to absorb and deodorise sweat. I have a grey linen floppy skirt, a black linen dress and a new green linen shirt which have been in heavy rotation. I am bidding on another shirt on ebay.
Pastels, especially white, work in the heat. Make sure tshirts are not too flimsy so you don’t sunburn through them. I don’t usually like white but my white and blue floral dress from a charity shop in Ballater is a lifesaver.
Sandals, I got great pale pink and metallic ones in M and S. They must be insanely comfy as your feet will swell and rub. I bought some in Asda but they wouldn't stay on due to wrong straps. Cheap shoes can be a disaster.
Loose trousers, I bought a pair of baggy black crepey trousers in the sales. They are very unflattering but so practical, especially when I spent the whole day climbing spiral stairs and fighting through junk in attics at a castle in my freelance job.
What do you wear in the heat?

Balmoral Sketching

This is a rollerball pen sketch done as as I sat on a bench in the grounds of Balmoral Castle with my friend Alison L. I liked the crazy baronial architecture, all turrets. The castle was rebuilt for Queen Victoria in the c19th by local architect John Smith in the Scottish style.

I am trying to do more sketching out and about in my portable sketchbook. Moleskine make the classic ones with nice paper, traditional binding, hard covers and elastic closure.

Gordon Highlanders Museum

A brief pen sketch partly in brush pen, which gives a nice irregular effect and partly in felt pen. 

Today we popped into the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen to see a display by Aberdeen Modellers Society. The plane and tank models looked great and the club members were chatty and informative. The museum itself is excellent and also has an excellent tearoom and pretty memorial garden. 

I love the Arts and Crafts, Mackintosh style of the museum, which is a cottage converted for the successful Scottish artist Sir George Reid. Reid was a portraitist and landscape and genre painter who was well known at the time, although less so today. 

Oxfam Project Again

Another quick toodle round the charity shops on my way to the Post Office. Today I was thinking accessories. I found some great red M and S ballet flat shoes in the Oxfam, barely if ever worn and only £5. Charity shops can be a brilliant place to get shoes as people often buy them and then discover they are the wrong size, uncomfy or whatever but they are hard to return. You really can’t tell how they are when you try them on, only after you have worn them a few times.
Being red, I see these as feature shoes to add a bit of a zing to an outfit or for going out as they are fun but walkable. I think my high heels days are over.

Abergeldie Castle

Bonus post: Abergeldie Castle on the way to Braemar in gouache and watercolour. The castle was nearly washed away in recent floods as it is right by the River Dee. 

Which version do you prefer?

Going Gouache

As part of my painting project I am determined to keep trying new mediums. Media??? Following a boring attempt in watercolour body colour, I got a lovely Winsor and Newton gouache set in the Greyfriars Art Shop in Edinburgh while we were on holiday. What a wonderful old art shop, all wood panelling inside with little drawers of beautiful art materials. These paints were less than half price too! 

I have been taking lots of flower photos for painting around my area, probably annoying neighbours by leaning over walls to photo especially lovely flowers in their gardens. I am especially inspired by Georgia o’ Keefe at the moment and by the amazing weather we are enjoying which has made everything grow and grow. 

I like discovered I like gouache as it can be used like watercolour, used neat or with white. You can remove it, blend it, paint over it. Think of it as watercolour without the frustration. And the amazing vivid colours in this set brought joy to my heart. Went a bit crazy with the blue leaves but I felt it needed some zing and contrast. 

Oxfam Project

Today I was doing some work out in Braemar so popped into the excellent Clan charity shop in Ballater.
They always have great things, very cheap, plus amusing chat. Today an elderly lady was musing if it was acceptable to be nude in public if it was really hot. She seemed keen and was already wrinkled and brown like a very cheery raisin.
For me I found a green and white patterned scarf by Tigi, white cardigan from Oasis, 1950s style blue floral sundress by Simply Stock Shop and white top from Monsoon. It’s so hot I need summer clothes! The first decent summer since the 70s calls for white things, pastels, cotton, linen and loose t-shirts. I never usually buy any summer clothes as I live in Scotland. This caught me out in London where it is wonder weather and I could sit out on the balcony for dinner and pop downstairs from the flat for ice cream.
For Alistair I found a set of original lead Warhammer dwarf figures from 1986.
Total for all £20!

Outdoor Sketching

We have been on holiday to Edinburgh for a few days. I bought a classic Moleskine sketchbook in the art gallery and enjoyed outdoor sketching. I don’t usually sketch, just photo. But sketching is great As it requires more thought which is a better preparation for painting, and also productively fills boring time.

Here are some people enjoying the wonderful hot weather in Princes Street Gardens!